Growing up, I couldn’t get enough of attending school. I was infatuated with the number of new things I could discover and learn daily.
I was the kind of student whose teacher always remarked, “Always ready to learn.”
Simply put; in school, I was in my element, and nothing could touch me. Going to school seemed like a trip to my second home rather than the dreadfully strict place it represented to others.
My favorite place to hang out was in the science laboratory; I loved the thrill that coursed through me after each successful or otherwise experiments.
When I wasn’t obsessing on science, I read. So when Covid happened, and school was no longer an option, I wondered what would become of kids in that situation – kids who love school but are now forced to stay at home; studies had to continue.
Pro Tip:  Are you searching for the best Learning Management System software, then check out our top listed software to choose the one that suits your needs. |
But more importantly, what was to become of the thousands of people forced to stay away from their workplace? How do organizations continue to run efficiently considering the situation we were all in?
What most do not realize, however, is that a lot goes into teaching and learning; it doesn’t just start and end with a readily available teacher and an eager student.
The dissemination of knowledge in a classroom or through independent study only scratches the surface of an ecosystem built on meticulous labor in organizational duties like course design, lesson planning, student enrolment, and many others.
Imagine this; for a one-on-one lesson, the teacher has to plan their course, from designing the lessons to determining how many modules each has, and then the lesson notes.
It’s a lot, and because of the pandemic, teachers have to make do with getting software that will allow for easy transition of these processes so studies can go on as usual.
The software best suited and used for these processes is known as the Learning Management System.
81% of graduate students claimed to have utilized or wished to have used mobile devices for their online coursework, and 90% of students say they prefer online learning to in-person instruction. But, before we go further, let’s look at what a learning management system is.
What Is a Learning Management System?
A learning management system is a software solution that manages an e-learning environment. LMSs assist the development, management, and delivery of corporate training and eLearning while providing various features devoted to analytics, reporting, and the learning process.
However, LMSs are not limited to the educational sector.
In 2017, 77% of US companies used e-learning, while 72% believed it gave them a competitive edge in the market, which it did.
Here’s the thing, most companies have customized operational activities that are already tailored to match the organizational hierarchy and policies, most of which would be strange to new employees, regardless of their experience in the same field.
To balance this up, most companies train their new employees before finally placing them in their respective positions within the company.
However, considering the recent Covid development and daily technological advancements, most companies have replaced their seminars and conferences with online lessons as remote jobs are fast becoming the order of the day.
Employees who use a learning management system (LMS) can increase training efficiency by up to 93%.
Businesses use Learning Management Systems and related software to manage their online learning initiatives for easy onboarding and career improvement.
How To Use an LMS Platform Within an Organization
Onboarding Employees
For businesses with remote staff, this is especially crucial. A successful remote onboarding procedure guarantees new employees access to training materials, privacy policies, and corporate information whenever needed.
Educating Sales and Customer Service Personnel
People who interact with clients must keep their knowledge up to date regularly. By providing them with LMS courses, they can always stay updated on product or service updates, industry developments, or communication approaches.
Upskilling and Reskilling
Upskilling and reskilling are two significant areas of concentration for learning and development today. The suitable LMS may assist L&D in assigning the appropriate training to fill skill shortages and ensuring the organization is equipped with the talents it requires in the future.
Compliance Training
Since compliance training is here to stay and will likely continue, an LMS like TalentLMS provides a clear record of staff completing the required training for practical functionality.
You have many options if you want to enter the competitive market by implementing an LMS solution for your company.
However, this can be difficult, especially if you don’t know what to look for to make an informed purchase decision. To assist you in making an informed choice in this regard, we’ll go over what you should know to identify a good LMS solution.
Things You Should Know About Learning Management System
Personalization Experience
A capable LMS offers information depending on a learner’s history with the program and its function for greater adoption. For instance, if a learner works in sales, they need to have no trouble finding additional sales-related training materials in the LMS.
Users will be able to prioritize areas for growth thanks to adaptive exams and quizzes that consider a student’s success during a course. Users are more engaged in the process if an LMS is tailored to their learning preferences or job function.
Third-Party Software Integrations
Since you can improve upon a platform by integrating other software with other functions that complement the functionalities of your platform, then it is always advisable to leave room for those integrations.
For instance, you own an eCommerce website and decided to provide value to your website visitors on the same platform. To effectively run your blog and appear in search engines, you’ll need a couple of SEO software. If upon that realization, you find out that your eCommerce site does not allow for integration, then you have an incomplete solution.
L&D professionals can enhance learner information with crucial course completion statistics by using an LMS that interfaces smoothly with other systems, such as association management solutions or talent management systems.
Hence, integrations opportunity in an LMS platform is a must.
Role-Based Access Software
This feature, frequently combined with multi-tenant software architectures, enables setting up various user roles and access permissions following organizational hierarchy and specialization.
The feature gives students, instructors, and administrators access to customized user interfaces, functionalities, and instructional materials.
For instance, only teachers may access the admin panels and content editing.
Smart Scheduling
Teachers can provide their students with dates and times for their training sessions by using an LMS with a smart scheduling function. Instead of expecting students to juggle numerous tasks while learning new abilities.
This flexibility benefits students by ensuring they have access to crucial instruction when they are available.
Processes Automation
You can spend less time micromanaging training by adopting an LMS to eliminate repetitive administrative tasks. Many LMSs will automate adding and removing personnel by connecting with your HR software or CRM systems.
Keeping students’ training current is crucial, especially if the course is mandated. You need an LMS that sends triggered emails to students alerting them to their assigned courses and any upcoming due dates. You can set up automatic enrolments depending on criteria to place your students in the proper courses or learning paths.
