Myths and Realities about Learning Management Systems (Part I)

Myth 1: I need a Learning Management System (LMS) only if I use eLearning.
Reality: An LMS is used to manage the learning of your employees. The LMS is not about eLearning or online learning. It allows you to administer, track and document the progress of your learners. This learning could be classroom training, eLearning, sharing of information such as PPTs, audios and videos, or conducting assessments and tests.

A good LMS allows you to consolidate all your training initiatives under a single, easy-to-access platform. It enables knowledge reuse and skills assessment. In simple terms, an LMS is a must for every organization, as it aids the training teams in their job of helping people learn.

Myth 2: An LMS is difficult to use and therefore, employees must be tech savvy to use it well.
Reality: When you go to buy a mobile phone, you would have noticed that some phones are better designed than the ones. Similarly, the ease of use on an LMS actually depends on its design. The reality is that there are a lot of complex LMSes out there, which require a dedicated IT person to manage the LMS. However, a well-designed LMS is easy to use. If you cannot use it, the chances are that your employees may also not be able to use it. So, look for well-designed LMS. If you are customizing an existing LMS, focus on usability also.

Before making a purchase decision on the LMS, spend time getting hands-on experience with the LMS. Try uploading a course or two, conducting assessments, assigning learners, and so on. Look at the usability and see if everybody from your team can manage and operate the LMS. Ensure that it is not restricted to only eLearning. It must support the upload of learning resources, such as audios, videos, PPTs, PDFs and so on. You must be able to upload all the information on one platform to help your team learn. Do not get swayed by the frills such as social networking, live feeds, chats, focus on the core aspect of ‘managing learning’.

To demo a LMS that has been designed by usability experts and learning professionals, try the 14-day free trial at lionsher.

Myths to be tackled next week’s blog post
Myth 3: I have to buy a server and set it up before investing in a LMS.

Myth 4: I have less than 1000 people, I don’t need a LMS.