In the iMoot 2010 Conference held on February 4th, Ernie Ghiglione did a presentation showing Moodle users the benefits they can get from LAMS using their own Moodle concepts.

Moodle is an open-source-learning software, a Course Manangement System, also known as Learning Management System (LMS), which helps teachers create online learning courses with a focus on interaction.  On the other hand, LAMS is a tool for designing, managing, and delivering online collaborative learning activities. It provides educators with a visual authoring environment for creating sequences of learning activities.  While both are great tools for promoting online learning, one is effective in creating and managing courses and the latter enhances the first by making the activities within the course sequential.

LAMS is all about sequencing, from the creation of activities to running them with the students all the way to monitoring their progress.  LAMS provides specific order by which students can do their activities, the way in which teacher intended.  It allows the students to learn together and make progress through the sequence of activities. Everyone is on the same page. 

Branching, a tool inside LAMS, allows authors to create several routes through a sequence.  Branching can be based on the following:

• output from the text that the students submit (thus, if a student answers X and not Y, he will follow a different path from the one that answered the opposite)
• output from any assessment or test (the route or branch that each student will follow depends on te result of the test of assessment)
• groups (each student will follow a branch or path depending on the group to which he belongs)
• The teachers or students decide where they want to go.

Once the students begin and move forward through the sequence of activities, teachers are able to monitor and follow up on the progress of the students.  Furthermore, teachers also get to share their activities and teaching practices with other educators by exporting the sequences.  Other educators may use existing sequences and then tailor or customize them according to their requirements.

View the full presentation of LAMS for Moodlers here.