Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
From traditional four corners of classroom to electronic virtual
classroom, scholarly personnel can now take their students to any part of
the globe right from within the corners of the classroom. The speedy
progressive evolution of technology has elicited new initiatives in the
academic realm, markedly in universities and schools. One of the utmost
sententious developments in this feld is the conceptualization of digital
learning and studying. Although electronic learning environment has
long been in existence since 1950s, learning management systems
(LMS), in their leading-edge form, have only been available since 1990s
(Bartolome, 2008).
Vollmer (2003), even before the proliferation of internet, academic
institution has already been employing computer-based learning
particularly that of computer aided learning technology which is a
computer program that is developed to deliver educational resources


which supports text, audio and visual based fle. Decades have elapsed
since the establishment of internet, computer aided learning platform
has been outpaced with a more advanced platform which is called the
learning management system which has then emerged as the standards
in global educational system. Regardless of the intention whether for of
campus or on campus education, numerous learning institutions are
employing learning management system to improve learning within their
institution enabling educator to organize and manage scholarly
resources.
The shifting of learning institutions to adopt e-learning is a natural
transition for educational institution of the 21
st
century. Many educators
around the globe tend to build a collection of free commercial web
services that are one trick applications, for instance, Facebook for social
networking, electronic mails or Google Docs for submitting written
assignments, drop boxes or fle sharing cloud services for media fles,
Yahoo! Groups for discussion forums, and free test preparation sites.
Utilizing all of these variety of services requires learners and teachers to
create number of user accounts, one for each service, and manage them
all accordingly. Faculty members must always keep track of their


learners right across the assortment of services and sites. From a
technical perspective this is not clearly an easy arrangement to
administer and almost impossible to do on a medium or large scale.
Secondary to the complexity of administrating diferent electronic means,
a well-designed learning management system will have all the tools and
services one needs to create and manage user accounts, courses, social
networks, news, announcement and messages, discussion groups,
assignment and fle submission systems, assessment quizzes or test,
presentation of lessons, grading and feedback among others in one
convenient system, with one user account for each system Regardless of
the means of delivering these academic activities, scholarly personnel
perceive e-learning as an educational innovation that holds a substantial
means for enhancing teaching and learning.
In essence, Kats (2013), defnes learning management system as a
software application that could either be mobile or web-based technology
used to plan, implement, and assess a specifc learning process.
Conventionally, a learning management system provides support an
instructor with a way to create and deliver content, monitor student
participation, and assess student performance.


There are two general types of e-learning as claimed by Kruze
(n.d.), the synchronous and asynchronous training. Synchronous refers
to the actual interaction through the web in real time. While
asynchronous allows the student to complete the web training on their
own time and schedule, without live interaction with the instructor.
Asynchrous e-learning is more popular known because it creates a just
in time on demand student learning experience. In contrast, in
synchronous training, students do not need to schedule their time
around the predetermined plan of the instructor. Asynchronous training
comes in two forms, facilitated and self paced. Facilitated asynchronous
training involves instructor and students interacting not in real time.
With this kind of training students will have more time for self research,
and more peer interaction. Self paced training is form of delivery which
is consists of standalone instructional material that can be accessed and
completed via the web, without additional interaction among students.
By its nature, Brown and Johnson (n.d.), contend that learning
management system makes all academic material available and
accessible to multiple students from any location allowing consistency in
delivery of the exact same course material. The learning management


system also allows viewing the required learning path and track progress
against the learning path for both the students and facility educator.
Moreover, learning management system allows students to be evaluated
prior, during and upon completion of the course.
Pertinent to usefulness, ease and convenience in the academe,
learning management system has been adopted throughout the world.
Among the many other nations that implements e-learning (Jodi
Harrison, 2012), the United States, India, China, South Korea, Malaysia,
Australia, South Africa and United Kingdom plays were among the key
players in digital education.
In the US, a study conducted by the Sloan Consortium found that
one third of all those enrolled in higher education are utilizing e-learning
system. E-learning is also rapidly becoming popular in Australia wants
to reconsider going back to school without placing careers on hold. In the
United Kingdom, the governments online learning task force proposed an
investment of approximately 159 million dollars in online education in
order to support the nation build its brand, develop better online
educational resources, and become a major international player in the
distance learning market (Jodi Harrison, 2012).


In Asia, China is the home to almost 70 diferent online colleges, a
number that will likely to grown in the coming years in order to meet the
high demand for e-learning opportunities. Another high end growing
nation that employs e-learning is South Korea with more than 17
Colleges, all of which boast state-of-the-art facilities and software. The
small Asian nation Malaysia is also forging ahead at full speed when it
comes to learning online (Jodi Harrison, 2012).
With the educational institution gearing towards electronic
learning, a reliable content management system which is capable of
managing academic contents designed to deliver, track, and manage
training education is required (Lonn, 2009). With this matter at hand,
several learning management software platforms were developed such as
Virtual Learning Environments, Collaborative Learning Environments,
and Modular Object Oriented Learning Environment (MOODLE).
Arimbuyutan (2012), claims that the earliest advocates that lead
the drive to incorporate e-learning technologies into the Philippine school
system were scholarly personnel from the irrefutable universities like the
University of the Philippines (UP) which has established in 1995 the UP
Open University, as an alternative to traditional classroom. The


University of Sto Tomas (UST) which provides e-learning course through
e-LeAP (e-Learning Access Program). Additionally, Ateneo de Manila
University, Dela Salle University and other major universities ofer some
form of online courses, mostly these academic institution uses
prepackaged programs purchased from suppliers, although some
institutions have developed their own platform using diferent software.
E-learning in the Philippines is new and still in its embryonic stage.
Among many existing school in the country AMA Computer College is one
of the few learning institution employing learning management system
using MOODLE.
The AMA Education System is the largest educational network in
Asia. It has an annual population of 150,000 students in its more than
200 campuses all around the Philippines and other parts of the world. Its
main school, the AMA Computer University, is the frst and largest ICT
University in Asia. AMAES is committed to its perpetual vision to
become the leader and the most dominant provider of globally recognized
education and training in Information and Communication Technology.
Like so many other educational sector, AMA Computer College goes
global, and globalization in education goes hand in hand with an


increase in the availability of digital learning resources.
Since AMA Computer College caters to a majority of Filipino who
are into information communication technology its corporate vision and
mission is to become the leader in information technology education and
for the company to accomplish this it needs to understand and assess
the current situation and needs in the Philippine education. By
tradition, the Filipino culture places a high regards on education. The
entireties of Filipinos accept the truth that the best way to alleviate
poverty and to secure a better future is through education, this is upheld
by the Philippine government providing educational scholarship.
However, despite the governments thrust to provide free education, there
are some areas in the country which are remotely located that access to
colleges or universities is seemingly impossible. In addition, the
inevitable predicament on acquiring learning materials such as books,
journals and manuals are hindered by fnancial constraints. To
recompense for these, e-learning is advocated to edify the circumstances.
The electronic learning management system is the latest emerging
concept in education as a part of reformation to supplement insufciency
in the Philippine educational system and current under developing stage.


While there are numerous dozens of diferent types of Learning
Management System employed by various organizations to date, and
although these system typically share a common purpose which is to
manage and administer course materials to a larger distributed
branches. In choosing an LMS, the AMA Educational System has chosen
open source software secondary to its advantage which is free. And
because the source code is open, customization is limited to certain
extent. Further, since its for free, open source tends to be very
complicated and does not hold dedicated customer support system than
commercial ones. Without reliable and dedicated support, making even
the smallest changes can be very difcult. Secondary to this, the current
learning management system employed by the AMA Educational System
does not fully meet the requirement of the users, thus making its usage
insufcient to a certain extent
With this issue at hand, the developer being employed in AMA
Computer College, Dagupan City Campus endeavors to seize the
opportunity to be a part of the development and improvement of learning
management system in the country specifcally within its domain of
employment, the AMA Computer College. The developer is motivated and


dedicated to design a good learning management system to suit the
students learning preference from AMA Educational system.
Conceptual Framework
The context of the proposed system was identifed and organized
using the Input-Process-Output (IPO) Model.
Under this instance, input corresponds to the identifcation of the
existing learning management process of AMA Computer College in terms
of course management, student performance management, and user
management, the features of the proposed system, security and control
measures of the proposed Learning Management System for AMA
Computer College.
The developer in this undertaking will employ the Agile-Scrum type
of software engineering methodology which includes product backlog,
sprint, and product release.
After substituting all the requirements of the study and undergoing
the software engineering development methodology the expected result of


the project is the Learning Management System for AMA Computer
College.
Figure 1.1 shows the paradigm of the study to be conducted.




