Effects of Course Management Systems on Student Courses Evaluations

Abstract

The effects of using course management systems (CMS) on course evaluations were examined in two studies. In the first study, researchers used four years of archival data on undergraduate and graduate student evaluations from a large mid-western university to determine how the use of the CMS affected students' ratings of the course. In the second study, researchers did a qualitative study to analyze the frequency of students' answers to the question "What are the two things you like least about [the institutions CMS]?" Findings from Study I showed that generally students who evaluated courses that used CMS rated them lower than students who evaluated courses that did not use one. Study 2 looked at why students might rate CMS courses lower. Findings showed it may be due to the site being difficult to navigate or the site is slow.