Is LAMS a Learning Management System (LMS)/Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)/Course Management System (CMS)?
No – at least not in the usual sense. A typical LMS/VLE/CMS provides a course home page (or similar) with links to learning content/courseware and course administration features such as calendars, email, news, etc. In some cases, it may also include collaborative tools such as a forum of chat. In general, most LMS/VLE/CMSs are based around “single-learner” content and tasks (such as self-test questions) and course administration features – if there is any use of collaboration, it is generally limited, and based on a single tool on its own, such as a discussion forum linked to the course page. Many LMS/VLE/CMS systems also include user management and authentication features, and some include content authoring tools for building webpages, etc. LAMS is focussed on a very specific aspect of e-learning – sequences of learning activities, particularly collaborative activities. LAMS provides rich functionality for designing a “flow” of learning activities, especially where these activities re