The popularity of Learning Management Systems (LMS) accelerated during the pandemic and even afterward, as the world scrambled to get back to its pre-pandemic routines and lifestyle. Even though the pandemic deeply affected young students all over the world, they still managed to have a tight hold on their education with these learning management systems. As academia was amongst the various domains that suffered due to the outbreak of COVID-19.
Highly Recommended: Top Google Classroom (GC) Alternatives for this Year
Although many countries have now officially declared that the pandemic is over, still it will take some more time to wipe its after-effects completely. In these difficult times, learning management systems have tried to ensure that no student suffers. Among them is Google Classroom, highly recommended by educationists and used by schools and academia all over the globe. Unfortunately, this learning management system comes with its own set of limitations. Read on to find out the few alternatives, that dominate the academic sphere in their regard:
Moodle
Moodle ranks among the most widely-used, and popularremote learning apps for children. It is considered an excellent alternative to Google Classroom. This is free and open-source, just like GC, allowing teachers, educators, and academia to create a charming virtual environment, that’s perfect for their target audiences, i.e. young learners. Moodle comes with a modern interface. Its dashboard has several options such as the list of courses, pending tasks, an internal calendar to mark personal meet-ups and group events, etc.
Furthermore, this virtual learning platform also supports several audio formats such as MP4, MP3, WAV, and SCORM to add topic quizzes, badges for special features, online workshops, Google Apps, etc.It also features various plugins to ensure that the target audience is the recipient of engaging course content.
Moreover, some other features such as the text editor, allow users to edit and format text while adding images and other forms of content. This LMS is flexible, accessible, and excellent for creating instructive websites. It also supports Google Analytics along with other software(s) and is highly in demand due to its excellent features. The premium version allows fifty users for a minimal fee of $110/year.
Instructure Canvas LMS
Another popular LMS that has been a huge help to academic professionals and students is Instructure Canvas LMS. Known for its dynamic course-assembly tools, this one is easy to set up and comes with a clean yet user-friendly interface. Users can integrate multiple third-party tools into this LMS while also allowing access to G Suite from inside.
What’s more, is that LMS allows the user to design various courses, add students to the LMS, import educational content, add monthly happenings on the calendar, create daily/weekly assignments, generate regular quizzes, and produce video content for online conferences, etc.
The SpeedGrader option on the LMS allows instructors to grade assignments faster and far more efficiently. This also includes various tabs through which students can view and track their progress in the different courses. The best part is that users can also synchronize the smartphone app of this LMS with popular platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet.
There are just a few drawbacks with this LMS, namely one i.e. it lacks interactive files or gamification even though the collaboration tools are free and simply great. Students and teachers just have to ensure that their internet connections are fast and reliable, just like Wave Internet, if they always want to remain connected to this tool.
Edmodo
Edmodo is another highly engaging virtual learning platform that allows the users to create and set up a vibrant online space for their students. Edmodo’s virtual classroom community ensures that all parents are always updated with their child’s progress.
Interestingly, Edmodo looks quite similar to Facebook. It has been specifically designed this way to enhance student engagement. Interestingly, parents can also set up a parent account, where they can log in to see and track their child’s progress per subject. Since Edmodo is primarily built for the K-12 market, there were training resources and relevant material for new staff, who have just entered the field. Moreover, this LMS can be integrated with Google Apps for better online assistance.
Wrapping up
Although Google Classroom is quite popular and many schools have been utilizing it fully during the pandemic, the above-mentioned alternatives are also loaded with features and elements, which are ideal for a remote-hybrid academic environment. Besides this, these virtual learning platforms are free and require minimal payments for premium subscriptions as well.
While the standard LMS offers multiple functions for classwork, homework, and daily schedules, along with classroom management tools, these few mentioned LMS are offering a wide range of additional features as well. Apart from this, these platforms only need a steady internet connection to work – that’s it!
