**1. Introduction**

It has been proposed and mussed over for more than 15 years now that, in the near future the Learning Management System (LMS) or Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), if you are in the UK, will become a thing of the past. Or in other words, "Is the LMS dying?" [1, 2]. Even back in 2007, Stiles [1] was suggesting that the VLE "has become fixed in an orthodoxy based on traditional educational approaches" (p. 31). However, the LMS seems to have proved itself to be more resilient that this, as institutions and LMS vendors have developed quite sophisticated networks of tools, largely built off the back of LTIs (learning tools interoperability) and xAPIs (experience

application program interface) interfaces that somewhat seamlessly, but increasingly make the LMS a more pervasive convenor of learning. This is similar to what we experience with our mobile devices (phones and tablets), that have a core functionality, but then rely on apps (independent applications) to enhance their functionality. This then frees up the device from having to house a full range of application that may never be used by the user. I will return to this point later.

But for the LMS, as we know it today, for those conversant with contemporary technology trends, particularly around the management of online experiences, suggest this is because "The LMS is not a digital classroom, it is a digital bookshelf: resources for consumption and not creation" [3]. That is, the advanced functionalities that the LMS can provide, when linked with other cloud-based tools, are not really being used to their full advantage, and when this is done it usually comes with large price tag for those institutions employing this approach. That is because the functionality that is required does not reside in the one tool, rather in the combination of online tools that must all be licensed separately. Countering, but also aligned with this are some early, but discernible trends that we see emerging, based off more enterprise-based systems approaches, and that is a shift towards the notion of productivity platforms to help mediate learning. This is very similar to what large corporations use to help their staff become more productive and is based around seamless integration and pervasive communications.

This chapter will first explore some of the history of the LMS and consider how it has evolved to where it is today. It will propose that we do not have to be constrained by our traditional approaches to learning, rather that today's technology provides new opportunities that have not previously existed for the higher education sector. This is particularly important, as this sits in that important nexus between school and work, and we need to take advantage of these affordances as we prepare our graduates for the workforce and more particularly, the future of work.

Based on current literature, it is hoped that the following discussions will provide institutions with a framework in which to consider their future directions and how the evolving landscape of learning and teaching may see newer ways of thinking around emerging technologies and the role they may play in this dynamic space to better support or student cohorts.
