Your Complete Guide to Learning Management Systems
A learning management system (LMS) is software that makes it easy to manage, deliver, and track analytics for business training programs.
The Learning Management System has become an incredibly powerful tool for organizations looking to improve the performance and retention of their workforce. Most learning management systems are cloud-based software solutions that companies use as their fundamental tool for managing their training programs. Just as sales teams use and depend on CRM software, or human resources teams depend on HRIS software, LMS software is usually the base technology used by training and development departments of companies.
Learning management systems can be used to implement all types of training (from compliance training to training on company policy). In recent years, online learning has evolved and has become a revenue generator for the extended business . New advances in learning technology have helped support evolving student needs and revolutionized the e-learning space by allowing more data on learning to be collected, enabling school mobile app learning and gamification capabilities to income generation, and more.
Perhaps the most important functionality of learning management systems is to support learning as it happens. - eg By combining formal, social and experiential learning. Traditionally, these learning management systems have been used primarily for the delivery of formal learning. For example, a learning management system, or LMS, makes it easy to automatically assign induction courses to new employees, allows you to track their progress, and evaluate their knowledge retention levels. However, online learning systems like elearnus go beyond basic functionalities and incorporate features that enable social learning. to allow users to consult with colleagues, ask questions, collaborate, and encourage and reward contribution between teams and individuals.
Who uses an LMS?
The systems management learning are used globally, across multiple industries and for a variety of different use cases for business learning. The adoption of LMS has increased in recent years around the world. In fact, the global LMS market is set to grow at a CAGR of 24% from 2016 to 2020.
At a more specific level, there are two key types of users of an LMS system:
Students or users - the students are the ones who receive the training (after all, they are the people for whom the training was created). Students who have access to the Enterprise LMS will be able to view their course catalog, complete courses and any assigned assessments, and measure their own progress. Students can be assigned to courses individually, or according to their job function, and / or according to their role within the company structure.
Administrators - administrators are on the opposite side of learning technology - this means that they are responsible for managing the LMS, which involves a combination of tasks: creating courses and learning plans, assigning courses to students, and giving them track your learning progress. Types of clients of an LMS
Large companies: Large companies rely on learning management systems to measure the performance and career development of hundreds or even thousands of employees, while implementing global online training initiatives. Some large organizations may also use extended business functions of their LMS to keep franchisees, vendors, and external sales channels informed about product launches, compliance requirements, and more. to improve the performance and retention of your workforce.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs): These organizations benefit from a Learning Management System using fewer human resources, and instead rely on technological tools to scale the growth of their employees with the growth of the business (and adapt to changes constant training needs that reflect that organizational growth). ng initiatives. Some large organizations may also use extended business functions of their LMS to keep franchisees, vendors, and external sales channels informed about product launches, compliance requirements, and more. to improve the performance and retention of your workforce.
Independent workers: the LMS platforms designed for online learning freelancers who work with multiple clients and need to deliver a wide range of deliveries. These learning management systems can have built-in collaboration tools, allowing you to fly solo or work with a remote e-Learning team.
What is an LMS used for?
At a basic level, learning management software is used to centralize, implement, and measure business training.
A world-class learning management system has the capabilities that support a variety of internal and external business use cases, including:
Employee training - perhaps the most common use case for an LMS is to support internal employee training and development. Within the LMS, courses can be assigned to ensure that employees obtain the necessary skills for their work, that they are informed about changes to the products offered by the company, and that they stay up-to-date with compliance trainings, etc.
Customer Training - Another common use case for an LMS is for customer training. This is especially common for software and technology companies that need to conduct user induction in order for them to use the product effectively. Ongoing customer training helps deliver more value to customers and prevent contract cancellations.
Partner Training - An LMS can also be used for training of the company's partners and partner channels (eg Resellers). This is a great way to improve affiliate programs and provide more value.
Key benefits and advantages of an LMS
There are a multitude of benefits and advantages to implementing an LMS, and these apply to the company and its audience of students.
Benefits for the company
An LMS can help businesses:
- Reduce learning and development costs
- Reduce induction and training time for employees, customers and partners
- Accommodate multi-language audiences
- Centralize e-learning resources
- Maintain regulatory compliance
- Track student progress
- Conduct reseller and partner induction to enhance your ability to sell
- Retain customers by ensuring that they use the products and services effectively
- Measure how learning impacts company performance
Read more about THE DIFFERENT LEARNING STYLES AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON CHILDREN’S LEARNING
Benefits for the student:
An LMS can help a student:
- Increase knowledge retention
- Keep up-to-date with required trainings
- Stay motivated with the best practices of formal and informal learning
- Acquire skills and knowledge required for career advancement
- Improve performance
Key features of an LMS
There are around 700 solutions in the LMS landscape, each offering something different. Finding the best LMS for your unique business needs may not be an easy task.
Here are some key features that an LMS should include:
Administrative Task Automation - This feature allows administrators to automate recurring tasks such as user grouping, group enrollment, user deactivation, and new user population.
Certification and retraining - an LMS should allow you to track and manage certification and retraining activities (e.g. when managing recurring training / continuing education / compliance programs)
Social learning - as mentioned above, your LMS should support informal training activities. Your LMS should include functionality that encourages collaboration, peer consultation, and knowledge retention.
Mobility - learning content must be accessed anytime, anywhere, regardless of which device is used. Learning management systems must allow content to be accessed on mobile devices to enable learning when needed .
Course and Catalog Management - Fundamentally, a learning management system is the central system that supports all courses and learning content. Administrators can easily create and manage courses and course catalogs for personalized delivery to each user.
Content integration and interoperability - Learning management systems must support learning content packaged in accordance with interoperable standards such as SCORM, AICC, and xAPI (formerly known as Tin Can).
Content Marketplace - not all learning content is produced in-house. Allow your students access to "off-the-shelf" courses which are created by different global providers such as OpenSesame and LinkedIn Learning
Notifications - Notifications allow students to stay up-to-date with required trainings. LMS systems must support automatic and real-time notifications, indicating to students their progress, course completion, certifications, achievements, comments, and more.
Read more : A LIST OF LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (LMS)
White Label and Personalization - Immerse your students in a completely unique platform and maintain your brand consistency within your e-learning experience.
Gamification - increase your students' engagement by allowing them to earn points, badges, awards, etc. in all of your learning activities.
Integrations - keep your organization's data in sync with an LMS
Ecommerce - integrate your ecommerce platform like Shopify, me with payment portals like PayPal and Stripe.
ILT classroom - instructor-led - the purpose of a training management system is not to replace instructor-led learning with online learning - rather, what an LMS should do is support learning in the moment. what happens (eg via a mix of formal and informal learning methods) and provide a way to deliver, track and measure learning activities. As such, your LMS must support classroom-based and in-person learning initiatives (eg, class schedule management, performance and attendance monitoring, etc).
Reports - one of the most important functionalities of an LMS should include the ability to track the impact that your training programs are having on your business. Your LMS should allow you to obtain information and data through custom reports and dashboards that provide metrics on learning activities.