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A G I L E S C R U M
P r e g a m e
M i d g a m e
P o s t g a m e
I d e n t i f y t h e e x i s t i n g p r o b l e m o f t h e l e a r n i n g
m a n a g e m e n t p r o c e s s o f A M A C o m p u t e r C o l l e g e i n
t e r m s o f :
c o u r s e m a n a g e m e n t
s t u d e n t p e r f o r m a n c e m a n a g e m e n t
u s e r m a n a g e m e n t
D e s c r i b e t h e f e a t u r e s o f t h e p r o p o s e d s y s t e m .
I n c o r p o r a t e s e c u r i t y a n d c o n t r o l m e a s u r e i n t h e
p r o p o s e d L e a r n i n g M a n a g e m e n t S y s t e m f o r A M A
C o m p u t e r C o l l e g e
L e a r n i n g M a n a g e m e n t S y s t e m f o r A M A C O M P U T E R
C O L L E G E
I
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Statement of the Objective
The main objective of this project study is to design, develop and
deploy a Learning Management System for AMA Computer College.
Specifcally, it sought to meet the following objectives:
1. To identify the existing problem of learning management process of
AMA Computer College in terms of:
a.course management
b.student performance management
c.user management
2.To describe the features of the proposed system.
3.To incorporate security and control measure in the proposed
Learning Management System for AMA Computer College
4. To test the acceptability of the system
Signifcance of the Study
The developer aimed to develop a Learning Management System
for AMA Computer College which provides signifcant technological
advancement in promoting innovation for modern dynamic and efcient
way of teaching and learning under the AMA Educational System.
Moreover, this undertaking shall be of great benefts for the
F
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following stakeholders who are actively involved in the development of the
project study.
AMA Computer College. This project shall be of great benefts for
the executive management and administrators of the company as the
system promotes a good reputation with the potential of being a leader in
information technology education. The system will also provide AMA with
a good means to reinforce its education through technological innovation
Administrator. This project would be useful for the faculty
members to standardize the process in consistency in delivering course
content and to manage and facilitate learning resources with more
fexibility in terms of schedule which can be done at any location and at
any convenient time. Further, the system provides an efcient way to
organize a wide efort of the educational system to standardize lessons
throughout the diferent campuses. In addition the, the system also be of
great signifcance due to its capability to keep a centralized academic
record of the student and faculty which is more convenient rather than a
collection of paper based manuscripts.
Faculty. The system served as an avenue for which the faculty
15
members to deliver a more coherently organized courses. The system also
served as a means for faculty members to create courses with activities,
assessment in an efcient manner, thereby reducing the time involved in
course management. Through the system, faculty members can follow a
clear, concise timeline of activities and projects, look ahead to see what is
in store ahead and review past work for critical refection to improve
themselves.
Students. The student shall be beneftted in terms of fexibility,
accessibility, and convenience by allowing the students to access the
course at any place and time whether at school, at home or even in
public places such as restaurants or even cofee shops. Also, by adopting
learning management system, students would have the option to
download or view learning resources where combination of multimedia
and textual instructional materials can produce a very rich learning
experience that is repeatable and by providing practice activities with
feedback and helped the learners retain the course content.
Scope and Limitation
This study primarily focused on the development of efcient
Learning Management System for AMA Computer College where students
16
engages in a non-prosaic manner of learning by making the system more
interactive. The system shall served as an avenue and a catalyst for
administering e-learning as an added supplement to classroom based
lectures.
The system in general have the capacity to manage information
pertaining to students, courses and instructors. The administrator has
the exclusive right for providing and controlling privileges forbidding
access to non-authorized user.
The webcast faculty has the privileged right for managing
respective courses and holds the provision for uploading course content
materials supporting diferent media format such as images, documents,
videos and animations. Also, the system allows the generation of
assessment tools which will be used to evaluate the students learning
capacity by granting the instructor to set randomized questions
presented in multiple choice, true or false, and matching type kind of
assessment. Likewise, the system has the capability to check submitted
quizzes by the student per activity save and download results for later
reference by both the faculty and students. In addition to this, activities
such as assignments, exams and quizzes are made available to gauge the
students performance.
17
The system permits the student to view and download course
content materials directly or through a given links such as Document,
Powerpoint, Pdf and video and movie clips in fv and mp4 formats only.
Moreover the students possess the right to take assessment through
quizzes embedded within the facility, generating immediate viewing of the
test results. Moreover the facility allows communication with other users
within the system through communications facilities like chat rooms,
bulletin boards and forums to enrich the students learning experience.
Among other features, in order to ensure security of the system
and to provide sufcient safeguards, the facility provides the user access
rights with appended passwords to individual users of the system.
The system does not cover quality checking of content uploaded,
language, and design process of the learning managements system.
Further, this study will not cover operational, overhead and indirect cost
such as implementation, signifcant related contracts, technical support,
staf requirements and other college operation.
Academic resources associated with each course within the
Learning Managements System shall also be excluded.
Defnition of Terms
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The following terminologies are operationally defned to help
readers in the comprehension of the concept and ideas presented in the
study.
Academic Material. Refers to the course syllabus, course outline,
reading materials and multimedia materials to support a
particular course.
Assessment. Refers to the systematic collection, review, and use of
information on educational programs used to improve students
learning capability.
Asynchronous Learning. Refers to a student-centered teaching method
that uses online learning resources to facilitate information
sharing outside the constraints of time and place among a network
of people
Control Measures. This refers to preventive measures taken use to
safeguard the relevant information in the system such as
monitoring who access what data, and for what purpose, these are
discretionary control to determine whether other people can read
or change the data.
Computer Aided Learning. A computer-based packages, which aimed
19
to provide interactive instruction usually in a specifc
subject area, and many predate the Internet that ranges from
sophisticated and expensive commercial packages to applications
developed by projects in other educational institutions or national
initiatives to simple solutions developed by individuals.
Course Content. These are collections of diferent scholarly materials
which is used by the instructors to present lectures and important
related activities which may be in the form of plain document text
to multimedia platforms.
Course Management. An added feature of the system that refers to the
way in which the system manages information regarding scholarly
course materials
Course Management System. A is a set of tools that enables the
instructor to create online course content and post it on the Web
without having to handle HTML or other programming languages.
Distance Education. This refers to the concept in education that
focuses on teaching
utilizing technology as a tool to deliver course material, course
instructions and assessment.
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E-Learning. A new education concept by using the Internet technology,
it delivers digital content, which provides a learner-oriented
environment for the teachers and students.
E-Leap. Refers to a secure, easy to use, web-based training
platform delivering rich, powerful, intuitive e-learning in
multimedia environment using Web 2.0 technologies learning
management system
Face-to-Face Faculty. A kind of faculty in charge of supervising and
monitoring the student in the campus for a particular given
course.
Information Requirements. An abstract description of the services
which the system should provide and the constraints under which
the system must operate
Learning Management System. Refers to a software application for
the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting and
delivery of e-learning education courses or training programs
MOODLE. Stands for Modula Object - Oriented Dynamic Learning
Environment. MOODLE is an open source course management
system. which is used by thousands of educational institutions
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around the world to provide an organized interface for e-learning,
or learning over the Internet.
Pedagogical Model. Refers to the scholarly model used as a basis
for the development of the e-learning system.
Security. This are measures taken to safeguard information system from
attack against confdentiality, integrity and availability such as
`protecting the system with log in accounts and passwords.
Synchronous Learning. Refers to a learning environment in which
everyone takes part at the same time. Lecture is an example of
synchronous learning in a face-to-face environment, where
learners and teachers are all in the same place at the same time.
WebCast Faculty. A kind faculty solely incharge for uploading ofcial
syllabus, instructional materials, assignments and assessment
intended for the students

