SALMS Key Technologies

In order to implement SAL, a set of software technologies are required if the implementation is to be at all practical and cost effective.  The technologies a school typically purchases is a Student Information System (SIS), which records grades and transcripts and a Learning Management System (LMS), the software that students log into to get their assignment and to turn in work.  Schools have many other administrative functions, which are generally addressed by add-ons to their SIS. 

The specific technology functionality developed to address the challenges of Sequential Adapted Learning is called the Sequential Adapted Learning Management System (SALMS), which includes the SALMS Student Information System and the Course Delivery Software.

SALMS Student Information System

At the core of sequence adapted learning is an highly specialize information management system which covers all administrative aspects of running a school, such as managing the data needed to make good decisions for student's course work, and records student progress in transcripts.

SALMS Program Planner

The program planner is the primary capability that differentiates the SALMS from other technologies.  The program planner allows the school's curriculum executive to develop a multi-year outlook of courses students will be taking.  Any number of programs may be developed with any combination and sequence of classes the school determines will meet their objectives. 

After students are assessed they are placed in a program of study, which is a set of classes taken over multiple terms.  instead of manually assigning classes one by one at the beginning of every term, or imposing deadlines for student to turn in their enrollment, the program of study selection seamlessly auto-enrolls students in their planned classes as the student progresses.

All programs may be pre-vetted to ensure compliance with various regulatory and oversight requirements.  When the program is assigned to the student, the degree outcomes such as NCAA compliance, a-g approval, etc. are known and clearly communicated to stakeholders.  Further, specialized programs may be developed that restore students to grade level expectations.

The program planner is essential to reducing the administrative burden of the student-focused adaptability that SAL requires.

As the student's grades are recorded, and credits awarded, the software keeps track of compliance with the assigned program, if a student falls short of the program goals, the administration is alerted so that intervention can be implemented.  If the student is completing work early, the student may be offered a more challenging program.

Overtime, the Program Planner embodies the operational knowledge of the school and the experiences of the teachers and students.  For example, students with a particular academic performance profile tend to get the best results from a particular program.

SALMS Integrated Assessment

In order to make a good decision efficiently, SALMS provides an integrated view of the students assessment results, current grades, and the available programs of study.  With only a few clicks, the student's most optimal program of study may be selected based on the student's own information.

SALMS Computer-Based Course Delivery Software

Computer-based courses can be developed by non-programmers using a variety of software applications, recognizable software names may include Google Classroom, Canvas, Blackboard, and Moodle.  These types of software applications allows non-programmers to develop online courses and track student completion.  These software applications essentially govern the student's learning experience.

Software applications that allow ordinary people, those without computer science degrees, to develop online courses are called Learning Management Systems (LMS).  An LMS contains all the schools curriculum in an online format.  For example, the student may be required to read some text and answer questions. The LMS provides a teacher the tools to display that text and then to also create the questions for the students as a test.  The LMS may also integrate commercially available curriculum like Pearson online courses or IXL.com assignments.

Learning Managements Systems have been available for decades, they are not new technologies.  For SALMS to be effective, all course work must be delivered online to students so that metrics may be systematically developed and student gap learning may be more easily addressed.  The LMS must also be tightly integrate the LMS, which controls the student's learning experience and the SIS, which controls which courses the student will be assigned and then records the outcome.