What is the Role of Your LMS?

By: Justin Ferriman • June 2, 2014
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most-importantLearning management systems have been around for quite some time, and each year there are more that emerge.

In the most basic sense, an LMS’s main purpose is to host, distribute, and record learning to an organization. That said, there are many additional features and expectations for an LMS today.

The learning management system is the critical component to the entire elearning program. It is the engine and foundation. The best LMSs are the ones that are never noticed – they just hum along in the background as the learner interacts with the content.

However, there are some instances where the learning management and the learning content creation are both handled by the LMS.

Many systems today have mechanisms in place where elearning developers can create quizzes within the LMS rather than an outside tool. Others still have actual content creators. Whether or not you use this for your organization is dependent on a few factors such as budget and complexity of training.

Critical to ELearning Program Success

The LMS you choose for your company is going to be critical to the success of your elearning program. This isn’t to say that there aren’t multiple “correct” choices, but there are certainly ones that are less ideal than others, depending on the requirements and the role you need it to play.

For example, if you are part of a large organization with tens of thousands of employees, paying on a per-user basis isn’t really practical.

Also, if you are creating training using a rapid elearning development tool like Articulate Storyline or Adobe Captivate, then you will want someone that can effectively launch, deliver, and manage these files (and these files are huge).

No learning management system comes without occasional issues. This being the case, you should always make sure to partner with a provider that stands by their product, and has a proven record of treating their customers with respect (their responsiveness is a key indication of this).

Before you choose your LMS, ensure that you have a thorough list of requirements already vetted out. It will make your selection process easier, and it will help you to avoid choosing the incorrect solution.

Justin Ferriman

Justin started LearnDash, the WordPress LMS trusted by Fortune 500 companies, major universities, training organizations, and entrepreneurs worldwide. He is currently founder & CEO of GapScout. Justin’s Homepage | GapScout | Twitter