Measuring Faculty Use of the Learning Management System in the First Semester of Availability

The purpose of this project is to quantify the use of a Learning Management System (LMS) by faculty teaching online at a rural community college in the western United States. The LMS is ubiquitous in higher education, in place at 99% of colleges and universities and used by more than 80% of faculty and 82% of students. It is used in all instructional modalities but is an essential tool in online teaching. At institutions offering distance education, the LMS is the web-based environment through which faculty and students interact despite separation by time and geography. Understanding the level of online faculty activity in the LMS is foundational to knowing the opportunities for meaningful learning afforded to online students. This project will analyze the empirical data generated through faculty behavior in the LMS in the first semester of availability at a community college. This examination of faculty activity will provide a baseline measurement to describe faculty usage in the initial semester. It is the College’s first step towards understanding what has taken place in its online campus, anticipating what will happen next, and being impactful with interventions in subsequent semesters.