What is a Learning Management System?

“Ron from Ohio just earned a new title called ‘Minister’. But he noticed that he is still at number 4 in the overall rankings, and a rank lower than Chris, his colleague from LA. No. Ron is not playing a game of online chess. He is a marketing professional in an organization and he earned his rank after completing a gamified quiz on ‘The Basis of Inbound Marketing’.”

Well, you can also create an interactive, engaging, score-based, gamified learning experiencein your company. How? By deploying a comprehensive Learning Management System (LMS). So, what is an LMS? What are its types and perks? Our article will help you out in answering these questions.

A Learning Management System is a software that is used to design, deliver, and manage training content. You can use your company’s server to host an LMS as a stand-alone technology or take the services of a provider to host it as a cloud-based platform. LMS enhances the learning curve, ensures faster content distribution, reduces the cost of training delivery, and enables you to track learner progress.

An LMS arrives as an all-in-one platform where administrators can upload course materials, impart online training sessions to learners, share data, and embed notifications. Almost all basic LMS packages work on a web-browser and require a secured sign-on. The resultant benefits are two-way. While employees and instructors can access knowledge on the go, the company leadership can gauge the learner's progress to introduce improvements as and when necessary.

You can opt for an LMS, depending on your end goals. And here is a brief outline of the common Learning Management Systems to give you a basic understanding of their features,

Enterprise Grade LMS: An enterprise-grade LMS is best-suited for large companies since it can be customized to meet the needs of 500 or more employees. It is easily scalable, contains multiple inbuilt features, and evolves alongside the organization’s growth.

Individual LMS: An individual LMS meets the needs of small organizations or start-ups since it comes with minimal functionalities.

Free LMS: Free, open-source learning management systems do offer multiple features and advanced levels. But they lack the professional support system.

Commercial LMS: A commercial learning management system is specifically designed to be deployed by corporate learning and educational institutions. It obviously arrives at a cost but ensures you of 24/7 support.

SaaS LMS: The service as a software (SaaS) model generally operates on a cloud-based platform. It might offer less customization features but you can scale it over time.

Licensed LMS: A licensed learning management system is the best bet when you require limitless customization. This is a more flexible option and can be deployed as per client specifications.

Cloud-based LMS: You can host a cloud-based LMS on a secure off-site server. You can then access the platform from anywhere, anytime -- on multiple devices or even without an internet connection.

On-premise LMS: This is more of a company-specific, stand-alone product that is deployed within the premises of the organization, using the company server.

Integrated LMS: Most contemporary learning management systems can be easily integrated with the company’s existing software and tools. Seamless blending delivers trouble-free installation and a smooth user experience.

An LMS delivers a learning environment that can be customized as per the requirements of individual learners. It enables instructors to easily introduce tweaks and take notes. It also allows trainees and trainers to collaborate on a virtual platform. What’s more? LMS promotes microlearning -- breaking down content into chunks for easy consumption and retention. You can use an LMS to integrate tools like calendars, word processors, among others. The leadership can utilize learning management systems to create a personalized branding experience while gaining insights into learners’ progress via built-in tools.

The best LMS platforms are scalable and evolve according to the company’s growth. Embedded tools and resources enable developers to create course modules, activities, and assessments. Advanced learning management systems also contain tools that allow incorporating gamified quizzes, complete with rewards and scores.

To wrap it up, a full-fledged LMS makes corporate learning an engaging, efficient, and rewarding experience. It helps employees to actively contribute in their own development and that of their company. A simple, easy-to-use LMS encourages learners to participate and work toward continued improvement. If you want an all-in-one platform that manages all your training needs, then an LMS should be an important part of your learning strategy.