The EENSAT LMS system is the mirror from the main server which is hosted in the Netherlands. The LMS system is derived and customized from worldwide known best open source learning management platform called Moodle. Bahir Dar University (BDU) has also its own LMS system hosted in http://lms.bdu.edu.et/. BDU’s LMS system has a template for instructors to organize their courses, quiz, forums, assignments and digital content materials. Thus, we have best practices in following aspects:
- Navigating an LMS course
- Customizing user profile
- Creating sections within a course
- Adjusting course settings
- Adding course resources
- Quizzing students
- Managing course participants
- Customizing the LMS gradebook
Figure 1. Learning Management System at Bahir Dar University
Deployment of EENSAT LMS System
Based on LMS system deployment and configuration workshop which was held from 5 July to 9 July 2019 by Ivan Oliveira, LMS specialist at the University of Twente/ITC, we LMS administrators got the following knowledge and skills:
- Webservers in general (Apache, IIS, Nginx, etc.)
- IIS (Microsoft) web server
- PHP language and configuration
- MySQL/MariaDB, other databases
- SLL/TLS Certificates
- Thus, during the training we successfully configure, customize and host the mirror on Bahir Dar EENSAT LMS on windows 2016 server which is 1TB storage. The BDU LMS is hosted on Linux server operating system platform, hence we got a new feature from the training.
Importance of EENSAT LMS System
- Organizes eLearning content in one location.
Instead of having the eLearning content spread out over different hard drives and devices, we can store all of eLearning materials in one location. This reduces the risk of losing important data and makes it easier to create our eLearning courses. - Provides unlimited access to eLearning materials.
Once we upload our eLearning course materials onto the EENSAT LMS and publish them, our students will have unlimited access to the information they need. Furthermore, those who are on the go can login to the eLearning platform via their smartphones and tablets. - Easily tracks learner progress and performance.
The best Learning Management System gives the ability to keep track of learner progress and ensure that they are meeting their performance milestones. For instance, if the instructor is in the Netherlands, he/she can follow students’ progress in Ethiopia via LMS system. - Reduces Learning and Development costs.
A Learning Management System gives the power to completely do away without instructor travel costs, online training site rentals, and printed eLearning materials. - Reduces Learning and Development time.
A Learning Management System can even reduce online training times, thanks to the fact that it gives online learners only the information they need in a direct and organized manner. We can also assess their understanding by taking online exams or quizzes, participate in interactive scenarios and simulations, and watch eLearning videos that highlight complex processes or tasks. - Quickly and conveniently expands eLearning courses.
If we want to add additional online modules to our eLearning course in order to update information based on new trends or scientific evidence, we can simply login to the Learning Management System and make the necessary modifications without redoing your entire eLearning course. - Integrates social learning experiences.
A Learning Management System makes it easy to integrate social learning into our eLearning strategy. Since the LMS is already online, we can include links to Facebook and Twitter pages, LinkedIn groups, and online forums that may be beneficial for our learners.
