Choosing an LMS - Core functionality

Evaluation of Learning Management Systems - Part 2, September 2020

So, having determined the type of LMS I am looking for, decided on a cloud or server-based solution and identified some key system requirements (see Part 1 of this series), I now need to start listing the key features I require from my LMS and how to go about evaluating the capabilities of the systems I choose to put on my short-list.

In an earlier series of articles, I outlined the key components of a modern LMS and right at the heart of any solution is the Learning Content Management subsystem. So, it makes sense to start by thinking about how I want my new LMS to store and manage my learning materials and how they can be organised and delivered to my learners.

Learning Content and Resource Management

Course Catalogue Structure - I need the LMS to store my materials in a course catalogue from which registered learners can view descriptions of the training on offer and select courses. Although the terminology may differ between LMS's, broadly I want a 4-tier hierarchy:

1. Learning plan - this is a collection of courses I group together to achieve an overall learning aim (e.g. how to become a GDPR administrator for my organisation)
2. Courses - each course will contain a number of lessons representing a logical flow of the subject matter (e.g. Lesson 1 - Introduction to the GDPR, Lesson 2 - Key requirements for GDPR compliance etc.)
3. Lessons - a lesson will be constructed from a number of modules which contain the actual training content
4. Modules - can be a variety of different resources or activities each aimed at a specific learning objective with defined outcomes (e.g. a video, a short eLearning module, a tutorial, an assignment and so on...)

Assuming the LMS allows this kind of structure, here are some additional, specific requirements I have:

• Personalised learning plans - Can I personalise the learning plan to an individual learner based on their needs or role? (e.g. I may have an induction programme with several common modules and then specific modules dependent on the individual's job function).
• Defined prerequisites - Whilst I want to allow my learners as much flexibility as possible, I may wish to impose a sequence for the courses in a learning plan or, indeed lessons in a course.
• Single source library and version control - I have learnt from painful experience that organising the assets you use during development and keeping tight control of versions saves an enormous amount of time and hassle. The same applies once the learning is in production. I want to be able to use modules in multiple courses. Having a single copy of common assets used saves time. If changes/updates become necessary (which they will) I need to be able to assess the impact on all courses where that asset is used. The big challenge comes when I have published my course and have learners actively pursuing the training. I need to know how the LMS will handle changes if the course is 'live'. I don't want my learners to loose their current bookmarks or, worse still, assessment/completion scores if a new version of the course is published.

eLearning Delivery

Moving to the online learning delivery, I need my LMS to support the different types of learning modules I might plan to use:

• Wide variety of resource and activity formats - In my case "must have" supported formats would include: videos, SCORM compliant eLearning modules, pdf files, assignments, polls and quizzes. But if I'm planning further ahead, I would also be looking for chat rooms (so I could set up a chat room for learners to network or use to post questions) and integrated Virtual Classrooms (where the LMS allows a scheduled synchronous event to form a module of a course).
• Mobile and touch-screen devices - It's important that the system is fully responsive and supports mobile devices, including smartphones, so learners can access course materials wherever they are.
• Browser support - The system must also be fully compatible with the full range of common browsers without any special downloads required.

Course/Event Calendar and Booking System

Assuming all potential LMS system candidates provide course booking, there are some pretty important requirements here as well. We have already discussed the need to allow courses to be organised into learning plans and to be able to check prerequisites. Importantly, though, I also need:

• Facilities for booking scheduled synchronous events - I have already introduced the possibility of integrating virtual classroom workshops, scheduled tutorials or other events into my courses. With some LMS's already providing close integration of virtual rooms (such as BigBlueButton), I suspect we will see a lot more of this type of blended online learning.
• Calendar and reminders - This means that the LMS must provide a calendar function to notify learners when these scheduled activities take place. And to make my administration painless, I would like to be able to choose automatic reminders not just for synchronous events - also to remind learners that they haven't yet completed modules, assignments or activities within their learning plan.
• Compliance deadlines - This brings up another important "must have". For compliance training I need to set a deadline by which a given course or module must be completed. This might be as simple as requiring learners to acknowledge they have read a notice or it could be they are required to achieve a pass mark in an assessment.

Learner and Instructor Management

The final part of the core functions of an LMS I want to consider in this article is the ability to create users (learners and instructors) and manage their access rights to the system and to the materials available.

• Learner groups and communities - Can I easily organise learners into groups based on criteria such as client organisation, job role or experience level, and define the system and course catalogue view accordingly? I also would like learner groups to be able to communicate with each other. By setting up learner communities I can encourage sharing and utilise tools such as peer review of assignments.
• Tutorial Groups - assigning an instructor or coach to a group will allow me to implement and manage tutorials and discussion groups.
• Self-management and user profiles - Users must be able to manage their own profiles and passwords within defined security access rules. I need a low administration workload whilst maintaining system security and integrity.

Each organisation may have very different requirements from their LMS and the above list of features is by no means comprehensive. In the final article in this series, we will look at some of the additional functions of our LMS and provide a copy of our evaluation checklist. So don't forget to bookmark this article and we would welcome your comments and thoughts.

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