Learning Management Systems in Traditional Face-to-Face Courses: A Narrative Inquiry Study

The purpose of the qualitative narrative inquiry study was to explore accounts of individual higher education instructors' experiences utilizing LMSs as a potential platform for teaching and learning in the traditional face-to-face classroom environment. The pedagogical use of LMSs in traditional face-to-face courses from real life experiences of instructors through stories was the focus of the research. Stories and narratives can serve as a primary means of understanding individual instructor's experiences, which affect how and what instructors need to know and be able to do to impact learning. The study was guided by one primary research question: What are the experiences of instructors (faculty and adjunct) concerning the use of Learning Management Systems (LMSs) in traditional face-to-face courses in higher education? Using semi-structured interviews, the first-person experiences of 20 instructors given through stories provided deeper understanding of the phenomena from the participant's perspective. Five major themes emerged from the analysis of data collected from the participants and addressed the research question. The five major themes were Features and Tools, Instruction and Assessment, Communication and Interaction, Teaching Models and Methods, and Professional Development. The results from the study might help instructors realize the educational potential of the LMSs for teaching and learning to enhance traditional face-to-face courses. The recommendations made are reflections of the summary of the findings. The recommendations for educational practice were presented specifically for educational leaders and face-to-face instructors. Recommendations for educational practice focus on the practical application of Blackboard Learn LMS in face-to-face courses in higher education.