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Chapter 2
REVIEW OF LITERATURES
The Current Problem
Learning management systems hold a position of frst choice in
learning technology adoption within higher education. Selecting a
traditional Learning Management System requires balancing learning
and management. The initial intent of an LMS was to enable
administrators and educators to manage the learning process. This
mindset is refected in the features typically promoted by vendors: ability
to track student progress, manage content, roster students, and such.
The learning experience takes a back seat to the management functions.
Numerous reports laud the management functions of an LMS. To-date,
student experiences and efcacy of the tools have been subjected to
limited research. A clear defnition of learning vision and desired future
states, created through input from stakeholders the administrators,
faculty, students, and information services should provide the foundation
for decision making, and the boundaries of platform selection.
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Learning Management Systems are often viewed as being one the
critical component of any elearning or blended learning program. As
such, a learning management system is an integral tool for learning
professionals today. Without the right Learning Management System,
learners wont get the education that they deserve. While most of the
LMS solutions that are out there are quite efective, there are some
issues that impedes its afectivity and AMA's learning management
system is not an exception
AMA's learning management system like any other learning
management system ofer their greatest value to the organization by
providing a means to upload instructional materials content and create a
manageable structure for web and face to face instructors, administrator
and students. The concept is not only to have a quality learning
management system for the students, but to ensure that the users are
satisfed with how it works. The end-user experience should what
matters most in terms of usage.
With the current system used by the AMA educational System,
several problems arise. Respondents in the interviews conducted
revealed that the following problems were evident.
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One of the common confronting issues concerning AMAs learning
management system is the browser compatibility. With the wide selection
of browser and their respective versions, it is very common to have
incompatibility issues, despite the advancement of technology. For the
learning management to function correctly, the browser should have
certain capabilities suitably for the use of learning management system.
It is always ideal to implement a learning management system across the
board on multiple platforms.
California State University (Adams et al., 2005) conducted an LMS
review of Blackboard, WebCT Campus Edition, WebCT Vista,
Desire2Learn, and open source systems Moodle and Sakai. After an
initial review, all LMS were disqualifed, except for WebCT Vista and
Blackboard. WebCT Vista was ultimately selected. Systems were
disqualifed for a variety of reasons including: previous scale of
integration, incompatible with campus data center standards (Adams et
al., 2005), limited feature sets, limited ease of use, open source
movement still in infancy, and lack of confdence in product support by
an LMS vendor. Mention of learner and faculty concerns were largely
ignored in the report. Brief mention was made of ease of use,
eportfolios, and pedagogical fexibility, which is not defned. Migration,
25
training, history with vendor, and technical concerns formed the bulk of
decision-making criteria.
Melbourne-Monash Collaboration in Educational Technologies in a
studying the input from diverse stakeholders within the university
environment was solicited during the report. Informal conversations with
individuals directly involved in LMS implementation, support, and
administration were combined with internal reports, meeting minutes, a
literature review, and project management reports (Wise & Quealy, 2006).
It has been found out that governance styles must be aligned with the
nature of intended learning, the adoption of technology for learning
difers based on faculty learning models and needs, hence a problem that
needs to be addressed.
University of Oklahoma (CMS Task Force, 2000b) expanded its
search for an LMS by including a series of surveys from faculty and
students. The survey questions focused on individuals selecting needed
features to support learning. As with other surveys and assessments,
learning remained vague, poorly defned, and disconnected from how the
organization viewed teaching and learning. Faculty responses were
particularly revealing of the emphasis on what works versus how does
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this align with larger organizational learning objectives. Thus, creating a
dillema in the implementation of the learning management system.
In summary thereof, the literature presented discusses about
common problems encountered with the learning management system.
One important factor presented in the study present is the proprietary of
the learning management system making it difcult to customize and to
migrate should there be a need to adopt another system. Further ease of
use has always been a factor that usually confronts the adoption of
learning management system.
Features of Learning Management System
E-Learning is now increasingly used in organizations throughout
the world to implement training programs. With these modules being
used organizationally wide, a lot of companies have begun investing in
Learning Management Systems (LMS) to administer and manage course
work, testing, the roles of instructors and learners. An LMS is basically
the glue that holds all the components of learning in an organization
together.
There are around 100 LMSs available today, both proprietary and
open source. With so many LMSs around, Sumpathkumar (2012), cited
10 features to be considered when considering a Learning Management
27
System, First, the interactive learning environment a feature that needs
to be kept in mind because students using the LMS would not want the
course to be presented in a prosaic manner. Student engagement is very
important; this can be achieved by making the courses more interactive.
Features such as clicking on a text to obtain extra information or
selecting answers from a pull down list engage the students and enhance
the learning process. Secondly, the administration capabilities of the
learning management system, which holds management of information,
pertaining to students, courses and instructors. It should have
provisions for controlling access privileges. Third, a good authoring
tools which enable the instructors to develop courses easily. The tools
should have provisions for adding pictures, videos and navigation
buttons. The fourth feature that LMS should have is the communication
facilities like chat rooms, e-mail provisions, bulletin boards and forums,
all help users create a virtual learning space and a community to
connect with each other and enrich their learning experience. Fifth,
media support, good LMS must support various multimedia fle formats
such as Flash, Shockwave, mp3, and Rich Text. Sixth, the scalability,
learning management system should be possible to scale up or down in
size according to the number of users in the system. The seventh feature
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that LMS should possess is the inclusiveness; it should be possible to
access the LMS from diferent platforms such as laptops smart phones or
tablets. The eight features should be the security; a good LMS must
include sufcient safeguards to prevent hacking, especially if it includes
payment features. In addition, the last feature that a certain LMS must
possess is the cost efectiveness organization has to keep in mind that
the implementation of Learning Management System is to reduce their
administrative costs over a period of time. http://triumphindi.net/blog/
All learning management is not created equal, some may ofer a
variety of features, and some may stay on top from among the traditional
features while some ofers extraordinary in technological innovations.
The Blackboard (2013), includes features for administrator efciencies,
providing simple ways to for administrator to access data and manage.
Blackboard also features global repository for rich educational materials
including assessments, assignments, discussion, it also provides
authoring environment. It also ofer simple content creation, the easy to
use content editor reads, writes and renders modern HTML, making it a
breeze to create rich course materials for the students. Blackboard as
added features includes notifcations dashboards, student performance
reporting, confgurability of course themes and structures, student
29
activity reporting, course enrollment and user authentications.
Another popular LMS nowadays is the Desire2 Learn (2013), which
has the following features which includes course administration
enhancements, increased mobile web access features, media integration,
and advanced grading functionality. In addition to this, the instructor
has the ability to assess quizzes by questions, the learners has the
capacity to view assessments rubrics prior to the completion and
submission of an assignment. Desire2Learn also features the inclusion of
integrated audio recording tools directly within the learning environment,
for both learner submission and instructor feedback. Another added
feature is the participation in discussion on-the-go regardless of
preferred device, built in instant messaging features, language packs for
nationals who dont speak English.
MOODLE (2013), has the following features such as repository
support, portfolio support, completion monitoring, assessment
monitoring, plagiarism prevention, backup and restore, enrollment
plugins, fle handling, HTML editor, roles and permission, theme
confgurability and language translation system, quiz module and
question bank, and wikis.
30
SAKAI (2013), has the following such as confgurable URL
shortening service, reCAPTCHA supports for logins, collapsible portal
navigation menu, mobile portal user interface, question import handling,
customizable letters and number for grades, updated language packs,
feature to set open and close dates for discussion boards, and forums.
In relation to the proposed study, literatures presented contends
that each LMS has its own features depending upon the users such as
Login and Confguration, Personalization and Customization, Navigation,
Common Modules, Forms, Authoring Tools, Help and Documentation.
However, diferences in terms of login and personalization were noted for
each user. In cases of login failure, Blackboard explains error in plain
text, Desire2Learn redirects to a simple page with short error description
and ok button which redirects back to the login page, MOODLE and
SAKAI shows only error message. In terms personalization,
Desire2Learn, MOODLE, and SAKAI are non frame based, while
Blackboard is based on frames. In terms of navigation Blackboard has
good combination of list, headings, expand, collapse technique, for
Desire2Learn it possess top level navigation, MOODLE uses heading
structure, SAKAI has assistive technologies for navigation.
31
Security Features for Learning Management System
Like any other enterprise system, Learning Management System
must meet the security needs of the organization. This is especially true
in the current era, where LMS functionality is largely delivered via the
Internet, not enterprise intranets or extranets.
One of the major security functionalities is the protection against
unauthorized login. This is primarily not so much a function of the LMS,
whose login functionality relies on universal web standards, but rather
the placement of the system within the corporate intranet environment
and the inherent security features of that placement. Further, locking
users out of capabilities should not be included in their user profle, in
other words, keeping users from doing particular things once in the
system that they are not authorized to do.
One of the popular learning management system is the MOODLE
(2013), holds simple security measures, such as strong password
protection for administration and teachers against brute force of cracking
accounts.
Desire2Learn (2013), utilizes personal identifcation number to
secure its content from unauthorized entry into the portalThe personal
identifcation number is limited to 8 characters allowing combination of
32
numbers and letters, including special characters in order to prevent
brute force attack
Edmodo (2013), presents the usual security feature in preventing
unauthorized intrusion by means of user account constraints given to
users of the system.
Sakai (2013), stated that preventing security vulnerability, LMS
must employ user with SQL administrator password however, issues
identifed as security-related are prioritized and addressed diferently
than functionality or other issues classifed as bugs will be attended by
the SAKAI security work group. The Sakai security group will develop
fxes for both vulnerable released versions and vulnerable branches.
Security vulnerabilities classifed as a critical risk involve the possible
exposure of data to unauthorized viewing, modifcation, deletion or
acquisition as well as attacks that could result in data corruption will
also be attended by the security group.
In summary, most learning management system employs user
account access to allow users to get into the portal, they only difer
though on how the access are granted, either personal identifcation or
user account security feature.
33
Acceptability of Learning Management System
Acceptance testing is the fnal test action prior to deploying the
software. The goal of acceptance testing is to verify that the software is
ready and can be used by the end-users to perform those functions and
tasks the software was built to do. There are three common strategies for
implementing an acceptance test. They are formal acceptance, informal
acceptance or alpha test and beta test
Acceptance tests represent the customers interests. The
acceptance tests give the customer confdence that the application has
the required features and that they behave correctly. It is a contract
between the developer and the customer (Miller, n.d)
Accepatnce test do three important things for a software developer.
The acceptance captures user requirements in directly verifable way, and
measures how well the system meets the requirements. In addition,
acceptance testing exposes the problems that unit test miss. It also
provide a ready-made defnition of how done is the system.
After careful consideration of the development of the system,
developers must now consider taking the entirety of the system into
usability test of the system, in an article entitled Research-Based Web
Design & Acceptability Guidelines (n.d.), there are two major
34
considerations before performing acceptability testing. The frst
consideration is that the best possible test methods must be
implemented. It was stated on the same article that it would be better if a
representative users will be interacting directly with the system. The
representative users, known as tester, will be submitting a test report to
the developer. The test report contains the fndings which includes both
quantitative data and qualitative observations information.
The second major consideration is the iterative approach. After the
initial system testing, the fndings must be complied by the developer by
making the necessary changes. After making the changes, the system
will be tested and evaluated again by the tester and give their fndings.
35
The literature presented on this chapter helped the developer on
identifying the data requirements that involves in mall map and
directory. Thus, the existing android application presented on this
chapter gave the developer an idea on what features that the system
should include and what are the features that the system will no longer
cover. The literatures also helped the developer on determining the data
requirements that the proposed system should possess. In like manner,
the developer had an idea on the specifcations needed to develop and
implement the system in terms of hardware and software. The last
section of the chapter allows the developer to determine the
considerations that must be understood before conducting a usability
test.
User acceptance of blended learning instructional strategies is an
important benchmark in ongoing eforts to develop distance learning
programs. Student satisfaction is a key component in developing user
acceptance (Irons & Keel, 2002).
In an article published by Khan

