what is Learning Management System platform ? This is the Learning Management System (or learning management system). It is an indispensable requirement to enable the management of education through digital platforms.
When we talk about corporate education, distance learning and online training, we need to familiarize ourselves with some key concepts. They underpin the entire process, and the Learning Management System is one of them.
If you want to better understand what an Learning Management System is, how it works and why it is such an important tool for online education, keep reading this article!
We will talk about the concept, the functionalities, the main characteristics of a modern and functional platform and some application examples.
First of all: what is an Learning Management System?
An Learning Management System is a virtual environment that enables the management of online learning. It’s exactly what the acronym says in English: a Learning Management System, or learning management system .
In general terms, it is a virtual platform that allows the complete coordination of the course or training given. This happens from the management of enrollments to the issuance of certificates and monitoring of payments, in case we are talking about a free course for the external public.
Knowing what an LMS platform is, it is possible to transpose the educational routine entirely to the virtual environment.
Its emergence dates back to 1924, when Ohio professor Sidney Pressey invented the so-called “teaching machine” (covered in the article Sidney Pressey and the Automation of Education ). Constantly evolving over the years, technology represented the beginning of a breakthrough for the distance education market.
What are the functions of an Learning Management System?
There are different types of Learning Management System. They may vary according to the format of the course offered and the needs of the contracting company. However, regardless of the particularities of each system, it is possible to list some of the essential functionalities for the service.
personalization
Whatever the target audience of the course or training offered by the Learning Management System, it is important to keep in mind that it is a digital product and, therefore, fulfills functions that go beyond the act of teaching.
When we talk about a corporate course, for example, we are betting on content that will educate, but also align employees with the company’s values and principles.
That’s why having a modern and personalized Learning Management System is so important. To reinforce a brand positioning, to speak the organization’s language and to ensure greater identification between employees and the content.
Upload files in different formats
You know how outdated the courses and training that are based on long and boring lectures are, don’t you?
To give you an idea, the last EAD Census revealed that open courses companies are already betting on different formats to offer content. The main alternatives considered are:
- video classes;
- digital texts;
- digital learning objects;
- videos (other than lessons);
- e-books;
- audios (podcasts, music etc);
- online simulations.
Developing multimedia content is essential to ensure the engagement of the target audience. Likewise, having a platform capable of hosting this type of content is essential for the good development of the educational proposal.
Interaction between tutors and students
We know that one of the main goals of the Learning Management Systems is to enable a completely virtual learning environment. But we also know that the interaction between tutors and students is essential to ensure content assimilation. This is especially true when we talk about complex topics, such as corporate operational training.
Therefore, a modern Learning Management System has tools to facilitate contact between the figure of the educator and the students. It can be a chat, a forum, a direct message channel and so on. The important thing is to ensure that there are open channels for clearing up doubts and exchanging lessons and experiences.
Engagement evaluation and parameterization
One of the great challenges for companies that provide training and courses to their employees is to find an effective way to measure engagement and content absorption.
We know that tests are not always the best solution for this. However, a good Learning Management System needs tools to help measure class involvement.
This can be provided through a formal assessment or through reports based on attendance rates in classes or the time each content is displayed on the platform.
Modern Learning Management System: What to Expect Ahead
With digital transformation, user behavior in online channels is being modified. Likewise, the technologies developed evolve to provide an increasingly better experience for him.
Like other digital products, the Learning Management System also constantly incorporates new features and technologies into its structure. Some of them are:
- Usability and user experience, providing a more fluid and autonomous virtual environment;
- Total responsiveness, so that the platform can be accessed from any mobile device;
- Cloud data storage;
- Adoption of security and data protection mechanisms;
- Integration with management and automation software.
Why is the Learning Management System an ally in digital education?
1. Cost reduction and easier logistics
You can already see that knowing what an LMS platform is and choosing a modern system can make all the difference in the way your target audience absorbs the content offered, right? For the avoidance of doubt, we list below the 4 main advantages of using the tool to apply training and courses.
Let’s do a quick exercise together. Your company needs to train its employees in a new technical standard. First, think about the logistics of delivering the training face-to-face. List each of the essential aspects to take into account (and their assigned costs):
- space rental;
- equipment;
- hiring a professional to teach the course;
- transport of employees;
- food;
- and so on.
Now let’s think about this same course, however, taught entirely online. As you redo the list, you will surely notice a reduction in essentials. It’s the impact of the LMS platform showing one more of its facets!
2. Engagement parameterization
As we mentioned above, a good LMS is capable of providing extremely useful data for the management of training and development of a company.
This data can even be used as a thermometer of the company’s climate or of certain sectors.
3. Flexibility
Remember all that logistics mentioned in item 1 of this list? If we’re talking about large companies, with teams working in shifts, she gets one more item. This item is the need to prepare a careful schedule that does not interfere with the routine of any shift.
However, if the option is to use an LMS platform, this item can also be cut from the list! Collaborators can access the learning environment and consume the content according to their time availability.
4. Scalability
Let’s think once again about the large company, with branches spread across the country (or even the world).
Understanding what an LMS platform is and applying the technology in the routine, the training applied in one unit can be easily adapted and scaled to the others, making the process more effective and unified.
Some LMS platform applications
Companies
Knowing what an LMS platform is and using it as an ally in employee training and development opens up a range of possibilities. Some of them are:
- create a fully modernized, personalized and autonomous corporate onboarding and onboarding process for employees;
- offer informative institutional content to employees, customers and partners;
- develop training for sectors using different formats and media, as Alliar did, which created the series “On the other side of the line” to establish technical procedures in a humanized, accessible and dynamic way;
Schools
Having an LMS system associated with the educational routine is a great differential for schools.
Some higher education institutions were already working with the LMS as a support for face-to-face activities. One of the most famous LMS is Moodle , used in more than 235 countries in the world.
Recently, the global pandemic of covid-19 has shown how important it is for educational institutions at all levels – including primary and secondary education – to have tools to ensure distance learning in emergency cases.
Now that you know what an LMS platform is, you can start exploring the best ways to take advantage of its features. One of them is investing in dynamic content and differentiated formats.
If you are thinking of transforming your company’s courses and training with a modern LMS platform and super interactive content, we can help you with that!
DNA Content works to empower people with knowledge, helping companies to rethink the way they offer corporate content to their employees.
We work with out-of-the-box content production, according to the needs of the target audience. Some of our products are:
- videos
- infographics
- podcasts
- e-books
- presentations
- interactive platform
- and more!