E-commerce
To simplify selling and purchasing training courses, you can build a built-in store or integrate with payment systems like Shopify, Paypal, or Stripe on your LMS platform. You can also manage programs for various consumer demographics and design and sell course packages.
Customers can easily explore, preview, and buy training materials or course catalogs with LMSs that have an e-commerce feature. For instance, the additional tools on Thinkific LMS make it easy to design an e-website, market, and sell courses to grow the audience and scale in business.
You could even go one step further and make learning a membership benefit by providing exclusive discounted rates on courses based on membership type.
Content Format Support
Every instructor and course designer has their unique way of teaching, just as every student learns differently. An LMS like Blackboard Learn that handles many formats inside its modules, including Text/HTML, PowerPoints, PDF, and Videos chats, for effective learning will be a great place to start.
Student Data Tracking
Learning professionals can better understand how courses and learners perform if they can track a learner’s journey using stored data.
Furthermore, identifying where learners need to improve their skills or where they excel speeds up the training process.
Learning professionals can provide a more personalized learning environment by categorizing training content and tagging it by skill on the LMS platform.
In addition, some LMS platforms like Docebo will let you measure study impact and keep track of your learners progress.
Social Learning Features
This includes several tools fostering student interaction in a collaborative and highly connected learning environment.
An LMS might offer chats and forums for peer-to-peer discussions, wikis and FAQ sections for sharing knowledge and tips, or social media features allowing students to post their achievements or like and comment on those shared by their peers.
Data Transfer
Because of the technical complexities involved in transferring valuable data and course information, migrating from one LMS to another can be difficult.
One of the many advantages of data migration in LMS is the ability to switch and take your progress and essential training data with you. The best part about this critical feature is that you can re-upload all of your information to the new LMS without having to start from scratch.
Completion Certificate
Since most students enroll in classes to advance in their careers, LMSs must enable users to get certificates after passing a course.
Most eLearning certificates include:
- The date of issue and expiration.
- The instructor’s or company’s name.
- The name of the student who obtained the certificate.
Additionally, you must pick an LMS that enables you to alter your certificates to match your brand’s colors and other aesthetic preferences.
Remote-Ready
LMS service providers should use a responsive design for an LMS to guarantee that content displays appropriately and consistently on various devices, such as tablets, laptops, desktop computers, and mobile phones that support iOS and Android.
The goal is to provide students with a flawless learning experience.
Compliance
Learning content standardization techniques include xAPI and SCORM. Uploading content that complies with these industry standards should be possible through your LMS.
The platform itself must comply with corporate standards and any applicable government regulations for the type of business you operate for your LMS to be effective in assisting you in ensuring employee compliance with training requirements.
Customer Support
Constant customer support from LMS service providers is required to resolve operational and maintenance issues during setup and regularly.
Before deciding on an LMS program, inquire about the vendor’s level of customer service and accessibility. Web chat, electronic mail, and phone lines are standard customer service options.
Furthermore, knowledge-based support such as how-to manuals and instructional videos aid system installation. The customer service desk’s readiness for assistance and knowledge reflects how much the LMS providers value their clients.
Gamification
Games are what moves the world, and gamification allows you to excite and drive your corporate learners. Gamification has many advantages, including improved information retention and returns on investment for online training.
Built-in gamification tools are a requirement for a top-notch LMS. Examples of incentives for a competition include scoreboards, points, and even badges for corporate learners.
Maventra learning software supports many features including gamification for fun learning.
Branding and Customization
Each puzzle piece must accurately represent your brand to achieve effective collaboration. As a result, you need an LMS that allows you to incorporate your logo, color scheme, and other essential branding elements. Customization, in most cases, improves brand recognition and conversion.
Can you modify the layout to meet the needs of your corporate learners? Is it possible to add your watermarks and icons? You should consider these factors if you want your online training resources to represent your company accurately.
Easy-To-Use Interface
If you cannot access the LMS, all other functions become useless. The learning management system’s user interface should be simple, intuitive, and appropriate to the skills of your eLearning staff.
For example, Dashboards give you a high-level overview of your online training program. This is one of the critical LMS features to consider when testing the product during a free trial or demo.
Lessons Assessment
Learning professionals can track their learners’ engagement using LMS reports and analytics, but it’s also crucial to assess their learners’ retention and comprehension. A wide variety of assessment tools, such as branching scenarios, simulations, and exam engines, should be supported by an LMS to achieve this.
A learning management system (LMS) should include these exams and instructors’ ability to give learners immediate feedback. Easy LMS provides competitive quiquizzesormal examinations, and an engaging assessment solution with certification
User Management
Make sure an LMS you are considering enables admins to quickly onboard users into a course, assign them roles, and mass import data (if necessary). Regardless of the goals and nature of the training courses, user management is an essential component.
B2B Onboarding and Grouping
Grouping allows course admins to bundle registered users’ accounts within an LMS into custom groups.
For example, a large textile company uses an LMS to train its employees. The company has one location with 50 employees and two central departments; sales and textile.
To prevent the salespeople from receiving training on fabric textures and the textile specialists from learning how to make cold calls and close transactions, and so on, they want to offer each department a unique set of courses on the same platform.
Using the Grouping feature, they could easily separate the two department’s training courses.
In Conclusion
Choosing the best LMS for your company takes time. After discussing your eLearning goals with your team, use this article to determine what features your LMS requires. Remember, your priority is finding a platform that allows your company to create, deliver efficiently, and track training programs.
If you’re looking for a place to start, look no further than our list of the best learning management systems.