Learning management system
Learning management systems help to organize skill development within your organization and help to deliver training materials. These systems are helpful, but the abundance of LMS features makes it hard to decide which will be the help or a distraction. To overcome the problem of confusion, specific goals are to be taken under consideration before comparing any LMS solutions, including:
- Regulatory compliance
- extended learning opportunities
- Public awareness /e-commerce
- Safety certification updates.
Mentioned below are three types of LMS systems:
- Cloud-based or installed
Cloud-based LMS solutions are modern iteration that carries little maintenance costs and fewer setup than the installed solution. Additionally, this software are maintained in a way to seamlessly offer updates without the typical requirement of hefty setup fees
- Open-source or proprietary
It is a type of computer software in which the users are granted the right to study, distribute, and change software for any purpose. This software is usually developed in a collaborative public manner.
- Proprietary or cloud-based software:
It is the kind of software for which the publisher retains the rights of intellectual property (usually copyright of source code and sometimes patent rights)
- Free or commercial.
Free LMS solutions are also available ( if your budget is tight and have the ability to leverage related talent, e.g., developer, software engineering etc, then free LMS solution is not a bad option)
However, in large companies with a broad ratio of users, free LMS is no option as the compliance features are provided in paid LMS options for high-consequence industries.
Building your education and training programs takes planning and care, but there are plenty of systems out there to help you along the way. Make sure the software you choose has all the LMS features you need to build and maintain your program and maybe even let your employees self-serve.
Important Features of LMS
- Course Creation
Though course creation is among the basic modules in any LMS software, some options require you to bring your content, i.e., you will need to build content and videos in a separate system, eventually importing them into the program. Thus, LMS, including course creation features, helps in streamlining the processes.
Examples: Bridge, Canvas
- Skills/Certification tracking
Certification/Skill tracking is important LMS feature to train employees or students. In addition, LMS serves as a baseline for measuring improvement in performance for tracking skill development or course completion.
These features can be used for increasing government compliance by making certifications available by a single exportable spreadsheet. In addition, tracking skills through this platform gives the power to report progress showing the immediate return of efforts.
Examples of platforms: BirdDogHR, MATRIX LMS.
- Mobile learning
LMS featuring mobile capabilities including native mobile apps or responsive designs, learners can get training from different locations using any device they own. This is very helpful in learning outside the workday, or for the distributed teams where learning is done between calls or visits.
Examples: Cornerstone LMS, Litmos LMS.
- Asynchronous learning
The best feature for improving knowledge retention and engagement is asynchronous learning (the ability to complete coursework at one’s own pace). It means you do not have to be present at a specified time for a talk with the instructor or lecture. Online readings, combining videos, messaging, and questioning forums enable engagement with material at the desired pace and helps promote buy-in and improve return.
Examples: Grovo, LearnUpon
- Gamification
Incentivizing the learning process is a genuine need, and gamification can turn the learning into competition in a friendly way. It may not make your subject matter more exciting but adding game features to training programs and courses engage learners, speeding them up through increased compliance and modules.
Examples: Docebo, Thought Industries.
- Video conferencing
The video conferencing features of LMS is a plus point for the students who find one-to-one attention more productive for learning. While emailing and messaging boards may cover most of your communication needs, video conferencing
helps you in difficult conversations.
Examples: eloomi, eFront
- Social learning/message boards
Learning has a social aspect in it, and LMS including features that help students learn from one another enhances the learning process, and it is a great way to reduce strain on trainers. The addition of social learning features and messaging boards allows students to ask questions in a forum setting. The best way to show understanding of the topic is by teaching, so this forum allows collaborative teaching methods for fruitful results.
Examples: LearnUpon LMS, TalentLMS.
- E-commerce and subscriptions
LMS programs provide the channel for content publishing to a broader audience, so one can monetize what he has already built, in which case, no better platform than LMS (that lets gate learning content) is beneficial. The addition of a subscription course to the site is an excellent way for recurring income using collective intelligence.
Examples:
Latitude Learning, Docebo.
- Flexible reporting and analytics
LMS having flexible analytics and reporting (that align with eLearning objectives ) is beneficial for correctly gauging the learning program’s effectiveness. Visual representations of customizable reports and learner data help learning and development creating better training programs by seeking out specific points to solve. Quickly identifying the patterns allow the students to adjust the training programs. It helps so much where compliant is a top priority.
- Assessment tools
It is essential to gauge comprehension and retention. An LMS supports a wide range of assessment tools, i.e., simulations, branching scenarios and exam engines. LMS facilitating immediate feedback to learners is a plus point in this regard.
- Smart scheduling tools
LMS is the solution to scheduling face-to-face sessions that accommodate the entire team/ students at a time. An LMS provides a good scheduling tool that offers instructors and learners multiple times and dates for training sessions. This flexibility ensures the access to training compatible with your availability, rather than expecting you to juggle multiple tasks
- 1 Hosting options for maximum security
The data security protocols are essential to ensure the safety of the company’s sensitive information. Single-tenant solutions provide security and flexibility while lowering the risk of a data breach. A single-tenant LMS server hosts one tenant (or customer), and it has greater control and exclusive access over data storage and security.
How does LMS modernize education?
LMS increases learner engagement by providing greater access to content for learning. Learners can better access the learning materials from any device. Giving the workers the ability to concentrate while staying away from the office is critical as well.
The learning engagement is influenced by learners motivation level, cognitive ability and learner’s focus as concentration is directly proportional to the measure of attention and interest of the individual. However, the material design, learning course and deployment of courses also influence the learner’s engagement, and LMS ensures this all taking all these factors into account.
The inclusion of informal and blending learning provides the learners with a unique personalizing way and further engagement. As the learning and development landscape has shifted to the value of self-learning (over traditional learning where the instructor is considered the end-all), the LMS platform has put the learner in the driver’s seat. The focus of learners has shifted from curating design and in-person instruction to helping and facilitating learners to find solutions.
