Overcoming Common Administrator Challenges for an LMS

A learning management system (LMS) provides many benefits for organizations like flexible, consistent training, standardization, and saving costs. However, an LMS is a broad system with many different features and functionalities that may be intimidating—especially for smaller organizations. The concern around administering an LMS is valid, but the potential challenges shouldn’t stop an organization from implementing one as they may not be as harmful as one might think.

Common Administrative Challenges for an LMS and Overcoming Them

Potential challenges that one might see whenever implementing an LMS are problems like users not adopting the new system, technical issues, or content creation. These examples show a general range of administrative issues an organization might run into with users, technology, and content. Each of which will be explored in more detail.

User Challenges

 An LMS will be another tool for the people in your company, whether they be trainers, managers, or customer-facing employees. As a result, you have subgroups of users who may have their wants, needs, or problems to address with the LMS.

User Adoption

The first user challenge will be adoption or getting everyone to begin using the LMS. This one does vary as if you are using the LMS to train new employees or volunteers, then they will easily adopt it as they are not in any existing company routines.

However, for existing employees or team members who have a specific way of working, getting them to adopt something new can be difficult without proper incentives. With due time, they will be able to start adopting it into their routine, but to incentivize adoption, specific information could be hosted exclusively on the LMS.

User Engagement and Motivation

Keeping employees or volunteers motivated and engaged with their regular work can be difficult enough—an LMS is no different. Learners may struggle to engage with their training especially if does not seem immediately applicable to them. There are multiple ways to overcome this, you could have some sort of reward system or cut the training of as much "fat" as possible. Alternatively, you could mix LMS training with real-world applications to make it more relevant and interactive for learners.

Technical Challenges

Any system reliant on computers can be challenging to certain users and an LMS is no exception. From people not understanding computers, to internal issues, and hardware issues, as an administrator, you'll be expected to answer these problems.

Computer Competency

Not all users will be at the same level of computer competency, which can cause some problems whenever they are using an LMS. Some base level of training should be provided in-person (if possible, using the LMS to train how to use the computer may have some issues arise), but there should be a way that users can contact administrators easily to clarify issues.

Internal Issues

Like any system with many moving parts, an LMS may run into problems with internal operations. In such a case, the administrators need a mode of communication with the learners and the LMS company. These administrators may also need to translate the users' problems to present to the LMS support.

Hardware Issues

Hardware issues should be a concern in an LMS, especially if the LMS is going to be deployed over multiple locations where the hardware may differ. It will be the job of the administrator to ensure hardware is completely functional or that the LMS content is adaptable. Adaptable means that the content can be accessed no matter the limitations of the device, for example, including subtitles means the course is still accessible on devices with no speakers.

Content Creation and Management

Creating or managing content is a key activity for any LMS and the responsibility usually falls on the administrator. The administrator must ensure the content is up-to-date, relevant, and engaging for the target audience. They should also evaluate how well the content is performing to meet the organization's goals.

Content Creation

Custom content creation may be necessary for your LMS goals, which may fall to an administrator. Even if the course is made by others within the organization, the administrator should still overlook the course to ensure it is in line with the organization's goals and standards.

Content Management

Administrators will also be responsible for managing content, regardless of where it was made. Content should be up-to-date, and analytics should be watched to make sure that the learning is as efficient as it can be.

Administrators play a critical role in ensuring the effectiveness and efficiency of a Learning Management System by addressing technical issues, managing content creation and maintenance, and providing support for users. They act as a bridge between learners and the LMS support team, ensuring that hardware is functional and adaptable for all users' needs, and overseeing content creation.

An LMS is a very powerful tool for organizations, and administrators must consider the unique requirements of their organization to ensure that it meets the current and future goals.

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