A content management system (CMS) is able to keep information on the site organized. CMS websites are organized hierarchically, meaning there are typically pages, sub-pages underneath and then further sub-pages. CMS sites also allow you to organize your users into different groups, automatically giving access to certain parts of the website only to certain groups. Therefore, when a new user joins your distance education program, she only has access to, for instance, physics classes.
A CMS may save your organization time -- or it may take up more time. If your staff is not familiar with the way a CMS works, it may take time to train them and even more time for them to get the hang of it. This can slow the whole operation down. However, once properly trained, your staff should be able to easily add tasks, content and updates to your site.
On top of being able to organize which users have access to the different sections of your distance education site, CMS websites can also provide additional security. Administrator privileges can be granted only to members of your staff so even the most tech savvy students cannot change your site or access private information. As there will likely be a high volume of sensitive information within your site, this extra security can be valuable.
One disadvantage of a CMS is that its content is rigidly formatted and the look and feel of your website can be changed if it is not used properly. If someone editing the site breaks from the style guide provided by your CMS, it can affect the entire website at once. For this reason, it is important that anyone with administrator privileges be thoroughly trained on how to use the system.