LAMS FAQ

What is LAMS?

LAMS, the Learning Activity Management System, is a free and open-source Learning Design system for designing, managing and delivering online collaborative learning activities.

It provides teachers with a visual authoring environment for creating sequences of learning activities. Teachers drag and drop activities into the authoring interface and then join the activities together to produce a learning sequence.

These activities can include a range of individual tasks, small group work and whole class activities based on both content and collaboration.

This workflow model is what principally distinguishes LAMS from other more learning management system by providing teachers and learners with sequences of activities with a high level of interactivity and collaboration. LAMS has a wide range of tools designed to be used for a range of pedagogical approaches, by teachers and students with varying levels of technical expertise.

LAMS is released under the GNU General Public License version 2.

Why would I want to use LAMS?

• LAMS provides a highly intuitive visual authoring environment for creating sequences of learning activities. Evaluation reports on the use of LAMS report that teachers find LAMS easy to use and that LAMS also helps them reflect more deeply on their teaching practice.

• Students love LAMS! Evaluation reports consistently note that students find LAMS very motivating.

• LAMS fosters greater student engagement - in one evaluation, only 16% of students were willing to discuss ideas in the classroom, however, via the collaboration facility within LAMS, over 83% were willing to discuss their ideas.

• LAMS incorporates single learner content (such as Learning Objects) as well as collaborative tasks such as discussion, voting and debate.

• LAMS allows educators to capture, share and adapt digital lesson plans based on "best practices" and teaching strategies.

• LAMS provides rich, real-time student monitoring and tracking facilities.

• LAMS can be integrated with Learning Management Systems such as Moodle, Cavas, D2L Brightspace, Sakai, .LRN, Blackboard and others.

• LAMS runs through all modern web browsers. The LAMS server software runs on all major server platforms.

• LAMS is open source software licensed under the General Public License v2. So no license fees, ever.

• LAMS supports educational specifications such as IMS Content Packaging, IMS Metadata, IMS Learning Design and IMS Question and Test Interoperability.

• LAMS has a large community of teachers, educators and technical developers that share LAMS best-practices and designs as well as foster future version of the system.

• LAMS aims to be a well documented project, on the technical side as well as the educationally.

Who is using LAMS?

See LAMS Users.

So, is LAMS an Learning Management System?

Well, depends on how you want to use it.

While LAMS has a lot of the features that you can find in an LMS, it's main focus is on sequencing learning activities rather than act as a course management system.

LAMS has course management, gradebooks, tools, student management, etc... but our main focus is allowing teachers to create digital lesson plans by sequencing learning activities.

Some people use LAMS as an LMS and they are quite happy with it. However, a lot of people and institutions use it integrated with their exising LMS -and LAMS has great tools for integrations.

How can I integrate LAMS with my Learning Management System (LMS)?

LAMS can be used as a stand alone system or in combination with other learning management systems (LMS) such as Moodle, Cavas, D2L Brightspace, Sakai, .LRN, Blackboard and others.

LAMS has native integrations with Blackbloard (via a building block) and Moodle (via a customised Moodle module).

However, LAMS can be integrated with any LMS that support IMS Learning Tool Interoperability versions 1.1 or 1.3.

Where can I try out LAMS?

Check out the LAMS demonstration server. Sign up for an account and you get your own course, a teacher account and 6 students accounts to play with (LAMS is better when students can interact in a lesson).

Where can I get LAMS?

You can download and compile LAMS source from GitHub.

Do I have to pay to use LAMS?

Nope.

LAMS is, has been and always will be open source. We are committed to teachers creating best teaching experiences for their students using sound pedagogical strategies.

You don't even need to let us know that you use LAMS, but it is appreciate it so we can keep this list updated.

What's the history behind LAMS?

LAMS started in early 2000s as as a frustration with existing eLearning systems of these fellows trying to teach and tutor students while doing their PhDs.

Then in mid 2000s the LAMS Foundation was created as a not-for-profit organisation that manages research and development into LAMS and the concepts of Learning Design.

The Foundation was based at Macquarie University, Australia as part of the Macquarie E-learning Centre Of Excellence (MELCOE) - a research centre that developed and implemented e-learning architectures and infrastructure using open standards.under the leadership of Professor James Dalziel.

The LAMS Foundation is also the copyright owner for all LAMS software.