NGDLE

EDUCAUSE LEARNING INITIATIVE | JANUARY 2018

The notion of a next generation digital learning environment (NGDLE) was articulated in a 2015 white paper as what could replace conventional learning management systems (LMSs). In principle, the NGDLE is an ecosystem of interconnected and flexible applications that support learning through five key domains: interoperability; personalization; analytics, advising, and learning assessment; collaboration; and accessibility and universal design. The resources below explore various aspects of the NGDLE and what will be required to realize its potential.

What Is the Next Generation? (2017)

In an effort to unravel certain questions about what it means for a learning environment to be “next generation,” the author of this article offers a history of learning management systems, describing what he sees as the first three generations of these systems. Understanding the previous shifts in the LMS ecosystem, he argues, can help us know what will be required to usher in a new generation.

A Flexible, Interoperable Digital Learning Platform: Are We There Yet? (2016)

This blog post explores a history of interoperability in learning systems, arguing that fully interoperable LMSs remain elusive. The author argues that development in LMSs has suffered from a repeatable but avoidable series of missteps but that this cycle can be broken, in part by the earnest pursuit of interoperability standards.

UNC Learning Technology Commons: Easing the Procurement Problem with NGDLE (2016)

Responding to the launch of a technology commons at the University of North Carolina (and to several blog posts discussing that launch), the author of this blog contends that an important piece of any next generation of learning environments is procurement. Traditional procurement processes heavily favor large, established vendors, a dynamic that will impede development of the kind of learning ecosystem envisioned as the NGDLE.

Under the Hood of a Next Generation Digital Learning Environment in Progress (2017)

This article outlines the process that the University of Notre Dame undertook to develop its version of an NGDLE. The authors describe the roots of their project, and they situate their efforts in the context of three aspects of an NGDLE: interoperability and integration; analytics, advising, and learning assessment; and personalization.

ELMS Learning Network: An EdTech Platform for Sustaining Innovation (2017)

Started at Penn State, the ELMS Learning Network is a project to create an open-source technology platform that will support and sustain innovation in teaching and learning. Conceived as a replacement for traditional LMSs, ELMS LN is intended to be highly customizable, with enough flexibility that each implementation of the tool can be tailored to organizational needs.

Accessibility: Ensuring that Edtech Systems Work Together to Serve All Students (2017)

This article focuses on the NGDLE dimension of accessibility, tracing the history of digital technologies used for teaching and learning. Many of those tools have failed to provide reasonable access to users with disabilities and have often left educational institutions unsure about how to comply with laws and regulations. The NGDLE provides a new opportunity for higher education to meet the needs of all users through universal design.

Deeper Dive on Next Generation Digital Learning Environment (NGDLE) Interoperability: Part A: Interoperable App Inputs (2016)

As part of a series of posts about interoperability of learning apps, this blog details the inputs that would be included, helping define how an NGDLE architecture needs to be designed for the success of the project. Those inputs include institutional context, user context, user preferences, and learner profiles.

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