When digital curriculum is designed with ease of use and integration in mind, teachers facilitate learning rather than get caught up in the role of ‘technology DJ.’ Students remain immersed in the lesson of the day, without having to operate within multiple digital platforms. But integrating online learning seamlessly across platforms and within your school’s learning management system is a hurdle that not all curriculum providers have overcome.
Considerations For Learning Management Systems
Onboarding a new learning management system (LMS) is a costly and tedious process. Licensing and onboarding an LMS can cost upwards of $10,000 per year, with larger districts paying even more. Despite an abundance of resources and competitive offerings in the industry, a recent Capterra survey shows that organizations spent 59% more on learning management systems than was expected. Even with rising licensing prices, functionality was overwhelmingly rated as the top consideration when selecting an LMS. K-12 schools tend to go through a lot of LMS turnover. The same survey revealed that in 2020, 40% of survey respondents were using an LMS that the district had utilized for less than one year.
Until recently, institutions of higher education were the primary users of LMS software. In just the past few years, K-12 schools have rapidly become the top users. This shift has left some LMS offerings in the dust, particularly those who did not keep up with the demands of K-12 that are a bit different from those of universities.
Google Classroom, for example, offers a familiar interface, transferability, and digital organization tools that teachers love. However, Google Classroom alone can be restrictive, limiting the range of activities teachers can present to students. Although it offers the ability to create auto-graded multiple choice assignments and rubrics for short answer or essay questions, it’s not truly customizable or fully interactive. Teachers rarely use it for more than point-and-click assignments. Being able to integrate an interactive, customizable learning platform like Boardworks is key to taking the educational experience beyond multiple-choice assignments that students tire of with Google Classroom. And Boardworks is always improving its integration capabilities within this popular LMS.
Ease of Use Can Make or Break Curriculum
Ease of access is a preventable obstacle to the academic progress of students and teachers working in the classroom or remotely. When students are instructed to remember multiple login credentials, a certain portion will ‘check out’ and decide that the hassle isn’t worth it. Some teachers become equally discouraged by unintuitive access options. When complicated technology fails to provide a better path forward, it’s easy to see why some teachers revert to paper-based busy work rather than using the full capabilities of the devices and software within reach.
Boardworks addresses this by eliminating the need for students to maintain login credentials. Additionally, Boardworks will soon be unveiling single sign-on (SSO) compatibility with Google, Microsoft, Clever, and Classlink to streamline access, freeing up more class time for learning and practice activities. From the beginning, ease of access has been front of mind at Boardworks. With newly expanded SSO features, teachers and students can access customizable lessons and activities with ease.
Boardworks Offers Plug-and-Play Interactive Lessons
With Boardworks, hundreds of lessons and thousands of interactives are just a click away. For teachers, both the Boardworks presentations and worksheets are customizable to ensure the materials support their lesson plans. Customizability, ease of access, and true interactivity set Boardworks apart from other curriculum resources. Schedule a demo today to experience how Boardworks empowers teachers and opens the door to more enriched student learning.
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