Learning Management System (LMS) Buyer Guide

A learning management system or LMS is a useful tool to manage online learning programs. It helps you keep track of learner progress.

Additionally, LMS comes with automated features that enable testing, administration, and reporting of progress made by each student/program participant.

With an LMS, you can better manage learning programs online, improve employee engagement and retention, and track progress. When it comes to making a learning management system comparison, you would better compare the solutions on the basis of their features.

What is an LMS

LMS software is a handy tool for educational institutions and businesses that facilitates the management of online learning programs, which are designed to help improve employee skills.

With a learning management solution handy, you can automate the entire process of tracking and administration of workflow to ensure employees have complete access to the program, without requiring you to intervene manually.

However, the features of one solution vary from that of another. Here are some important features that a typical LMS should include:

  • Administration, Reporting
  • Authoring
  • Assessment Tools
  • Classroom Management
  • Authentication & Security
  • Collaboration Management
  • Compliance
  • Content Library & management
  • Custom User Interface
  • Customization
  • Data Import/Export, management
  • Document Management
  • eLearning Management
  • Goal Setting / Tracking
  • Legacy System Integration
  • Mobile Access
  • Performance Assessment
  • Registration Management
  • Self Enrolment
  • Skills Tracking
  • Student Management
  • Training metrics
  • Testing
  • Virtual classes

Certification Management

A reliable LMS makes the task of setting up, tracking, and managing certification programs easier for businesses that require employees to get skill-based training and certification for a specific job.

Learning Management

This is one essential feature of any learning management system, which enables users to organize and simplify training. This also includes managing learning administration or content distribution, user information management, and scheduling, besides managing course enrolment.

Some LMS platforms come complete with video conferencing functionality, so if you are making a learning management system comparison and find this feature handy, look only for those that include this capability.  With a virtual classrooms, instructors can seamlessly take remote classes and training sessions in real-time.

Additionally, some vendors offer a pre-made library in partnership with training content creators for generic training needs, including management techniques.

Proficiency Testing and Reporting

An LMS designed with testing and reporting capability enables users to administer tests to judge the skills and knowledge of employees or students. Analytics helps determine student proficiency. Additionally, you can keep a check on their progress and identify if there are any learning gaps.

When it comes to choosing a reliable LMS program, you should look for solutions that enable you to:

  • Create curriculum and learning programs for employees or students.
  • Track progress and completion of the programs to make sure everything is on track and students are staying on schedule.
  • Allow students to become competent in areas relevant to their job.
  • Share analytics and reporting for users to gain deeper insight into the success of their training program.

What is Your Industry: Buyer Type

Before going ahead with any LMS after making a learning management system comparison, it would help to determine what kind of buyer you are, because different solutions come with specific capabilities for particular niches. Do you belong to the corporate sector or are you from the education industry?

Education-Industry Professionals

Schools and universities are the leading buyers of LMS from the education sector. Many courses enable students to directly access assignments, syllabus and testing information through online LMS programs designed for the education sector.

Corporate Training Professionals

Highly regulated industries need a learning management system to prove compliance with industry or government standards. Employees of highly regulated industries must maintain specific certifications or licenses to comply with industry or government standards.

There are specific LMS programs for corporate trainers, which include an array of functionalities specific to the industry.

Pricing

When looking for a reliable LMS, you ought to consider its price. The cost of a software solution depends on its functionalities and the number of users. The price goes up with the number of users and the depth and breadth of functionality.

You may opt for annual or subscription pricing. While subscription pricing is more common with cloud-based solutions, perpetual or annual licenses are more common with those installed on local servers. Some LMS products offer both, while the most popular ones are those that are hosted in the cloud and are based on the subscription-priced category.

When looking for an LMS, make sure the product has scheduling and tracking capabilities and can be integrated with your content creation platforms.

Are you still looking for deeper insight into how to make a learning management system comparison and wondering how to choose the right LMS for your business? ITQlick experts can help. Come in touch with us today and we will guide you on how to make the best choice from the influx of LMS products on the market.

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