Course Management Systems part 02: eLearning
What is eLearning?
No discussion on course management can be complete without a look at some of the basics about eLearning. When I 
was researching eLearning for a talk I would be giving, some factoids began to appear over and over again. One of the main themes that unveiled itself was the fuzziness of some of the terms we use. When I say eLearning, what do you think of? Some think of eLearning as distance learning, online learning, computer based training (CBT), etc.
Course Management Systems part 01
What is a Course Management System?
A course management system, or CMS, is any software solution that allows trainers/teachers/instructors to teach via the Internet, intranet, or any other type of network that can be put together. While this definition might appear vague and fuzzy, the fact is that depending on the reference the reader will get different explanations of what a CMS is. Heck, the reader might even encounter different terms altogether. For example, similar terms could also be used: Learning Management Systems (LMS), Learning Content Management Systems (LCMSs.), Virtual Learning Environments, etc…. In some circles, CMS doesn’t even stand for course management, but instead stands for content management (e.g. Joomla!, Drupal, WordPress) While all of these terms are close enough to each other, heated debates on these descriptions occur in forums, journals and the basements of academic institutions across the world.