and Iyer (n.d),it was pointed out
that
,
the use of technology to facilitate learning is accepted to be of value
across educational institutions. A cursory view of technology use in the
teaching process across diferent levels indicates that the range varies
36
from the use of presentation software such as Powerpoint in the
classroom to using a Learning Management System such as Moodle for
course management.
A study conducted by Pan (2005), presented scale where most of
the students had a more favorable attitude WebCT, indicating that they
liked the online learning system that was incorporated within the course
they were taking. Most of them may have been competent and
comfortable with WebCT related skills, which made these goals driven
students log in and out of the course quickly.
In addition, Hindess (2005) study regarding a LMS-based course
indicated that learners attitudes toward LMS-based instruction are
positive, and LMS-based instruction provides a learning environment for
learners to develop electronic literacy skills and share their ideas and
projects. Individual reasons such as negative attitudes could infuence
the technology use in the classroom
Further, Psycharis (n.d), in general, agreed that students
concentration tends to be positively correlated to their intention to use
Moodle for education. Thus, it should be recognize that these users as
not only system users but also learners. Students can also perceive its
usability and acceptability in terms of the opportunities it can ofer. The
37
confrmation of the study were done with the use of descriptive statistical
analysis in treating the data collected particularly normality test
Kolmogorov Smirnov and t-test in evaluating the performance of the
subject before and after usage of LMS.
The data presented by Kills (2002), in his study indicates that
increased use of the Blackboard Learning System implemented as a
learning portal, MyGateway, results in higher estimates of learning
activity, higher degrees of satisfaction, and higher student or teacher
communication than in courses not using the LMS.
In relation to the proposed study, the presented literatures
supported the contention that the more students are exposed to learning
portals like MyGateway, MOODLE, blackboard and the like results to
positive efects amongst its users. The literatures presented here are not
only applicable to the MyGateway, MOODLE, Blackboard, Desire2Learn it
is thus contended that similar fndings are likely in any learning portal
implementation when students get accustomed to using Learning
Management System, especially when the course consists of a blend
between traditional co-present classrooms and asynchronous, computer-
mediated learning portals.
38
Chapter 3
METHODOLOGY
Research Design
In order for the developer to develop an organized plan of study to
accomplish its stated objective, a detailed outline on how the project
takes place was established to served as the guidelines for this
undertaking.
The developer in this project utilizes the descriptive-developmental
type of research. Key (n.d.), defnes descriptive research as the type of
research used to obtain information concerning the current status of a
certain event. In order to acquire all pertinent information thereto
several survey method were utilized. Such acquired data shall be treated
statistically to analyze and evaluate the current condition of the system.
Hence, descriptive type of research is employed because the study
involves gathering, organizing, tabulating, interpreting and presenting
data that were obtained from the respondents to describe the current
39
existing system.
The developmental type of research according to Seels & Richey
(1994), is the systematic study of designing, developing and evaluating
instructional programs, processes, and products that must meet the
criteria of internal consistency and efectiveness. It involves the
production of knowledge with the ultimate aim of improving the
processes of instructional design, development, and evaluation.
Developmental research is based on either situation-specifc problem
solving or generalized inquiry procedures.
The descriptive type of research design utilized by the developer
has been perfectly matched with a software development type of tool
dubbed as agile-scrum software engineering model that served as a
guide in the creation of the software.
These two approaches are deemed appropriate and absolutely
suitable for the development of the project on hand as both of these
research designs complement one another. Descriptive research
describes, evaluates and analyzes the existing current system and in
addition it provides information on the desired functions and features of
the stakeholders, while the developmental type of research is
administered in order to develop an improved system in accordance with
40
the requested requirements both functional and non functional.
The developmental method employed the Agile-Scrum Methodology.
According to Pressman (2012), a Scrum is a project management tool
used in agile software engineering development tool process. The Scrum
model has long been used and the most popular and leading software
engineering model to used to develop web-based development projects.
Scrum focuses on delivering highest priority features in the shortest
span of time. It allows rapid and repetitive inspection of the actual
software through a series of sprints in order to achieve real working
system, the developer may decide when to release the system as soon as
possible in order to allow the users to use and evaluate the system
whether the features and other functional requirements were achieved.
Should the requirements were not met system will be returned to the
developer for further enhancement through sprint.
The Scrum model has the characteristics of controlling very
complex process of software development through a series of sprints,
giving emphasis of the delivery of usable functionality to the clientele by
identifying sprint backlogs. The following fgure shows the phases of the
Scrum model.
In relation to this, a study conducted by Salinas (2012), and Salvio
41
(2013), utilizes the same Agile Scrum methodology for the development of
Learning Management System for Colegio De Dagupan and Content
Management System for Pangasinan State University respectively,
establishing that Scrum is the ideal methodology for developing such
system because of its iterative nature with the advantages of focusing on
capturing product feature, incremental development through product
delivery and testing until the desired product is accomplished. Both
recommended the methodology because of its innate nature which is
high visibility progress, regular customer feedback, measurable
productivity, self organizing team and emphasis on face to face
communication.
Figure 3.1: The Agile Scrum methodology
42
Phases of Scrum Model
Basically, a scrum is a skeleton that contains sets of practices and
predefned goals. There are three important entities involved in scrum
these are: scrum master, the product owner, and the team. The scrum
master is the entity responsible for planning; the team is the functional
groups that do the analysis, design, development, implement and testing
while the product owner correspond to the clientele.
Product Backlog. These are the prioritized list of project
requirements or features that provide business value for the product
owner. It is an specifc ordered list of the desired work on the project
which are gathered from the system owners, usually a combination of
story-based and task based work. This contains prioritized list of the
desired feature of the product.
In this phase, the developer identifed all the requirements
acquired from the clientele which is most likely consists of assumptions
of the desired future system. The developer now identifes the task to be
done in order to meet the features and functional requirements of the
system.
Sprints. Consist of work units that are required to achieve a
43
required to achieve the stated requirement defned in the product backlog
list that must be ft into predefned time-frame (typically 30 days). It
contains a list of task needed to complete the product backlog items the
team has committed to complete in the sprint.
The developer in this phase analyzes the product backlog based on
the given requirements from the product owner and system users. Tasks
were then identifed and were given priorities in order to determine which
has the highest priority in the development. At the end of each sprint,
the product developer conducts sprint retrospective meeting with the
product owner together with other teams to show what has been
accomplished. Typically, this takes the form of product demonstration of
the new features.
Throughout this phase the developer identifed the required time to
accomplish the entire tasks that were not done yet. The remaining
approximated task in the sprint were calculated on a daily basis and
graphed, resulting in sprint. The developer analysis of the system is
divided into fve major iterations, the design intended for the system
module, coding and integration of the diferent modules of the system
along with alpha testing, were done
Product Release. The fnal phase of the scrum is the product
44
release, every time the sprint is accomplished; a new system feature is
delivered to the product owner for testing and employment. Once the
sprints were accomplished, the system on hand will be delivered to the
product owner or clientele for product testing of the new feature that
were added. It important to note that the demo may not contain all
planned functionality, but rather those functions that can be delivered
within the time-frame that was established
In this phase the developer ends the development process and the
product shall be prepared for the release which includes integration,
product testing, user documentation materials, training, and marketing
preparation.
Sources of Data
In order to meet the main objective of the study, Tippett, (2012),
requires that data must be carefully acquired and that the sources are of
utmost importance. Research or any project study problems and
objectives needs to be very carefully constructed and clearly defned, as
they dictate the data that needs to be obtained and analyzed in order to
successfully address the objectives themselves. Data indeed serves as
the backbone of this project. There are two mainly sources of data, the
45
primary and the secondary.
The primary sources of data involved the event or subject the
developer has chosen for the study, or by people who were direct
observers of, or participants in the events. The primary sources of data
for this undertaking include the College Dean, Facility Instructors, and
Student which were chosen because of their active and participative role
in the development of the Learning Management System.
The secondary types of data on the other hand were data which
has already been collected in written form. All pertinent scholastic
materials such as internet articles, books and journal were carefully
evaluated in terms of relevance and reliability prior to its usage and
citations. Articles from Wikipedia, BlogSpot and the like were excluded
from the sources secondary to its opinionated and possible bias nature.
Instrumentation and Data Collection
The developer utilized diferent data gathering instruments and
techniques necessary to achieve the stated objectives. The developer
employed an established systematic data gathering procedures to ensure
essential and accurate requirements are obtained needed in order to
develop the system. These techniques are highly signifcant for it served
46
as the hallmark for the development of the proposed system.
In this study, the developer employed questionnaires, structured
interviews, observation and comprehensive and meticulous document
analysis to complete the study.
Structured Interview. An appointed formal conversation is
conducted by the developer to obtain reliable and valid information which
is considered to be an essential element in the development of the
system. The developer clarifes questions pertinent to the study as
deemed necessary during the course of interview in order to elicit proper
responses. Questions are presented in a manner of order of signifcance
and introductory and concluding remarks were done so as to reduce the
anxiety of the respondents that would potentially deviate the direction of
the interview.
Internet Research. A research is used to gather information on
and study a particular subject using resources published on the internet.
The developer utilized this type of research to gather information online
pertinent to the study.
Library Research. A research used to gather printed literatures
such as book, thesis, dissertations, magazines, journals in relation to the
47
study thereof. The developer gathered all pertinent printed scholarly
documents to support the study being conducted.
Tools for Data Analysis
The developer employed various tools in software engineering in
order to treat and analyze the data that have been collected from the
respondents. In analyzing the data that has been collected the developer
will use the following tools such as use case diagram, entity relationship
diagram, database schema
Use Case Diagram. This tool captures the features the intended
behavior of the system. This behavior may be expressed as services, task
or features the system is required to perform. Use Case diagram can be
use to capture the features and the actors that interact within the system
required to accomplish specifc goal. (Pressman,2012).
The developer made used of use case diagrams to identify the basic
features that the system must posses using this diagram the developer
identifed the scenarios showing how the system will work when
implemented, aside from this the developer also identifed the actors of
the system. The actors can be personnel who will directly or indirectly
interact with the system or other external system which interfaces with
48
the system
Entity Relationship Diagram. The heart of the Learning
Management System for AMA Computer College is the information placed
within the database. The pertinent contents of the database are best
represented using the Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD). This graphical
representation identifes the main components of the system: entities,
attributes, and relationships.
The developer identifed the entities that have something to do with
the operations of the system. These entities contain information which
describes the attribute that are unique to each entity. Each entity is
uniquely identifed by a key called primary key. The developer used the
primary keys to relate each entity with one another the entity
relationship diagram helped the developer to design the structure of the
database and the relationship that will be implemented within the tables
of the database.
Database Schema. It is structure described in a formal language
supported by the database management system (DBMS) that refers to the
organization of data to create a blue print of how a database will be
constructed. In a relational database, the schema defnes the tables, the
felds in each table, and the relationships between felds and tables.
49
Schemas are generally stored in a data dictionary. Although a schema is
defned in text database language, the term is often used to refer to a
graphical depiction of the database structure. This schema aided the
developer in outlining visually the records in the database.
The schema is basically based on the designs specifed on the
entity relationship diagram the schema shows the structure of each table
after the developer implemented the design shown on ERD.
Wireframes. A wireframe is a visual depiction of the functionality
and basic layout of a software application. Much like a blueprint, a
wireframe depicts the structure of the application and describes its
functionality, but it is not used to describe the look and feel of the
software application. While in a blueprint it matters where the sinks are
located within your house, with wireframes, even layout to a certain
extent is not as a part of the wireframe deliverable.
The developer used the website wireframe to determine the layout
of the web interface as well as the position of the elements, thus it
allowed the client to decide the layout that they want before the
implementation or coding of the system.
50
Average Weighted Mean. The developer made used of the AWM to
determine the usability of the system. The following 5 point Likert scale
was used to interpret the result:
Table3.1. Five point Likert Scale
Scale Value Interpretation
5 Very Agree
4 Agree
3 Neutral
2 Disagree
1 Strongly Disagree
Chapter 4
DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
The Existing Process
The AMA Educational System is a computer school that holds
courses both in the undergraduate and graduate studies with more than
200 campuses all over the world. To date, the educational system of AMA
is afliated at the moment with four giant computer industry partners
such Microsoft, CISCO, Oracle Academy and NVDIA and has more than
300,00 student population in the Philippines and other parts of the
51
world. Secondary to the growing population of the school, diferent
means of administering education has been probe in, to maximize its
potential in rendering education.
Currently, The AMA Educational System utilizes a centralized
gridlocked online text based learning management system. The system is
usually employed during the course of the academic semester. However,
the preparation of the system is done ahead of time in order to ascertain
that all academic materials are uploaded and tested for viewing and other
features in or to make sure that it is fail safe when classes starts. The
system holds four diferent modules, for the administrator, the elearning
coordinator, the dean and the students. The systems focal point is on
course and student management. Thus, making the learning
management system a very vital system for the operation of the
branches.
The developer conducted an actual interview to the stakeholders of
the company in order to identify the existing process of delivering
learning management system. In view of the results of observation and
interview conducted by the developer, the following processes were
identifed as a part of the learning management system of AMA
Educational System. These are: providing the academic materials per
52
course, assigning of elearning coordinator per campus, assigning of
webcast teacher and face to face teacher per campus, enrollment of the
student into the system and the validation of the deans with respect to
the enrolled students.
User Management Process
Initially, webcast faculty members to handle courses are carefully
chosen based on their qualifcation set by the criteria of the ofce of the
academic afairs. The selection is very rigid since the role of the webcast
teacher is austere and contemplative in nature that is to deliver live
streaming lectures throughout the campus. Once the webcast teacher
has been selected, it is the responsibility of the teacher to prepare the
academic materials such as syllabus based on the course outline given
by the academic afairs department, learning modules and assessment
materials. The webcast teacher shall then be mandated to attend short
training on how to use the learning management system provided by the
global educational system department. Once the webcast teacher has
been trained, the teacher would now be given the privilege to manage the
courses on the system. The webcast teacher can upload lecture notes in
text format and objective quizzes.
53
Subsequently, the elearning coordinator shall be recommended by
the college dean per campus based on the criteria given by the academic
afairs department. The elearning coordinator shall be mandated to
attend learning management system training conducted again by the
global education system department through webcast meeting. After the
training, the elearning coordinator would be given an access to the
system and shall be responsible in enrolling the students in their
respective courses as per ofcial registration released by the registrar
which is extracted from the oracle campus system. In addition to this,
the elearning coordinator shall also be responsible in administering the
online assessment as deemed necessary by the webcast teacher.
After choosing the elearning coordinator, the face to face teacher
will now be selected based on their feld of specialization with respect to
the course ofering under webcast department. The local human
resource supervisor and the dean are be responsible in choosing and
recommending face to face faculty members based on criteria of the
