Course Management Systems are becoming increasingly accepted as an effective and efficient method of course delivery. Often they are used as the principal means of web-based course delivery. In addition, many institutions are utilizing CMSs to more economically handle large sections of particular courses. However, CMSs can also be used as a valuable tool for supplementing face-to-face course instruction. Although we have used a CMS extensively in large sections of lower-level courses, we have not, until now, made a concentrated effort at examining the effect of using a CMS in our upper-level computer science programming courses. This paper will focus on the pedagogical uses of a CMS and the specific aspects of a CMS that seem to either contribute to or detract from student learning. We also explore the features we would like to employ in the future that may increase student motivation and success for our computer science students.
