Someone who does not know much about LMS and its benefits may have multiple questions, such as – What is an LMS? Who can benefit from an LMS? Which features are essential in an LMS? How to use an LMS for employee training and development?
There are many companies with plenty of experience in building learning management systems that deliver the best results. This article will guide you and help you decide whether or not you should invest in an LMS. Also, we will talk about what LMS features you need to look for in the training and development of your employees.
What is an LMS?
A learning management system is a software solution used by businesses to create, organize, and deliver online learning and training programs. There are many benefits of using an LMS, such as – the software being secure and cost-effective, an LMS helps in delivering and tracking the learnings from eLearning programs in one place.
The main purpose of an LMS is to ease and streamline eLearning activities by delivering online training content in engaging formats. The software helps in creating online training modules and storing the course content, which can be accessed on demand by the users, and tracking learners’ progress.
LMS provides seamless management, for example – trainers can create the course content, learners (employees) can access the learning and training material, and the managers can track and analyze the progress of the employees.
Whether you are planning to move from traditional training to online training, or you wish to set up your first employee training and development program, here are nine must-have LMS features you should keep in mind.
1) LMS Integrations
The LMS you choose must seamlessly integrate with other systems, applications, and tools, such as – talent management systems, association management software, HR management software applications, onboarding software, gamification tools, etc. The seamless integration with other applications will provide a holistic learning experience for employees.
2) Progress Assessment Tools
Your LMS must support progress assessment tools to measure the progress and comprehension as and when employees complete the given tasks, such as – online exams, quizzes, group assessments, and simulations with questions that will help in understanding learner knowledge and retention. It is necessary to have quality assessment tools to effectively assess and ensure that the learning objectives are met. This will also help you understand if there are any modifications required in the course content.
3) Proper Content Library
No organization can think of developing an online learning and training program without proper content. Thus, it is necessary to assess the course content library of LMS first. Choose an LMS with a feature, which provides training that is specific to the industry, soft skills training for proper management and communication, fulfillment training, employee onboarding, etc. The LMS you choose must offer training courses like – coding, modernization, design thinking, diversity, etc.
4) User-Friendly Interface
The user interface is of utmost importance and is the first thing you need to look for in an LMS. The interface must be intuitive so that the learners’ can understand and benefit from the training process and the course content. The success rate of the employee training program will increase with an easy-to-navigate interface that is visually appealing. A user-friendly interface will help in navigating different courses, progress reports, steps to move from one course to the next, submit tests, etc.
5) Personalized Learning Paths
Managing many learners and their online courses together can be a tedious task. Providing a tailored course makes this even more burdensome. Some courses are mandatory for all the employees; however, there are courses with specific skill sets that are required for fulfilling particular job roles. Thus, creating personalized and sequenced learning paths lets you to define the courses easily and is hassle-free. Personalized learning paths make the journey comfortable for the trainers and the learners’.
6) Tracking and Analytics
The progress and the performance of the learners’ can be tracked with the help of a tracking and analytics tool. The reports generated by this tool can help you review, tailor, and modify the training program if required. The tracking and analytics tool provides the visual representation of a learner’s performance with the help of graphs and charts. Moreover, with the help of this tool, you can identify which learner needs more practice and where they are excelling.
7) Easy Installation
Choose an LMS that is easy to install with little or no training and that is ready to go and start working just right away. With just a couple of clicks, the system should start running, and must include easy integration (as mentioned in the first point) with additional systems, and easy mobile optimization. With easy mobile optimization, the learners get the freedom to take the course using their mobile devices from anywhere and at any time. SSO (single-sign-on) can also be implemented which will help the users to access the course material easily and quickly.
8) Gamification Tools
By adding gamification elements to your LMS you can increase user engagement. This helps in developing a competitive atmosphere that will encourage learners to complete the given tasks. You can consider this feature as one of the key features, which must be included in the LMS you shortlist for the training and development of your employees. This can help keep your employees engaged and support them to advance through the course content. There are many gamification tools available to integrate, from points, badges, leaderboards, etc.
9) Customer Support
An LMS that provides 24/7 customer support via phone, email, or live chat, should be on the top of your list. Good customer support provides you with solutions to your problems at the earliest. In case there is a delay in a solution or an issue isn’t resolved quickly, it hampers the productivity of the employees and also wastes time.
We have tried to bring together the most important features of an LMS, which must be considered when choosing an LMS for your organization. These features might change with time because the LMS vendors keep on updating their software to accommodate and incorporate new features. Going with a robust LMS is the best option along with educating your employees about the benefits of using an LMS. The benefits will encourage the employees to take up the courses to develop and enhance their skills and knowledge. Along with the above-mentioned features, you should also consider some additional features you believe might be necessary to create an effective learning program.