academic afairs department. The face to face teacher shall be given
orientation training on the usage of the learning management system
presented again by the global education system. Right after the
orientation training, the face to face teacher shall be given access right
54
into the learning management system of the learning institution. The
face to face teacher will be responsible in conducting classroom based
classes to supplement and reinforce the webcast class and will be
responsible in placing class standing.
The campus dean shall be responsible for verifcation and
validation of the students enrolled in the learning management system.
After the student were enrolled and validated they may now be able
to view, download the learning materials and to take quizzes as deemed
required by the webcast teacher
ELearning Coordinator assigns students
to their respective course
ELearning Coordinator enrolls the
students to their respective course
Dean validates the students enrolled the
course
Administrator creates user account for
the following users: Webcast Faculty, Face
to Face Faculty, Elearning Coordinator
Webcast faculty member manages course
content for a given course
55
START
Webcast Faculty, Face to Face Faculty,Elearning
Coordinator, Students, Dean
END
Face to Face teacher attends to the
students concern in the branch through
chats and forums
Students accesses their courses online
56
Figure 4.1 Flowchart of the existing Learning Management System
Course Management Process
The management of courses is primarily done by webcast faculty
member in coordination with the face to face faculty from the branches.
The webcast faculty member retrieves a course outline of a given course
from the curriculum development. The webcast faculty member in charge
shall be the one to develop a course syllabus in consonance with the
given course outline. Once that the course syllabus has been structured
based on the course outline, the syllabus would then be reviewed by the
academic department for the content. Once approved, the faculty
member will then prepare class lessons to be partitioned into four
segments, the preliminaries, midterm, prefnal and fnals in the form of
module. This modules may be in the articulated in the form of text based
document either, pdf, powerpoint or microsoft ofce document, which
shall all be arranged and uploaded in accordance of course syllabus. In
addition, all pertinent audio and visual presentations shall also be
constructed in order to support the text based documents for visual and
57
auditory learners. These modules, audio and visual fles will then be
forwarded to the academic department in charge for a thorough review of
the content. Once approved, this document shall then be uploaded into
the system. Assessment shall also be prepared ahead of time such
quizzes, assignments, including examinations, once ready, the academic
department reviews all the manuscript based on the table of
specifcations. After the review and approval from the academic
department, the webcast faculty member is now ready to upload all the
pertinent fles into the system
Webcast faculty prepares course
syllabus based on the course outline,
modules, assessments
Start
Are the
modules
approved by
Acad. Dept.
YES NO
Webcast uploads fles into the system
End
58
Figure 4.3 Flowchart for Course Management
Student Performance Management
Management of student is initially done by the appointed
eLearning coordinator of the branch. All ofcially enrolled students are
enrolled in their respective courses. Once the students has been enrolled
in the system, it is now the role of the campus Dean to verify whether the
students enrolled were ofcial, this is done with a list of students taken
from the registrars department. The dean will compare the students
enrolled in the system and compares it with the ofcial list, once that the
list tallies, the dean will now click on the approve button to allow the
students to access the system. Once everything is done, the webcast
teacher will now upload all pertinent instructional materials including
assessments. Upon loading of the aforementioned materials, the students
59
may now access the portal and view all uploaded instructional materials.
In addition to that the students may also take course assessment in the
form of quiz or examinations constrained under the requirement of the
webcast faculty members. The student may also post topics which they
would to clarify in the class discussion through forums, the face-to-face
faculty member may in turn address all posted questions or topics. In the
same way the students may also collaborate ideas and concepts through
electronic chats.
Problems Confronting in the Existing System
Learning Management Systems are often viewed as being the
critical component of any elearning or blended learning program. As
such, a learning management system is an integral tool for learning
professionals today. Without the right Learning Management System,
learners wont get the education that they deserve. While most of the
LMS solutions that are out there are quite efective, there are some
issues that impedes its afectivity and AMA's learning management
system is not an exception
60
AMA's learning management system like any other learning
management system ofer their greatest value to the organization by
providing a means to upload instructional materials content and create a
manageable structure for web and face to face instructors, administrator
and students. The concept is not only to have a quality learning
management system for the students, but to ensure that the users are
satisfed with how it works. The end-user experience should what
matters most in terms of usage.
With the current system used by the AMA educational System,
several problems arise. Respondents in the interviews conducted
revealed that the following problems were evident.
One of the common confronting issues concerning AMAs learning
management system is the browser compatibility. With the wide selection
of browser and their respective versions, it is very common to have
incompatibility issues, despite the advancement of technology. For the
learning management to function correctly, the browser should have
certain capabilities suitably for the use of learning management system.
It is always ideal to implement a learning management system across the
board on multiple platforms.
61
During the course of usage of the learning management system,
students claims that there are some instances where the web links in the
navigation of the learning management system displays a blank page
instead of the chosen URL when using Google chrome and Mozilla Firefox
and even safari. Not only it displays blank page, there are also instance
where the browser displays the content of the page incorrectly, large
blocks of white space on the screen, the images are displayed in places
where they are intended to be.
Another drawback confronting the existing learning management
system of AMA Computer College is that it does not support multimedia
contents. Based on an interview and observations conducted by the
developer, the existing system of AMA displays the instructional materials
in a plain static based which can only be viewed as a plain dull, regular
website that lacks interactivity. According to Mayer (2005), people can
learn more deeply from word and pictures than from words alone. By
words, Mayer means either text or spoken words, and by pictures he
means illustration, photos, animations or videos. There is evidence in his
study that both visual ad auditory stimuli can work best together leading
to a better learning outcome. Hence, the system should support
multimedia formats to optimize its purpose.
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A further result of the interview and observations conducted by the
developer reveals another drawback of the existing learning management
system. The system lacks support to peer learning features such as chat
and forums defeating the purpose of the system which is in nature
thereof the collaborative principle. In an article written by Chromy
(2007), states that people can learn better with collaborative online
learning activities. In this principle the students will be expected to
participate in the class discussion forum by posting questions,
responding to questions posted by other students and/or commenting on
discussions questions designated in the readings or lessons. All students
must participate in the discussion forum in order to further explore
relevant issues with the assistance of the instructors.
In addition to the said drawback, the developer also found out that
during the observation, questions during assessment were non
randomized making it possible for the students to cheat, defeating the
purpose of assessment. The main goal of assessment is to improve
students learning and teachers teaching as both responds to the
information provided. With non randomize questions, improvement of the
course material will not be reasonable.
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Features of the Developed System
This section provides the summary of the expected features that
the system must possess in order to perform its functionalities
The notion of the development of the learning management system
for AMA Educational System is secondary to the advanced changing and
escalating development in the web development technology. The current
learning management system processes of the educational system were
the considered to be the guideline through which the developed system
was based. Mostly, the purpose of the Learning Managements System is
to manage users, courses and students
The Learning Management System will serve as the ofcial site
where the AMA Educational System will manage students courses
online. The system will provide a linkage between students and faculty
members.
To begin with the developed learning management system for AMA
Educational System holds three main modules specifcally these are
course management, student management and user management which
can be accessed by the identifed stakeholders. The system features are
based on the functionalities and services that were identifed and
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required by the diferent stakeholders to meet their needs and to achieve
the objectives of the business.
Hereunder the features of the developed system based on the
requirements of the stakeholders.
Login Page. Login refers to the credentials required to obtain
access to a computer system by a certain user by means of a controlled
authentication through a credential presented by the user itself.
Getting started with the system is easy, the login page allows the
registered user, to logon to the system. User is authenticated against the
data stored in the database of the system, and once the authentication is
successful user is allowed to proceed with the system. The login window
contains three felds to enter, the type of user account, username and
password. Registered user can login to the system with the personal
username and password provided by the administrator of the system.
Should the user forget its username or password, the system allows the
user to retry for entry up to three attempts. At the last attempt, the
system holds a password retrieval feature through email. The system will
send the correct password or the username of the user by means of
email that will be sent to him.
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Plate 4.1 Login Page
Homepage (Administrator). The administrator homepage entails
important functions which are paramount to the intendment of the
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system. It incorporates navigation Course Management, Employee
Management, Student Management, and Forum Management. Each
navigation is designed for specifc functionalities intended for substantial
purpose. The course management includes add courses, assign courses
and viewing of courses. The employee management tab encompasses
adding of employees and viewing of employees. The Student Management
tab carries adding of students and viewing of students. The forum tab
allows the administrator to view and delete posting of the students in the
message board as deemed necessary, such as ofensive word. The profle
tab on the other hand lets the administrator places his identity and for
password management.
Course Management Feature
This corresponds to the basic yet the most important feature of the
developed system. This page will allow the user to create courses, defne
the structures and publish it online.
Course Management. This page focuses on the management and
distribution of courses and the faculty members assignment as well.
(Ferriman, 2012)
The course management page allows the administrator to add
course duly prescribed by the academic department and to assign the
course to as per approval and recommendation of the branch HRD and
Dean. In addition, the course management page concedes viewing of
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courses for specifc academic year. The course management page initially
loads up with the view sub link so as to present the courses that has
already been placed within the system. It has a search feature so as to
explore the list of courses in a particular.
Plate 4.1 Course Management Page
Add Course. This is the page where the administrator generates
the courses to be ofered for the semester. The add course navigation has
the following dimensions for adding courses such course code, course
title, academic year, course type which could either be major or minor
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course. It holds the brief description of the course being added for, the
course code and the course title respectively. The Academic Year drop
down box corresponds to the year and the semester to which a given
course be ofered. The course type defnes whether a given course is
minor or simply general education courses and major for computer
courses. The description text box is where the administrator provides a
concise and clear description of the course.
Plate 4.2 Add Course Page
Assign Course. The assign course link is the page where the
administrator designates a specifc course to the faculty both webcast
and face-to-face. The assign course link incorporates search feature by
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academic year, course code, and campus so as to look for a specifc
subjects to be assigned with the faculty. Further, a dropdown box is
located on the upper part of the page to assign the course to the webcast
faculty. The lower part of the page however holds a dropdown box to
assign the course to a face-to-face faculty member.
Plate 4.2 Add Course Page
User Management Feature
This is the page where user roles such administrator, webcast
faculty, face-to-face faculty, elearning coordinator is assigned. The users
also holds the personal profle of each users of the system
Employee Management. The employee management page is the
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link where the administrator registers an ofcial employee to be engaged
in the implementation of the system. The employee management holds
details about the employees, for instance employee ID which will serve as
the username of the employee, the password in order to gain access into
the system, personal information such as the last, frst and middle name
of the employee and other employee details such as email which will
serve as the way in which the administrator communicates with the
involved employee in a private manner should a confdential
announcement be made and date of birth so as to additionally post the
employee who will be celebrating their birth date
Plate 4.3 Add Employee Page
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View Employees. The view employee page is the page where the
administrator views all the list of employees responsible for the
implementation of the system. It specifcally holds features for searching
employees within the database in term of branch, by last name or even
frst name. To make viewing of employees in much easier way, the system
incorporated search feature in order to look for specifc employee within
the system. The search feature is done and sorted according to branches,
last name and even frst name. This is one of the functional feature of the
system since to date, AMA Computer College has 41 campuses
nationwide, excluding foreign branches. With that number of campuses,
it can be assumed that employees are numerous, and that searching for
a particular employee would be difcult without this feature
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Plate 4.4 View Employee Page
Student Management Feature
This is the page where the administrator adds and view ofcial
students of the campus. This feature carries out a way in registering the
student into the system. The manage students portal initially loads with
a view student link.
View Students. This feature allows the administrator to view all
students who have registered into the system. The students are presented
in such a way that the lists are sorted in alphabetically arranged. The
view student feature also has a search feature to easily search for a
particular student within the database of the system. The search feature
has specifc flters in terms of campus in order to view only the registered
students within the given campus. Further to view a student in a quick
and efcient way, students are fltered either by frst name or last name.
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Plate 4.5 View Student Page
Add Student. The add student page is the page within the manage
student link so as to add students into the database. The list of students
to be encoded includes the following student details such as universal
student number, password in order to gain access into the system,
personal information such as the last name, frst name, the middle name
and the branch to which the students is presently enrolled.
Plate 4.6 Add Student Page
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Index Page (Webcast). This page is where the ofered courses are
managed, once the course has already been assigned to the webcast
faculty member. The index page holds the following navigations and sub
navigations such as post announcements, upload modules, manage test,
manage assignments, view students, view grades, chatroom and forums.
The post announcement is where the webcast faculty member post all
pertinent announcement in line with the courses being handles, such as
schedules of quizzes and examinations. The aforementioned sub
navigations are deemed signifcant and is considered to be the heart and
soul of the system. It also have the chatroom feature wherein the
students can interact with the webcast faculty should any question
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regarding the courses ofered, it is where the students can collaborate
ideas and concepts with some other students enrolled in the same
course. Further the index page has forum features where questions or
matters concerning the course are posted, these are matters that do not
require immediate respond, this concerns in turn are entertained by the
faculty in charge whether if its face-to-face or webcast faculty.
Plate 4.7 Index Page for Webcast
Upload Modules. This page is one of the most signifcant part of
the system, there is where initially the management of courses begins,
The webcast faculty member will be the only authorized user to post all
appropriate instructional materials. These instructional materials are
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materials which have been duly approved to be posted by the academic
department.
Plate 4.8 Upload Module Page
Manage Test. The manage test page once loaded present initially
the term to which the quiz or examination is intended for. It also has the
feature to select whether the assessment is created for lecture or
laboratory. Further, the system allows a user to determine whether the
assessment being developed is designed for quiz or examination. The
user will also have the option to choose when to make the assessment
and when to lock the assessment. Lastly, it also has the capacity to add
question and choices for the selected assessment.
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Plate 4.9 Manage Test
Manage Assignments. This is the page where the webcast faculty
member posts assignment as one of the assessment criteria of the
student. The webcast faculty may member can post assignment which
can be viewed at the students portal. The students upon viewing the
assignments is required to respond back by uploading the required
documents online.

