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Understanding Where to Make Edits in Accelerate Education Courses

Target Audience: Administrators, Curriculum Specialists, Department Chairs

Accelerate Education provides a highly customizable curriculum that allows programs to adapt course content to meet local curricular and student needs. Before making any course modifications, it is important to understand where different types of edits should be made.

This article explains the roles of the Learning Management System (LMS) and the Content Management System (CMS), as well as the types of edits that can be made in each.

The Learning Management System (LMS)

The Learning Management System (LMS) is the platform where Accelerate Education courses are delivered and accessed by students and teachers. Common LMS platforms include Buzz, Canvas, Schoology, and others.

Although lesson content is displayed within the LMS, the lesson pages themselves are hosted externally. As a result, lesson text and images cannot be edited directly in the LMS.

However, assessments and assignments are created within the LMS and can be edited directly. Schools can also make a variety of course-level changes, including:

  • Adjusting course settings
  • Hiding lessons or modules
  • Rearranging course content
  • Editing quizzes, tests, and assignments

Note: For schools using Buzz, LMS-based edits do not break the connection to Accelerate Education content. Courses will continue to receive automatic updates and enhancements released by Accelerate.

The Content Management System (CMS)

Accelerate Education lesson content is created and maintained in the Content Management System (CMS). Content developed in the CMS is then delivered through the lesson viewer in the LMS, such as Buzz, Canvas, or Schoology.

Access to the CMS requires separate credentials and specialized training. Because CMS edits can have long-term implications, access should be limited to a small group of trained users, such as administrators, curriculum specialists, and department chairs responsible for content decisions.

Within the CMS, authorized users can:

  • Edit lesson text
  • Replace or update images
  • Add or remove instructional content
  • Make other content-level or structural changes

Important: Once a learning object is edited in the CMS, it no longer receives future updates or enhancements from Accelerate Education. For this reason, CMS edits should be carefully planned, documented, and managed to ensure continued accuracy and alignment with course goals.

Choosing the Right Tool

In general:

Use the LMS when you need to:

  • Hide content
  • Rearrange lessons or modules
  • Edit quizzes, tests, and assignments
  • Manage course settings

Use the CMS when you need to:

  • Modify lesson text
  • Replace or update images
  • Add or remove instructional content
  • Change the structure of a lesson

Best Practice

Understanding the difference between LMS and CMS editing helps ensure that changes are made efficiently while preserving access to future Accelerate Education updates whenever possible.