User experience of two different LMS: effects on students' performance and recommendations for contents design

The aim of this work is to understand the effects of user experience on students' outcomes in two different learning management systems (LMS), Moodle and Sakai, on the same entrepreneurship education task in both environments. We developed an online learning setting where technical graduate students practice and gain knowledge on innovation and entrepreneurship themes and we evaluate which LMS provided better user experience. The evaluation included 70 students in total, 37 in the Moodle condition and 33 in Sakai condition. Results indicated that the students in the Moodle condition reported to have slightly better learning experience compared to the students in Sakai condition. The follow-up interviews with the students highlighted positive and negative experiences related to features and options of the different platforms, their influence on student learning, and the different ways to organise contents in them. The qualitative feedback suggests learners want an affective connection with the contents and demand for high quality of learning materials. These data provide empirical evidence of the learning gains offered by the two different LMS and provide practical guidelines for education designers on how to design education experiences on both of the platforms.