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Plate 5.0 Manage Assignment Page
Acceptability of the Developed System
Upon the completion of the system, the developer conducts a test
to determine the satisfactory of the system. The developers presented the
developed system to the stakeholders, particularly that of the ELearning
Coordinator, Webcast Faculty Member, Face to Face Faculty Member, the
Dean and the Students. An acceptability test was conducted that may
prove that the developed system will be esteemed and accepted by the
educational system.
Ayrmer (2010), states that User Acceptance Testing (UAT) is a very
essential for the successful implementation of any bespoke system. User
Acceptance Testing (UAT) is the procedure of testing the functionality of a
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bespoke system once the development phase has been completed. The
ideal world to test the platform is to recreate a real life situation,
including data that allows the user to test the user interface and
functionality of the system.
The developer made use of the standardized Website Analysis and
Measurement Inventory test in accomplishing the acceptability of the
system. The themes imposed in the Website Analysis and Measurement
Inventory (WAMMI) are based on a data using a statistical methods
known as latent variable analysis. In the same way, Cecil (n.d) utilizes
the same tool analysis WAMMI for the evaluation of CSL Learning
Management System
The sophisticated statistical methodology behind Website Analysis
and Measurement Inventory (WAMMI) guarantees a reliable and valid
voice for the users for the web site being evaluated for. The evaulation
tool for the acceptability dubbed as WAMMI has been scientifcally proven
and has a reliability data rating of between 0.90 and 0.93.
The service revolves around the statement questionnaire and the
international database. User experience is measured by asking the
expected stakeholders of the website to compare their expectations
against what were actually experience during the actual usage.
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Improvement of the system is done by obtaining pertinent data from the
users for analysis.
In a study presented by Gardner and White (n.d), WAMMI was used
to test the acceptability of the system through the percieved usefulness.
To test the acceptability of the system, the developer conducted a
survey to the intended end users such as students, face-to-face
instructor, elearning coordinator, webcast faculty members and
administrator using WAMMI.
The succeeding table below shows the feedback of the identifed
users in terms of: Learnability, the speed at which users become familiar
with a website. Remeberability, refers to the ease at which the users
remember how to use a website when they return to it. Efciency of use,
which refers to the websites features which are easy to fnd and quick to
load up. Reliability in use, which refers to the website being available and
complete. User satisfaction, which refers to the degree to which users feel
comfortable using the website. To give relevant meaning to the organized
numerical data, a Likert Rating Scale of one to fve will be used. The
likert Rating will a value of 5 for strongly agree, 4 for agree, 3 for neutral,
2 for disagree and 1 for strongly disagree.
Table 4.1: System Evaluation According to Learnability
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Learnability Mean Description
1. This website needs more introductory
explanations.
4.61 SA
2. Learning to fnd my way around this website
is problem
4.61 SA
3. Using this website for the frst time is easy 4.74 SA
4. Remembering where I am on this website is
difcult.
4.68 SA
Weighted Mean 4.56 SA
Table 4.1 presents the system evaluation criteria for the
learnability of the system. Learnability is the pace at which users
becomes familiar with a website, as presented in the above table, a
weighted average mean garnered a score of 4.56 which reveals that
majority of the respondents strongly agrees that the developed learning
management system is learnable and that it is uncomplicated and simple
to use.
Table 4.2 System Evaluation According to Efciency of Use

