What is a Learning Management System?
LMS – Learning Management Systems are a platform for digital learning. The main features are briefly explained below:
L – Learning
With a learning management system (LMS), you can create a single source of online courses and training materials. It will become a unique source of knowledge in your area so that you can keep and enhance your company’s internal expertise.
M – Management
You can manage courses and students to improve your institutes performance. Unlike file-sharing services, an LMS is not just a collection of files/folders; rather, it is an organized system where you manage your training process more efficiently. To start training, add staff and assign courses.
Thanks to features like a calendar, you can assign and manage not only online assessments but also the class sessions. In this way, an LMS is a must-have application designed specifically for eLearners.
S – System
The computer system, where you manage everything online. An LMS automates the most tedious and arduous work such as standardization, statistics processing and report preparation. In addition, you can train your employees without leaving the office and manage all the processes from your personal computer/laptop.
In other words, LMS – Learning Management Systems are like your own online university. The system allows you to save and create eLearning courses, allowing learners to access content and evaluate results.
Different types of Learning Management Systems
Now that you know what LMS is, it is time to find out which learning sites exist and how they differ. Here are the details about the different types of LMS:
Corporate vs. Academic LMS
Both corporate and educational LMSs provide access to online learning materials and automate different aspects of the training process, but there are some differences between them.
Learning Objectives
Academic learning aims to produce good students with in-depth knowledge of the subjects and to strive to learn more. Here, theoretical knowledge is the ultimate goal. Corporate training focuses on learning related to practical applications, and one of its main objectives is return on investment.
Course chronology
For work training, time limits are limited, so a corporate LMS must be compatible with all time frames and business needs. Semesters, quarters and trimesters – these are the periods for educational institutions. According to them, an LMS should provide planning units such as holidays, exam times and periods.
Standards vs. Certifications
The corporate learning platform usually offers the ability to monitor and complete in the form of certificates. An educational LMS usually monitors the progress of learners through its grading system. It provides quality books for tracking attendance and work results, as well as other information for each student.
Tools for social learning
Other activities that an educational learning site usually offers include class plans and breakout sessions, discussion boards and skills for creating student groups for a built-in web-conferencing tool.
LMS limitations you may encounter
1. Built-in course teachers usually have strict functional limits, so you can only create simple courses or tests.
2. Not all LMS and creative tools are fully compatible. For example, there may be problems uploading courses on the computer or monitoring learners’ progress.
If you want to avoid compatibility issues and create seamless interactive courses, you can use an LMS with the integrated creative tool. For example, Moodle LMS is fully integrated suite. This LMS allows you to create professional-looking e-courses, easily upload them to the platform, and enjoy advanced reporting skills.
Benefits of using a LMS
There are several obvious benefits to using LMS for businesses and learners:
1. Unlimited access to learning content anytime, anywhere
2. Staying on top of the required training
3. Knowledge will increase engagement
4. Retention of knowledge
Why your institution should be using a LMS for online assessments
There is no universal agreement on the full set of standard LMS features, but in general, you can divide all learning management requirements into some basic and advanced features:
Users Management – This user management feature enables you to add and edit users, assign roles to them, and link learners into groups and organizations.
Course Management – This feature provides learning materials. Delivery is not only about uploading courses but also tailoring what content goes to whom.
Progress Monitoring – This feature evaluates learner performance. Their progress can be measured at different time intervals or at the end of the course.
Advanced LMS features
Content creation – Some learning sites have a built-in editor that allows you to create simple experiments and courses.
ILD Classroom – If you offer mixed learning, you should support your LMS classroom-based learning efforts (e.g. managing classroom schedules, monitoring attendance and performance).
Mobile learning – Most LMSs allow learners to train anytime, anywhere, on any device. Some of them have their mobile apps, where users can watch the courses even offline.
Social learning – If you want to motivate or encourage your learners to share knowledge, you need the learning management system with social tools. Example – social media, they allow you to publish the articles, discuss your colleagues’ posts, and like and share content.
White labeling and customization – With this great LMS feature, you can simply create a completely unique learning platform and maintain brand consistency within your e-learning experience.
Configuration – The use of rewards elements (points, awards, ratings, badges, etc.) can improve learner engagement and motivation to read harder.
Certification – Some sites have the option of issuing certificates after users have completed a course or test. This can be very helpful for companies that run professional certifications regularly.
Integrations – If you want to synchronize your company data with LMS, you need a system that supports the third-party integrations like salesforce CRM, video conferencing tools and more.
Announcements – Announcements help learners to prioritize things: their course completion, tasks, achievements, ideas, upcoming events and more.
Course Library – There are learning sites with a built-in library of ready-made online courses covering different topics.
Talk to us about Iris Invigilation and learning management systems...
Iris Invigilation connects to a range of learning management systems. Please contact us to discuss your requirements and to ask any LMS related queries.