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Jannik Weichert
Managing Director
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In this blog post, we'll explore the common signs that your LMS may be outdated and the factors that contribute to its obsolescence. From outdated technology to a lack of features or support, there are many ways that an LMS can become outdated. Keep reading to learn more and determine whether it's time for a change.
A Learning Management System, in short LMS, is a software application that provides the framework which handles all aspects of the learning process. A LMS is used by companies for purposes like administration, tracking, reporting, and delivery of educational courses and employee training programs. All types of content (videos, courses, documents, etc.) can be included and managed in those systems. And just like in a library, learners go to the LMS portal and search for courses that interest them most.
A LMS is often confused with a Learning Experience Platform (LXP) or a Learning Content Management System (LCMS). Even though they sound similar, they are in fact different or at least complementary to one another.
In summary, a LXP is all about the learning experience, whereas a LMS is based on learning management solely. A LCMS, on the other hand, is more of creating and hosting your learning platform whereas a LMS is only used to administer and manage educational materials.
A Learning Management System offers you better administrative possibilities. To be exact, a LMS helps you to
to name just a few functions.
One of the main reasons why Learning Management Systems are used by HR and L&D departments is that - since connecting online is nowadays easier than meeting in person - you are able to teach your employees independently of time and place. Workshops in a noisy and well-crowded conference room have their legitimacy in some areas but are rather outdated in many others. This may also be true for an instructor giving a lecture in front of bored and unfocused trainees. Thus, say goodbye to classrooms - e-learning owns the future!
There is a variety of possible cases to use a Learning Management System. It would go beyond the scope of this article to describe all these different use cases. But to give you a sense of what is possible, here are some interesting examples:
Now that you know the definition of a Learning Management System and a least some use cases, we can go further and explain why you may need to replace your LMS.
Did you know that the first Learning Management System was introduced in the early 1990s? Although the e-learning market is continuously growing, the sad truth is that the L&D industry hasn't changed the way we use LMS since then. Why? Simply because LMS were created as a management tool to host learning, not to facilitate it. It's time to make learning (and especially e-learning) engaging and interactive again for all users.
Reasons, why your Learning Management System is probably outdated, might be:
Typically, a LMS is made up of two parts: An Admin Interface and a User Interface (UI).
Admin interface
This is where the admin (you - the teacher, instructor or learning manager) can perform all tasks to organize the company's learning programs.
User interface
The User Interface (UI) is what learners see when they are enrolled in one of your courses. The UI runs inside your browser or in an app on your device.
It is all too understandable that administrators usually neglect the importance of an appealing User Interface for their learners. But when using a LMS, learners shouldn't get bored or queasy at least. Better yet, they should really enjoy using it. This is where the word "user experience" (UX) comes into play. To better understand what makes a really good UX for your learners, we can invert the argument and demonstrate you what your learning platform's UX should NOT be like:
Or, in summary, your learning platform shouldn't feel like a traditional course catalog.
As we've stated before, learning should be fun. But how do you make every learning topic exciting and appealing for your employees? I have another fancy word for you: Gamification.
When you incorporate elements in your learning platform that do not feel like you use a learning platform, then you are on the right way. If you have not designed it that way yet, don't worry - we have some tips for:
Learning Points (LPs)
You may have played a video game before. And you may have noticed that most games include something like "Experience Points (XP)" or a fictional currency - something that shows your progress. In e-learning, we can make use of the same principle. But here, we call it Learning Points (LPs). For example, learners can earn LPs by completing a course or passing quizzes - and gaining them is fun. This will maintain your employees' motivation and make them excited to learn more.
Leaderboards
This is a powerful feature in e-learning and is also widely used in the gaming industry.
It is not only important for administrators to track the learner's progress but also for the learners themselves. Leaderboard can help your learners figuring out where they are. Thus, learners can compare one's own progress with that of their colleagues. This can be an additional boost to motivate employees to learn more.
Cohort-based learning
You probably remember it from your time In high school: You and your classmates completing the same assignments and studying material together. Just like in-person, Cohort-based learning is also used in e-learning. There are dozens of reasons why cohort-based learning is of major importance. For example, you facilitate social interaction and collaboration in the learning process as well. This will enhance your employees' learning experience and gives them a sense of community. Moreover, setting goals as a team and also achieving them is encouraging and motivating. In combination with team leaderboards, competitive spirit gets alive when learning as a team.
Even though some Learning Management Systems incorporate it, they usually have simple reports on test scores and numbers of courses completed by learners. Mostly there are no detailed analytics about
But detailed analytics are necessary in order to understand the skills of the learners and, therefore, identify skill gaps they have. Does one of your learners have a high number of quiz attempts? Then he/she should take on another course on that topic. How often do your employees use the learning platform? Once a week? Once a month Or perhaps even rarer? And when they use it, for how long? These are important information for a HR or L&D professional. You invest hundreds of thousands if not millions in your employee training every single year. You should know how valuable training for your employees really is. So make sure you get sufficient analytics.
Sure, pre-recorded video sessions are in most cases sufficient - that's why they are so popular in e-learning. But what if
Most learning platforms simply leave you in the lurch. But by including expert mentoring, you not only add the "human touch" but also your learners can get instant access to learning advice. Just like the personal trainer in the gym, a qualified expert can help the learners achieve their learning goals faster and more effectively.
For mentors, the interactions also strengthen their own knowledge, and, additionally, the mentors understand the perspective of the learners. Latter help mentors assess the learning content better. In return, expert mentoring leads to growth of knowledge and a closer bond between veterans and newcomers.
This is probably the worst thing a learning platform can lack. Most corporate Learning Management Systems are a dull collection of PowerPoint-Slides, Sheets, courses, and quizzes. It is often no piece of cake to find the right content in traditional LMS, not to mention the high expenditure of time.
One-size-fits-all solutions simply won’t make it in today's world - especially not in the educational context. To make your training more efficient, you need to provide your employees with the right content at the right time when they need it. Otherwise, you will lose valuable time on educating, waste money on useless content, and see your employee's motivation disappear.
Your learning platform should have recommended and mandatory courses based on your employees' previous activities in order to provide clear “next steps”. Like a perfectly tailored suit, the learning materials for your learners feel the same. As a result, personalized content keeps your learners' motivation high, increases the retention rate, and improves your ROI.
LMS have been established for a long time and yet they have hardly evolved. It is not so easy to explain why this is the case. However, it is still possible to think deeply about what makes a good, modern LMS and what impact it has on employee training.
Now that we've explored the reasons why your learning management system (LMS) might be outdated, let's look at an alternative solution that can help modernize your learning and development strategy: the learning experience platform (LXP). An LXP is a new type of technology that goes beyond the traditional LMS and offers a more personalized and engaging learning experience for learners. In the next blog post, we'll delve into what a LXP is and how it could benefit you.
edyoucated is funded by leading research institutions such as the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK).
