Forum Teaching with LAMS - experiences: Re: Branching features for LAMS V2.1


 
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5: Re: Branching features for LAMS V2.1
In response to 1 01/12/07 08:19 PM
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NB: I've just registered a trial account, and I assume that in doing so, I'm using v2.0 (because it has the grouping feature you refer to above, but no branching).

First of all, can I say how impressed I am with LAMS: a great application all round - easy to use, pedagogy-driven, and student-centred - but for me the 'student-progress' orientation is definitely the killer aspect.

Secondly, this particular posting is very encouraging, because it begins to deal with (at least one of) the 3 immediate problems for me - the strict linearity of tasks within a sequence.

I know that the Optional tool provides some respite from that, but branching would be much more useful for me. From what I've read here today, I see that this is being dealt with in very creative ways, which is very encouraging - I look forward to seeing how v2.1 finally does so.

The second immediate thing (and a relatively simple one I would think) that would make a huge difference, is the ability to link to another sequence - especially combined with the new branching tool.

Finally (I've been looking for an app like LAMS for years, so pardon my enthusiasm here), the third thing that would make this a killer app (this one may be a bit harder, but maybe not a hard as it first appears) is a Course Builder into which you drag-n-drop sequences - again, with branching - to create (a section of) a course.

This would work the same way as the lesson builder, but would just sit one level higher, and allow you to plan and track students' progress through a course, not just through a lesson.

I know there are other mechanisms out there to manage and sequence individual lessons, but as I said before, the killer aspect of LAMS for me is the student-progress orientation - and having the ability to use that at the course level as well as the lesson level would make it a killer app in my view.

Steve K

Posted by Steve Knowles

6: Re: Re: Branching features for LAMS V2.1
In response to 5 01/17/07 12:25 AM
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Hi Steve,

If you are using demo.lamscommunity.org as a server for trialing LAMS, then you are using LAMS2.0. If not, just go there and get yourself an account for the good stuff :-)

> The second immediate thing (and a relatively simple one I would think) that would make a huge difference, is the
> ability to link to another sequence - especially combined with the new branching tool.

We have a feature scheduled (LDEV-750) that will allow you to import a sequence within another sequence. So I guess once you import it, then you can use the branching tool to do the rest. Unless of course you want this to be done dynamicaly (which is too hard and is not part of LDEV-750, at least for now :-) )


> Course Builder into which you drag-n-drop sequences - again, with branching - to create (a section of) a course.

We have discussed this with James and Yoichi before. I think we called it a meta-authoring environment in which you can create aggregation of sequences at a course level.

There are lots of details to be worked out for meta-authoring so we haven't put it in the roadmap yet, but it's great to hear that you find it useful.

Thanks,

Ernie

Posted by Ernie Ghiglione

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