The information available to online instructors through the LMS can tell a story about a student's background and achievement in courses. When seeking to identify problems or customize instruction for students, the online educator can use this data to make informed decisions.
The enrollments and attendance data shows a student's current course load, basic information about a student's classifications (regular ed., gifted, special ed., etc.), whether the student will be taking an EOCT for the course, and an attendance summary. Teachers can use this information in a variety of ways. If a teacher is having difficulty with a student, he could contact the student's other teachers to discuss different approaches that may work in reaching the student. Through this data, the teacher can also be on the lookout for any special education accommodations that the student receives. If the student is showing a large number of absences which are, in turn, affecting course progress, then the teacher will need to contact a parent.
The LMS will also feature a communication log. Sometimes the LMS will update this log for instructors, but other times the instructors will have to manually enter each communication. One way that online instructors can foster positive relationships with stakeholders is by communicating with parents to relay positive information instead of solely negative information.
The course progress feature is probably the most important collection of data for the instructor. Here, the instructor can see a grid of each student and the dates the students have accessed pages, the numbers of page views, the numbers of assignments completed and the scores received on those assignments. The teacher should be careful to note not just the number of page views by a particular student, but also the number of kilobytes of data used with the tool. Simply logging onto a page does not mean that a student has been putting forth as much effort as it could appear.
Finally, the students can monitor their own progress. It is especially important for students of virtual school to be able to work independently and be self-motivated, the students should use this tool frequently. The students are able to see grades, and they can also see specific feedback from the instructor or see questions missed on tests or quizzes.
When the instructor uses the LMS to tell a story about the student, he can work to customize instruction for that student or provide remediation when needed.
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