Software Architecture and New Functions in Learning Management System ”NOBASU”

Recently, the learning management systems (LMS) using the Web technology has been developed and used at a lot of educational institutions. We have continuously developed an original LMS called NOBASU (NetwOrk-Based Assistant System for University education) to support various educational activities in our department to improve the quality while reducing costs. In this paper, we describe the software architecture and the outline of distinguishing functions in NOBASU. In addition to conventional functions in LMS, NOBASU has incorporated several original ones such as the keyword submission function for preparing and reviewing classes, the lecture-scene playback function using the digital picture-card show, and the writing style check function for report submissions. We have implemented them in NOBASU and evaluated the effectiveness through applications to real classes in our department.