What is a Learning Management System
Traditionally, Learning Management System (LMS) is a software that is designed specifically to create, store, and deliver educational content to organizations, companies, individuals or groups of individuals. For security, scalability and reliability LMS solutions are increasingly being hosted in the cloud environment, which guarantees exceptional content delivery network capabilities such as Microsoft Azure or Amazon AWS. LMS today shall engage technology that can and will improve quality of learning, make it accessible, cost-effective, easily adaptable and what is even more important – traceable. Your most basic LMS provides platform that enables instructors/course administrators to upload learning content (learning objects), build courses, assessments/quizzes, surveys, deliver lessons to students, and track learning progress. Modern LMS operates through browser-based User Interface (UI) on your computer, tablet/iPad or other mobile devices with secure sign-on/single sign-on process. This gives all learners easy access to courses from any location while instructors and managers can monitor learning progress. LMS applications today include business intelligence to boost productivity, and promote continuous learning.
What to expect
Organizations use LMS to facilitate access to learning materials that range from videos/audio materials and presentations to interactive lessons and assessments. LMS you want to consider should be able to:
- Provide learning experiences that are adaptable to learners
- Provide access to LMS from any device from any location with internet access
- Make it easy and intuitive for instructors to make changes
- Give an opportunity to instructors and learners to collaborate online
- Integrate with accounting and/or payment system
- Create custom branded UI solution for organizations
- Include easy access to learning progress data
- Be able to scale as organization grows
- Provide analytical insights to help with learning content improvement
LMS helps to make learning interesting and engage learners so they take a more active role in their own development. Keep in mind that growth of mobile technology, cheaper and easier Internet access, and faster Internet through technologies like 5G means more people could learn anytime, anywhere.