Problems of Scientific Communications in Learning Management Systems

Lynda Leventhall (Kinston University, Surrey, UK)

This small-scale, in-depth study highlights the gap in provision of usable tools for
creating documents and slides containing equations. It also investigates the current
situation with online discussion boards, messaging and chat facilities when trying
to express mathematical ideas using equations.

This study comprised interviews with members of staff from the mathematical,
scientific and engineering disciplines at the start of the introduction of the
BlackBoard® learning management system across Kingston University. They were
selected on the basis that they were delivering courses with considerable
mathematical content on the undergraduate programmes.

The focus is on the use of equations in the lectures and tutorials and how these are
communicated to students. It looks at how lectures and notes are prepared, what
software, if any is used in this preparation and the staff requirements for this
software.

In addition, the study investigates whether the staff can express equations in a
satisfactory way when communicating with students and colleagues for example,
techniques they adopt to get around the problems of these mainly text based systems
and the current, critical factors in either selecting particular technologies, or
resorting to more traditional approaches.