A Journey Through Online
Language Learning
Web Apps > Content Management System
Things to consider
If your institution does not offer you the possibility to develop a language course or learning materials using a VLE, or you want your materials to be fully web-based and available to all, while remaining in control of your data, you may decide to go for a CMS or Content Management System. Many Content Management Systems are freeware and can be downloaded and used at no cost. Most come complete with detailed user manuals.
The online language Hogelands and Reading Skills Course in Business Dutch were developed using a CMS, or more specifically a Web Content Management System (WCMS), in this case LightnEasy. A WCMS is used to manage and control a collection of web materials, such as HTML documents, images and sound files. It facilitates content creation, content control and editing, and allows users with little knowledge of programming languages to create and manage content with relative ease. This means that the content and design of your course can be updated and changed in real time, even if you have very little knowledge of HTML coding.
- What are your reasons for choosing to use a CMS? Do you want your materials to be web-based? Do you want full access to the content of your materials at all time? Are you willing to learn the basic functioning of the CMS of your choice? Your answers to these questions should be ‘yes’ if you want to use a CMS.
- What server will you use to upload your materials? Your institution’s or your own? Note that if you use your institution’s server, you may not be entitled to upload content and may need to involve their webmaster each time you want to upload data, such as audio files, that are not embedded in the CMS. As a result, you may not have the liberty to edit on-line material as you would wish and possibly will create a bottleneck, causing frustration.
- Do you want to restrict access to your course? You may not want everybody to have access to your course, for example if it is a component of a fee-paying programme. Once your materials are on a server, they can be searched for and found through search engines by virtually everybody. To prevent unwanted viewings of your course, you may want to make it password protected but not all freeware CMS come complete with this option.
- Do you consider giving access to the actual content and design of your CMS to other tutors? Note that freeware CMS often does not allow for levels in designer and administrative access, which means that anyone with a password to the CMS can freely change all content, delete files,etc., often without a log being created of the changes. In this context it is also important that you choose a password that can not be easily guessed to avoid students or others gaining designer access to your materials.
- Do you have the time and technical know-how to provide technical support to your students?
Examples:
Hogelands and Business Dutch. Both were developed using LightnEasy
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