Learning Management Systems (LMS) offer critical features such as centralized course management, tracking learner progress, integrated assessment tools, interactive communication options, and compatibility with a variety of content formats.
The issue of learner engagement is central for training professionals. It allows you to get feedback on the reception given to e-learning courses through participations and to understand the statistical feedback from platforms of LMS.
If you come from the world of training, you must have already heard about the “LMS”. The Learning Management System (or “learning management system” in French) is at the heart of all discussions on e-learning. It allows centralize training actors and all educational content on the same platform.
But what functionalities does it offer in concrete terms? And how do you choose the best LMS for your organization?
We used the example of “Your Cat in a Pot” to illustrate this article. It is a fictional start-up that offers photos of kittens or puppies posing in baskets, earthen pots, shoes... Follow the guide!
The Learning Management System (LMS): what is the impact on corporate training?
Before deploying this type of solution in your business, it is essential to know the definition and the concrete benefits for your organization.
What is a Learning Management System?
The Learning Management System (LMS) is a platform for managing online learning and training. Installed on an intranet or Internet, this tool allows learners to access distance courses, while offering management devices for the team of trainers.
The LMS experience in business: towards vocational training 2.0?
The very advantage of online training being to facilitate learning, the LMS offers easy access to educational resources. The platform interface allows learners to choose the modules that interest them and to learn directly by connecting to the system: marketing, accounting, e-commerce...
Ton Chat dans un Pot employees have access to all sorts of resources to better expand on the cute poster market. Or creepy. Opinions are divided.
In order to meet the accessibility needs of modern learners, the LMS adapts to different types of supports, such as computers, tablets or even smartphones. As a result, there are no geographic limitations. The training is available at any time and anywhere in the world thanks to the Mobile learning and to the ATAWADAC model: Anytime, anywhere, any device, any content.
Depending on the objectives of the training, the LMS can also be customized at will. The terms of use and access can be modified according to the type of course to be taught, with authentication spaces and the possibilities of level selection for example. You can also create very specific modules for the launch of a product or on a particular tool.
For Your Cat in a Pot, we created “Cute or not cute: the bad example of the singing mole”. That one worked really well.
The 15 key features of a good Learning Management System (LMS) platform
1. Effective organization of training content
The LMS allows you to offer training content for your employees, but also to organize this content in an effective way. Thus, a member of the Marketing team should have priority access to content related to their core business (marketing techniques, social media management, etc.) without scrolling through the content of the other teams.
Moreover, more and more tools offer the “search” function: a real time-saver for learners!
2. An intuitive and easy to access user interface
The user interface of an LMS is often intuitive and easy to use. And that's a real advantage! Old training solutions sometimes required a very long time to learn, and this could demotivate learners (and trainers!). But today, creating and following a module is not rocket science. The journey is well-thought-out and users can easily explore and find what they are looking for.
3. Fun and gamified learning on a dedicated platform
In order to motivate participants throughout the course, LMS platforms allow the implementation of fun teaching systems. These game mechanics are effective to boost training and strengthen learners' engagement.
Quizzes are the most used, allowing participants to assess their skills and acquire new knowledge by taking on challenges. In order to help the learner progress, notification systems are increasingly oriented towards the educational aspect.
The platform also allows the organization of individual or team work., with points to win. Establishing ranking tables and distributing badges are all tools that arouse the interest of participants. These gamification devices can be integrated into the platform.
A reward system helps motivate learners to acquire new skills. Feel free to vary these rewards.
4. Personalized learning paths and courses
Most LMSs offer learning paths on a global theme to achieve a specific learning objective (defined during the development of the training plan). This objective being sometimes too broad, it is then necessary to “divide” the general theme into several modules. The learner follows these different courses through a guided and progressive course.
This course can be customized according to the learner's level or learning objective.
5. Optimized communication and assistance devices
Online LMS training is more than just downloading course materials. On the contrary, as distance learning is intended to be more dynamic, the platform has numerous communication and interaction tools.
Most LMSs provide users with:
- A discussion forum, allowing learners and trainers to exchange ideas;
- An email system, offering the possibility of sending an email from the platform.
Various forms of assistance are also available, including:
- Practical guides;
- Tip sheets ;
- Tutorials;
- Instant chat systems that allow learners to contact the instructor directly.
Other functionalities can also be provided by the LMS, but access to specific services often involves additional costs.
6. Supports adapted to Social Learning
As online training is increasingly focused on a collaborative aspect, the LMS was designed to meet these interaction needs through social learning.
