Tonight I watched another Quality Matters (QM) conference session titled “Data-Driven Insights into LMS Template Effectiveness: A Quality Matters and D2L Study.” Cristy Ford, Chief Learning Officer for D2L, was the presenter. Ford has experience in K-12, administration, and QM. Working with QM, they knew that templates improve the student and faculty experience. LMS templates were defined by Ford as “a skeletal organizational outline so faculty can concentrate on their pedagogical design.” These templates do not impact design creativity or academic freedom; the LMS templates provide good navigation plus quick links/easy access to institutional/organization resources and tools, said Ford. They ran a survey for several weeks in January thru March 2024 and received 300+ responses. This survey was distributed by email, newsletter… webinar. Eighty percent of those surveyed reported that their institution uses an LMS template. There were a variety of responses to why some institutions don’t use an LMS template. There was resistance to using LMS templates, never discussed, and no staff to develop/maintain. Ford spoke about addressing some misconceptions about LMS templates, including inflexibility of the template. LMS templates can be created with flexible options such as required elements (institutional support, etc.), suggested elements, examples, and structure. Ford said that research shows that templates improve the user experience, specifically social presence, engagement, perceived usefulness, and faculty satisfaction. The top beneficial feature of LMS templates was standard navigation. Guidance for instructional designers and instructors helps facilitate the implementation of the LMS templates. Interestingly, within a program, the LMS template provides a sense of cohort. The template may provide structure and support for quick links to support resources, links to important and/or frequently used items, and institutional policies. Ford highlighted elements such as a “Start Here” folder, vital course items (syllabus, schedule, learning objectives & relevant course policies), a course overview, and a placeholder for building community. D2L created a MasterClass with three modules and about one hour of work that focuses on quality with LMS templates. This class is free! D2L also has the functionality of allowing institutional-level LMS template design and deployment.
