Abstract:

The massification of higher education has improved access to educational opportunities for students from previously disadvantages areas. At the same time it has also provided many challenges, such as a lack of infrastructure to support more students, increased diversity of students and the management of large classes. These challenges have ultimately decreased the quality of education at universities. A learning management system (LMS) can be used to overcome some of the challenges associated with the massification of education, but this has not been the case as the implementation and use of the LMS comes with its own challenges. This paper then investigates how a LMS can be used to overcome the challenges of massification of Higher Education by taking advantage of the many benefits that this information system provides. The challenges that must be considered when implementing a LMS are also discussed as it relates to the Technology Organisation Environment framework and massification of higher education. Finally, five critical success factors are provided to ensure the successful implementation of a LMS in order to negate the impacts of massification on higher education.

Keywords:

Learning Management System, Massification, Higher Education, Blackboard.