ERIC Number: EJ799844
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008
Pages: 9
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1528-5324
EISSN: N/A
Critical Factors in Selecting a Course Management System for Higher Education in Ghana
Awidi, Isaiah T.
EDUCAUSE Quarterly, v31 n1 p24-32 2008
Course management systems (CMSs) currently drive educational delivery in most developed countries. Their absence in higher education in most developing countries creates a digital divide between first- and third-world students. Meeting the needs of higher education in Ghana therefore depends on identifying the factors that should inform the choice of such a system. This article reports a study that determines the factors crucial to choosing a CMS for Ghanaian higher education institutions, The author studied the three main universities in Ghana through a survey and workshops. He concludes that in selecting a CMS, university management must examine all costs to ensure that there are no hidden costs and that the institution will derive the full benefits of the system. Management and all stakeholders must accept the system, and it must meet standards of effectiveness, efficiency, ease of use, and environmental considerations. The stakeholders must agree that the system chosen satisfies their basic and critical requirements. He also provides a checklist to indicate their expectations. (Contains 2 tables and 15 endnotes.)
Descriptors: Higher Education, Management Systems, Foreign Countries, Computer Software, Developing Nations, Access to Computers, Colleges, Costs, Educational Finance, Check Lists, Computer Uses in Education, Educational Technology, Computer Literacy, Administrator Role, Public Colleges, Teacher Attitudes
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Ghana
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A