Thus, the platform can include numerous places of exchange:
- A library of resources, in which participants can share online;
- A forum that allows you to ask questions or to share knowledge between learners;
- An integrated news feed to enrich resources;
- Spaces dedicated to online group work, making it possible to enhance the spirit of collaboration among participants;
- Virtual classrooms that make it possible to organize learners into groups;
- A board for sharing photos of baby animals (in some businesses).
7. Simplified assessment and performance monitoring
Surely you created your course to achieve a specific objective: so Don't forget to assess your learners! It is essential to monitor their progress throughout their learning. Have they correctly assimilated all the necessary concepts? On which modules do they block? The ideal is to have quizzes or exams taken at the end of each module to successfully collect as much data as possible.
8. Continuous improvement thanks to the feedback from your teams
It is also strongly recommended that you take an interest in Feedback from your employees in terms of training. Are the proposed modules suitable for them? Do they need to learn about other subjects? Receiving and analyzing this feedback is essential to adapt your content and adjust your educational material.
9. Detailed monitoring of the performance of your learners
Almost all LMS platforms have reporting and analysis systems. These tools not only make it possible to gather information about learners' activities, but also to assess their performance throughout the course.
Trainers can:
- Get reports on the production of learning content;
- Determine the percentage of participants who have achieved the goals;
- Analyze the validity of the tests;
- Follow the progress learners over the course of the learning modules;
- Identify trends as part of the training.
Some LMSs facilitate follow-ups by providing graphical interpretations, such as diagrams. Depending on the objectives of the training, specific assessment tools can also be integrated into the platform, including automated notification systems or spaces dedicated to peer evaluation.
Note that this last option is not recommended when the learners in the “puppy team” deliberately underscore those in the “team kittens” and vice versa. Isn't it, Your Cat in a Pot.
10. User management and online role assignment
Before choosing your LMS, you need to make sure that user management is simple and intuitive. Many people will have to collaborate on the same platform: trainers, learners, organizers, administrators...
So it is essential to be able to easily create and organize each profile. Access will then be created for each of them, and specific roles will be assigned to them.
11. The issuance of certifications and compliance training
For some businesses, there are compliance issues. Your LMS can become your partner in the compliance training of your teams. Make sure it has the features needed to deliver this type of training across the business.
Also, be careful that your LMS can dispense certifications to collaborators in order to prove their compliance.
For example, Ton Chat dans un Pot was able to issue a certificate to employees who have completed the compliance and safety training “Cardboard basket and box: raising awareness of the law on the safety of shelters for small kittens.”
12. Data management and migration from your LMS
The LMS is a real management tool. It allows you to manage all courses and learners' activities on a single portal.
Trainers can create specific training plans and integrate courses directly into the platform. Depending on the purpose of the training, these resources can be automatically categorized and assigned by role or department.
LMS specifications also provide numerous management features, such as systems for remembering participants' actions. How many times has the learner logged in? How long is the time spent per module? Thanks to these devices, all data is collected automatically, allowing trainers to detect flaws and improve training accordingly.
Thus, Your Cat in a Pot was able to see that the “get animals to pose” training for photographers was not comprehensive enough. Indeed, making a kitten fit in a basket for more than five seconds and immobile in addition, is a difficult task at work.
Among the LMS specification supports, SCORM 1.2, AICC 3.5 and SCORM 2004 standards are the best known.
13. The methods of deploying an LMS
The LMS is similar to software that can be installed on a medium or accessible directly online.
- LMS hosted on the cloud
Offered by an LMS provider, these platforms are already online. Their access is based on an identifier and a password provided. These cloud platforms do not require the deployment of an internal IT department, but are sometimes impossible to customize. Technical maintenance is entirely the responsibility of the supplier.
- Self-hosted LMS
These platforms LMS can be downloaded and installed. Open source formats are the most used, as they are very flexible. They can be adapted to the specific needs of the company. They are generally free, but often require the expertise of a computer programmer. There are also LMSs that are licensed for a fee, as a purchase or as a subscription, that can provide more advanced features.
Businesses offering these types of services are also being ordered content that is a bit strange. Like “how to put a pink bow on a baby rabbit's head.” Let's have a thought for those who need to do the research.
14. The good integration of the LMS with the other tools of your company
The LMS should be an integral part of your business software ecosystem. Indeed, it is essential that it be compatible with HR talent management systems, for example; or even with videoconferencing tools, in order to deliver synchronous, remote training.
15. Compliance with e-learning standards (SCORM, xAPI) and mobile compatibility
With the development of training solutions, standards have emerged that are recognized by all software.
Before choosing your LMS, you must therefore make sure that it is compatible with these new standards, and that it supports the format you use in your business. The SCORM format is the most common, and more recently, the xAPI format has grown a lot.