Efciency of Use Mean Description
1. It is difcult to move around this website 4.60 SA
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2. I can quickly fnd what I want on this
Website
4.80 SA
3. This website seems logical to me 4.56 SA
4. This website helps me fnd what I am looking
for
4.60 SA
5. The website is too slow 4.67 SA
6. I can easily contact the people I want on this
website
4.67 SA
7. I feel efcient when Im using this website 4.69 SA
8. It is difcult to tell if this website has what I
want
4.58 SA
9. Using this website for the frst time is easy 4.62 SA
10. Using this website is waste of time 4.73 SA

Weighted Mean 4.65 SA
Table 4.2 shows the system evaluation criteria for the efciency of
use. The efciency of use of the developed system refers to the features
which are easy to fnd and quick to load up. Based on the analysis, a
weighted average mean of 4.65 were obtained which connotes that a
great number of the users strongly agrees that the systems features is
easy to fnd, relevant and loads up quickly.
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Table 4.3: System Evaluation According to User Satisfaction
User Satisfaction Mean Description
1. The website has much that is of interest to
Me
4.60 SA
2. The page on this website are very attractive 4.80 SA
3. I feel in control when Im using this website 4.56 SA
4. I dont like using this website 4.60 SA
5. I can easily contact the people I want to on
this website
4.60 SA
6. It is difcult to tell if this website has what I
Want
4.72 SA
7. This website has some annoying features 4.60 SA
8. Using this website is a waste of time 4.73 SA
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9. I get what I expect when I click on things on
this website
4.60 SA
10.Everything on this website is easy to
Understand
4.73 SA
Weighted Mean 4.65 SA
Table 4.3 presents the criteria for the evaluation of the system
based on user satisfaction. The satisfaction of user refers to the degree to
which users feel comfortable using the system. Maskari (n.d) in his study
states that user satisfaction is subjective variable which can be
infuenced by several factors such as system efectiveness, user
efectiveness, user efort and user characteristics and expectations. User
satisfaction is generally considered as one of the most important
evaluating factor which is generally considered as a criterion of system
success and efectiveness Grifths et. Al. (2007)
Based on the analysis of the data presented, a score of 4.65
weighted mean were obtained which signifes the users strongly agree
that the system is very comfortable in terms of user satisfaction.
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Table 4.4 System Evaluation According to the Reliability of Use
Reliability Mean Description
1. This website is too slow 4.78 SA
2. I get what I expect when I click on this
website.
4.71 SA

