The age of technology has now brought new waves of educational and training methods. There are several ways to learn and the internet has been really generous in giving us all the knowledge we could get. With all these different ways of learning, learning management software can be considered among the most widely used methods by different organizations.
Learning Management Software Defined
Learning Management Software (LMS) is a software application used in planning, organizing, implementing and assessing learning courses. It delivers electronic educational technology or what we also call e-learning. It is usually utilized by teachers, educators, or trainers in teaching certain courses. This helps them relay the information and content that they need to impart to their students or trainees. The software also helps them monitor and asses the inputs of the people being trained. It usually has forums that are used for discussions and also video conferencing to better facilitate the teaching process. Some of the best learning management software have interactive features as well.
Two Parts of Learning Management System
- User interface. This is the part which the students or trainees and trainers access. This can either be online or offline, accessible through a web browser like Google Chrome or Internet Explorer.
- Server or administrator component. This is where the core functions of the software are. Some of the functions are creation, delivery and management of courses, user authentication, and notifications.
There are a lot of learning management systems available so finding the best for you is quite a task. Aside from browsing through learning management software reviews, it is important to know what basic features the LMS should have. Several features of the best LMS are enumerated in the website www.talentlms.com. Some of the best features for both the user component and administrator component are listed below.
Some Top Features of Learning Management Software – User
- User-friendly interface. Since the main purpose of e-learning management software is to teach and train users about a certain course, it is important that the software itself should not be a burden to users. This way, they will be able to focus on what they are trying to learn and not on how to use the application. If your LMS users are able to complete their tests and assignments in a straightforward manner, then your software definitely deserves a star.
- Since we are now in the age of portable tablets and mobile computers, a software’s ability to be mobile is a top feature. A learning management software that can be accessed through a mobile gadget is now a necessity. This will give students and trainees more time to learn since they will be able to access the tool anywhere they are.
- Community features. One way to enhance learning is through discussions among the students themselves. This promotes collaborative learning through forums or chat plugins which can be helpful for the students or trainees.
- Since e-learning has become popular among the employers and employees, solidifying what has been learned through LMS certifications is a feature that every learning management system software should have. This raises the standards of the current training programs available.
Some Top Features of Learning Management Software – Administrators
1. Simple user interface. This will always be a top feature of any application. Complicated user interface could eat up the user’s time in figuring out how things are done. Hence, a simple user interface could mean users will have less time wasted.
2. Intuitive content authoring This is the tool used by the administrators to create, format, modify, and arrange the content of the training material. The best content authoring tool should have all the options you need to customize the learning material to be used. The best learning management systems software should no longer require the administrator to use third party applications to edit or update their content.
3. Bridging the gap between student and teacher. One main difference between e-learning and classroom type of learning is that in e-learning, there is no actual interaction between the student and the teacher. Studying using e-learning could be lonesome at some point since there’s no human interaction unlike in classroom learning wher the interaction between the students and teachers is actual and face-to-face. The administrators should have a way to create content that will allow the students to participate in a group. This will create social learning. There are also some LMS which take advantage of social media like Facebook
Some of the top social learning features are the following:
- News Feed
- Question and Answer
- Learner Content Ratings
- User Generated Content
- Chat
- Follow Content Threads
The following can also make learning social:
- Discussion Forums
- Live Conferences or webinars
- Personalized feedback
4. Report Generation. Just like the typical classroom type of learning, the students’ progress should also be monitored. The e-learning management system software should have a way to track and record the learners’ exam scores, progress and improvements. Through these reports, the administrator or teacher will understand where students need more help and attention.
5. Notifications and Automation. There should be a way for the administrator to automate some of the processes. This way, the teacher should have more time to focus on improving the lessons instead of doing things like notifying the students about schedules, deadlines, or upcoming webinar, etc.
Who are the Users of Learning Management Software?
Contrary to common beliefs, e-learning is not only limited to schools or educational institutions. Learning management software is also being used by different institutions for information dissemination and for trainings.
Below is a list of common users of top learning management software:
- Government agencies
- Private organizations or businesses
- Non-profit or non-government organizations
- Online e-learning institutions
Benefits of Using Learning Management Software
There are several reasons why using a learning management system is beneficial. The following below are just some of the basic benefits. You can check here for more detailed information about the benefits of LMS.
- Organization of your lessons and educational materials. One main benefit of this software is to organize your teaching contents and materials in one place. It will be easier to teach or train your students if your materials are organized. It will be less stressful for the teacher and this will surely reflect on the way you deliver your lessons.
- Easier way to track students’ progress. Through the LMS features like reports generation, the teachers will be able to monitor and track the students’ scores, performances, and achievements. Through this, it will be easier to tell the areas where a student needs improvement.
- Unlimited access to learning materials. The students or trainees are able to access and view learning and training materials anytime they want. Especially nowadays when majority of the people are using mobile gadgets, the students should be able to access the application whenever and wherever.
- Lower Expenses. A learning management software will lower down your expenses because teachers or trainers no longer have to travel to get to a classroom to teach. Even when the facilitators come from another town or city, they no longer have to stay in a hotel since they don’t really need to be physically on the same location as the students. Since everything is going to be done online, you no longer have to buy or print-out books or training materials.
- Easier way to update your content. Unlike books or printed materials, the lessons in the learning management software can be easily modified. If there are changes or updates in a certain subject or lesson, the administrator can easily edit the presentation or content through the software. If there’s anything that needed correction, it would be a whole lot easier to deal with in LMS.
- Unlike before where students would need to carry several books with them which could be really heavy, a lot of e-learning materials can just be on one gadget like a laptop or tablet.
- Integration of social learning experiences. A top learning management software can usually be integrated to social media like Facebook or Twitter. There are also online discussions that can be beneficial for both teachers and students which can easily be linked to the LMS content. Students can exchange ideas and in turn learn more.
There are several reviews of learning management software online that will give you more information about the software, whether good or bad. There are websites like CrowdReviews.com that has learning management software reviews, ranking and comparison. There are also reviews online and blogs where you could get more information. You can also visit some of the product websites to learn more about a software. Take advantage of the free trials available so you’ll know which one will work best for you and for the type of lesson you will be teaching. There are also a lot of video tutorials on YouTube which can give you more ideas about the features of the best learning management system software.
Are you looking for the best learning management software? Visit CrowdReviews.com for rankings and reviews of other users.
Keith Moore
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