SkillRary

Organizational leaders have realized that in order to sustain a more knowledgeable and productive workforce, employee learning must be an ongoing focus.

Choosing the right Learning Management System (LMS) can help achieve the goal. There are certain benefits and features that an LMS can offer that will make corporate learning more effective.

Using a Learning Management System (LMS) streamlines training deliver. It makes the process seamless and minimizes the time spent on manual admin tasks. In a nutshell it enables you to easily create, manage and track training, all in one place.

A learning management system (LMS) is a software that is designed specifically to create, distribute, and manage the delivery of educational content. The LMS can be hosted as a stand-alone product on the company server, or it can be a cloud-based platform that is hosted by the software firm.

A Learning Management System (LMS) is an online system or software which is used to plan, execute and assess a specific learning process. In simple words, software used in eLearning programs and which helps in administration, documentation, tracking and recording. Learning Management System (LMS) are used to maintain online collaboration over the internet. Colleges and companies use them to deliver online training; corporates use them for training purposes, as well as for maintaining employee records.

Some use them to offer courses that provide students access to education and some others as an online system which staff use to support course delivery and provide online learning and blended learning opportunities for students and employees.

The main objective of Learning Management Systems is to enhance the learning process. An LMS not only delivers content, but also handles registers courses, course administration, skill gap analysis, tracking and reporting. Most LMSs are web based and are used on various educational institutes and companies to improve classroom teaching, learning methodology and company records. They are used in various industries and scenarios like in financial services, compliance training, computer based training, online assessments, collaborate learning, application sharing and so on. Some LMSs also include a performance management system which encompasses employee appraisal, competency management and skill gap analysis.

There are several types of learning management systems that organizations can choose from, check the comparison list:

• Enterprise vs. Individual
• Free vs. Commercial
• SaaS vs. Licensed Product
• Cloud-based vs. On-premise
• Integrated
• Built-in Authoring Tools or Pre-Written CMS

In most cases, organizations use a Learning Management System to facilitate access to learning materials that range from written materials and presentations to videos and interactive lessons.

The LMS should be able to:

• Provide learning experiences that are adapted to individual learners
• Make it easy for instructors to make notes and changes
• Give instructors and students the opportunity for online collaboration
• Integrate common tools such as calendars, word processors, and more
• Create a corporate culture-sensitive, branded presence for learners
• Include insights into user progress through built-in analytics
• Be able to scale globally as the organization grows

The modern learning management system often has built-in tools and resources that help administrators to develop course lessons, activities, and assessments. Administrators can assign new user credentials and schedule courses to be completed. They can also track learner progress with reporting features.

A good LMS helps to make learning interesting, engaging learners so they take a more active role in their own development. An LMS should be simple to access and use in order to encourage learners to participate. The design of the LMS should be friendly in appearance and functionality -- based on user requirements.

Benefits of Learning Management Systems include:

• Stream lined training process

Using a Learning Management System makes things easier for you, as it helps plan the training activities calendar which you can share with your learners, trainer, and co-administrators. By doing this you can maintain and improve your training process. An LMS also helps in getting trainer reports, which is a time consuming process when done manually.

• Ability to deliver engaging and motivating training

This is a fact that each individual learns in a unique manner. If you apply different learning approaches, they increase your success rate. LMSs help in communication and balance the whole system.

• Technology leverage

In this digital world the working system has totally changed. Today every employee is engaged with a laptop or desktop, and with the help of Learning Management Systems you make the training future ready; plus it becomes interesting and exciting for your target audience.

• Centralized learning

It becomes easy to offer centralized source of learning to multiple users and the training, performance, and content can be accessed from the same source.

• Tracking and reporting features

Another benefit of using an LMS is that you can enhance performance through tracking and reporting tools. New users’ progress can be tracked, records can be reviewed, and users can register for more than one course. Learning can be done through web based training. Management can access the records and calculate which area needs improvement. The learners also become aware of the areas that need improvement and additional efforts, as the weak performance areas, can be identified easily.

• Evaluation capabilities

Users can evaluate courses before joining, and employers can keep a track of the retention levels and real time performance by periodically scheduling assignments.

• Easy upgrades

Content and information can be easily upgraded, as Learning Management Systems offer a centralized location for information which makes it simple to implement changes; plus, all users get the same upgraded information at the same time.

• Simplified learning process

An LMS refines the learning process. The systems are easy to use and a new user can figure out everything very easily, since help is built into the system.

• Reduced cost and time saved

The right LMS can reduce the training costs in multiple ways as the trainer doesn’t need to travel now, so there are no boarding and lodging charges involved. The teaching cost reduces to great extent. Learning Management Systems save organizations’ and instructors’ valuable time and money through web based training.

• Interactive environment

Through new online tools, the interaction and communication part improves. Learners get the answers in real time and the engagement is more geared toward being interactive.

If the learning management system is to be used as part of any other educational program, for example a K-12 environment, a college or university, or another level of training; there are many advantages of choosing an LMS over instructor-led training.

The use of technology in the classroom has led to a wave of more LMS in education. Today’s learner has many more opportunities to grasp important concepts with a focus on their individual learning style.