Universities need better learning software

Millions of teachers cuss out their computers every semester. Why? Their learning management software (LMS) crashes every week. They lose grades and sometimes entire assignments. Even on good days, the average LMS stalls and stalls like a hungover coworker. He’ll find that report he was supposed to write. Just give him a minute…

Think about how a slow, clunky LMS impacts the college experience. Uploading my syllabus can take upwards of 20 minutes. Sometimes the upload fails, and I have to start all over again.

Students spend so much time muddling through our course sites that they come to class tired and angry — at least more than they normally would. Teachers accuse them of missing work and stupid questions. They blame teachers back for poor organization. The real culprit always sneaks away unpunished, with loads of cash.

Collecting and organizing my course readings might take me an entire week of fits and starts with our LMS. When I’m done, it looks like shit. I have zero control over design, layout, or presentation.

Every visit to my course site becomes a trip to my parents’ house. Get in, get out, as fast as possible. Try your best not to break anything. Preferably under cover of night. It’s just that ugly and unpleasant.