Support. Is implementation training provided?
Is that part of the start-up costs? What training materials does the CMS offer? Does it have a 24/7 help system, either by phone or by chat? What support does it offer students?
After considering these factors, faculty are responsible for determining the essential criteria or features necessary to deliver a quality course using appropriate technology as well as any “nice to have” but not essential criteria or features. In many universities, CMS decisions are made for the academic environment as a whole. Thus knowing school- and profession-specific requirements is critical.
CMS and LMS products are improving with new technological developments and arrangements with partners that bring new tools to the product. For example, most products now provide access to Web 2.0 tools that facilitate collaboration efforts. These include tools such as wikis, blogs, conferencing, ePortfolio, and journaling. Most products now also offer mobile learning options.