Weighted Mean
4.74
SA
Table 4.4 presents the criteria for the evaluation of the system
based on the reliability of the system. Reliability signifes that the system
is being available and complete all the time. Analysis of the obtained data
from the users reveals a weighted average score of 4.74 which insinuates
that the system is reliable, available and all links are active.
Table 4.5: System Evaluation According to the Rememberability
Rememberability Mean Description
1. Remembering where I am on this website is
difcult
4.67 SA

Weighted Mean 4.67
.
SA
Table 4.5 presents the criterion for the evaluation of the system
based on remeberability. Rememberability refers to the ease at which the
users remember how to use a website when a user returns to the system.
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An analysis of the data gathered from the users reveals a weighted
mean of 4.67 which signifes that the system can easily be remembered
by the users.
Table 4.6: General Weighted Mean for Acceptability of the System
Description Mean Description
1. Learnability 4.56 SA
2. Efciency of Use 4.65 SA
3. User Satisfaction 4.65 SA
4. Reliability 4.74 SA
5. Rememberability 4.67 SA
Weaighted Mean 4.65 SA
Table 4.6 presents the general weighted mean for acceptability of
the learning management system. The overall average weighted mean
based on the criteria such as learnability, efciency, user satisfaction,
reliability, rememberability
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Chapter 5
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary
The project aimed to develop a Learning Management System for AMA
Computer College, Dagupan Campus. This undertaking gave the learning
institution, specifcally the AMA Computer College, the opportunity to render an
enhance quality education through a technologically innovative rich learning
environment. The developed system will serve as a principal substantial
reinforcement in administering a well rounded education. In lieu thereof, the
project met the following objectives: identify the existing learning management
process of AMA Computer College in terms of, course management, student
performance management, user management, describe the features of the
proposed system, incorporation of security and control measure and to test the
acceptability.
The study utilized the SCRUM software engineering methodology because
of fast feedback and burning visibility of the objective. The methodology is
consist of three distinct phases namely: Product backlog, Sprint, Product
release.
The major fnding as based on the problems presented includes:
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The AMA Educational System utilizes pure static Learning Management
System. The current system is not compatible with most of the available
browsers in the market. The current system does not support non linear media
other than document. Further, the system does not provide collaboration of
students and teachers which is the essence of learning management system.
The developed system has gone through acceptability test with the use of
Website Analysis and Measurement Inventory (WAMMI) to determine its
acceptability usage by the stakeholders. The Website Analysis and
Measurement Inventory hold fve levels of categories in analyzing the developed
system, these includes the following: learnability, remeberability, reliability,
efciency of use and user satisfaction. The data yields a compelling result after
statistical treatment. The result conferred an acceptable value which is Strongly
Agree by the stakeholders of the developed system by the users on a fve point
Likert rating scale.
Conclusions
Based on the presented fndings on the existing learning management
system for AMA Educational System, the following are the conclusions of this
project are as follows:
There are three major considerations of the learning management
system, student and course management the. However, problems have risen
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because of the static based learning management system. This serve as the
primary reason why the existing process is not suited to the current trends
The features of the system were based in response to the requirements of
the identifed stakeholders. These features include support for multimedia,
forums and chat for collaboration and nonlinear objective assessment.
The proposed system will provide a security measure by means of log in
system and control measures will be done by exporting databases to keep the
stored information.
To ensure that the system is geared toward maximizing user-experience
by using Website Analysis and Measurement Inventory
Recommendations
Based on the conclusions presented earlier, the developer recommends
the following:
For the initial implementation of the proposed system it is recommended
to have the system be pilot tested by the webcast teacher, elearning staf and
students to verify the system's feature and improve system performance.
It is also recommended to conduct training for the intended users on the
use and walk-through of the proposed system. Also, the system should be
deployed in the AMAES server, validation of uploading fles shall be under taken
to avoid viruses and malware that might destroy the integrity of the service of
the system.
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Finally, it is recommended that the administrator of the central ofce of
the AMA Educational System administer and manage the proposed system.
APPENDIX A
Interview Questionnaire
1. To describe the existing process of the learning management system for AMA
Computer College.
A. What are the department in charge of the operation of the learning
management system?
B. Who in each department play in the operation of the existing learning
management system?
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C. How do each department contributes in the operation of the learning
management system?
D. What are the policies in each of the department involved?
2. To identify the features of the system:
1. What features do you want to include in your system?
A. Do you want the system to accessible beyond the campus?
B. Do you want course management control of your system?
C. Do you want faculty management be incorporated in your system?
3. Security
A. Do you require to have all users holds the same access level?
B. What are the roles do you require for each employee involved in the
operation of the proposed system?
APPENDIX B
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Use Case for the Learning Management System
APPENDIX C
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Entity Relationship Diagram
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APPENDIX D
Wireframe
Log in Page
Home Page (Administrator)
Username
Password
BANNER
LOGO
Home|Course|Manage Employee|Manage Students|Forum
AMA UNIVERSITY Image
Announcement
Post Announcement
Copyright
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APPENDIX E
Questionnaire on the perceived acceptability of the proposed Learning
Management System for AMA Computer College
Name: _________________________________ Year: ________________________
Course: ________________________ Employee Position: _____________________
Direction: Please place a checkmark on the appropriate box that corresponds
to you level of perceived usefulness of the system.
Learnability
Learnability 5 4 3 2 1
1.This website needs more introductory
explanations.
2. Learning to fnd my way around this
website is problem
3. Using this website for the frst time is easy
4. Remembering where I am on this website
is difcult.
Efciency of Use
1. It is difcult to move around this website
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2. I can quickly fnd what I want on this
website
3. This website seems logical to me
4. This website helps me fnd what I am
looking for
5. The website is too slow
6. I can easily contact the people I want on
this website
7. I feel efcient when Im using this website
8. It is difcult to tell if this website has
what I want
9. Using this website for the frst time is
easy
10. Using this website is waste of time
User Satisfaction
1. The website has much that is of interest
to me
2. The page on this website are very
attractive
2.I feel in control when Im using this
website
4. I dont like using this website
5. I can easily contact the people I want to
on this website
6. It is difcult to tell if this website has
what I want
7. This website has some annoying features
8. Using this website is a waste of time
9. I get what I expect when I click on things
on this website
10.Everything on this website is easy to
understand
Reliability
1. This website is too slow
2. I get what I expect when I click on this
website.
Remeemberability
1. Remembering where I am on this website
is difcult
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