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

By: Steve Knowles

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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