Assessing the Quality of LMS Platforms in Higher Education Institutions: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the most relevant articles published between 2018 and the first quarter of 2024, on the evaluation of the quality of LMS platforms, at the university level, through a scientific Systematic Literature Review (RLS), according to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, in the Scopus databases,  WOS and ERIC. To this end, 153 publications were initially analyzed, which, after the elimination of duplicate citations, were reduced to 144 and the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, resulted in a total of 46 contributions with the purpose of offering a vision of quality assessment in LMS (Learning Management Platforms) platforms. This systematic review of the literature has identified and analyzed the approaches proposed by various authors in relation to four key dimensions for the evaluation of the quality of LMS platforms: technical, pedagogical, usability and administrative. The results reflect that there are several dimensions and criteria that help us understand what a true evaluation of the quality of LMS platforms at the university level should be. The discussion focuses on the identification and clarification of the dimensions and criteria for the evaluation of LMS platforms, the current limitations and the need to propose future lines of research that include the development of evaluation instruments in various universities, expand the geographical context, analyze the organizational impact, examine more variables and external factors,  that are contextualized for different virtual environments, in order to promote a more inclusive and accessible education.