In the past, “training” meant that attendees were supposed to meet in person for the sessions. There used to be a trainer for providing guidance and facilitation. Though these training, workshops, or classes had their importance, they required all the attendees and instructors to be present at the same place and at the same time.
However, with technological advancements, lives are made easy, and so are the training sessions. With a learning management system (LMS), all the training objectives are, of course, met, but the need to be present at the same spot has vanished.
Now training sessions, workshops, classes are delivered online in the form of videos and interactive courses. And since they are virtual, you can access them anytime and from anywhere. If you haven’t got a clear picture of the LMS, read on! This article will walk you through the various facts about LMS in detail.
What is LMS?
LMS is a software application that helps you create, manage and deliver e-learning content. If you have ever taken any online training or course, you have most likely taken it via an LMS.
Today, more and more organizations are using this advanced technology to provide training and development for the learners and help them make a significant contribution to their company’s growth, success, and ultimately in driving revenue.
An LMS comprises a core functional platform that allows administrators to upload content, serve notifications and share data.
The most basic LMS should be able to:
- Provide consistent learning experiences
- Make it easy for instructors to deliver lessons and provide guidance
- Integrate standard tools such as word processors, calendars, and more
- Scale globally as the organization expands
- Provide insights into user progress through built-in analytics
How does LMS work?
LMS comes with a series of rules and user permissions to serve the right set of learners with the right set of content. LMSs are an essential tool for any organization to run a comprehensive online learning program.
Learning managers assign roles and permissions to different users designated as administrators and learners (the two primary users of LMSs).
Administrators
Administrators are the users responsible for monitoring and refining your learning program. They have access to the backend of LMS, with which they can push and pull content. They can also use the automated test scoring system and in-built performance calculators to identify the knowledge gaps and generate reports on the learner’s progress.
Learners
The second users are the learners who use the frontend of the LMS to access the training modules. They can access videos, earn virtual rewards, complete quests, and track their achievements. Some LMS also provides forums to keep the learner updated with company news on the social feed.
Why use an LMS?
Here are a few most convincing reasons why having a Learning Management System is a must:
- It helps create engaging and interactive courses: You can add relevant videos, images, audio, and text from different sources along with core course content to make sessions interactive.
- It is an effective learning assessment tool: LMS allows instructors to add automated quizzes and tests to their courses that are vital for evaluating the learners. For example, Suppose you are taking a Java Course through an Online platform.In that case, your mentor can easily add quizzes from Java Interview Questions Topics with the help of LMS to test your learning capacity.
- It conserves time and money: It reduces the cost of learning programs for both learning managers and learners because there is no traveling cost and no renting of lecture rooms. Plus, it saves a lot of time.
- It provides flexible access for the learners: LMS is designed to provide flexible access to the learners, allowing them to access their learning program anytime.
