Chapter 3: Decisions, Decisions: Selecting a Course Management System in Higher Education

Universities are facing new challenges as educational technologies evolve at a quicker pace year after year. This chapter’s focus is the evaluation and selection of course management systems (CMSs) within higher education institutions. A CMS is the cornerstone of any online learning program; therefore, choosing the correct one is critical to a university’s strategic future in effectively offering online courses. Valid evaluations are a key part of selecting a new CMS. Pilot testing, forming committees with key subject matter experts, obtaining feedback from students and faculty, and creating matrices with feature preferences are components found in the reviewed CMS evaluations. The information in this chapter was obtained through literature review, CMS vendor website reviews, university website reviews, and interviews with key university personnel who have experience with a CMS evaluation.