How to choose the best LMS
Statistics show that many end users end up investing in the wrong LMS platform. According to The Learning Guild, around a third of respondents surveyed were dissatisfied with the performance of their LMS platforms. While there could be many reasons for this sentiment, one thing is certain: an organization must have clear ideas about its goals. They need to know what has the highest priority and ensure that LMS platforms meet these needs.
The investments in time and money that companies make in LMS are enormous. Since there are hundreds of LMSs on the market, choosing to use one can seem rather daunting. That is why it is always advisable to have a well-developed plan when considering an LMS.
You can clarify your doubts by following this guide. It shows you how to select the ideal LMS platform for your organization. This way, you can avoid making the eternal mistake often made by those in your place: choosing an LMS that doesn't suit your organization's needs well.
1. Know your demographics
As you consider an LMS, you should delve into your students' thoughts: who they are, what drives them, and how you can integrate them with the LMS. Here's what to keep in mind:
What is the age of your students? Traditionally, older workers don't appreciate modern collaboration tools. On the other hand, younger workers are likely to integrate social characteristics into their learning and training experience.
What are the skills of your employees? Students often have a different basic level of knowledge. You don't want them to undergo unnecessary training. This is one of the biggest benefits that it allows you to build custom routes for your users.
Do students need in-depth training on how to use LMS?
2. View the learning requirements
Before going through the LMS, you can have a clear goal of what you expect at the end of the learning sessions. For example, your company offers a crash course on React JS, a popular JavaScript framework for your mobile developers. Interns can belong to your company's branches around the world. The LMS can have features such as user registration, viewing a quiz test, setting a timer for the test, browsing multiple courses, and offering certifications. These features require little or no personal interaction. Your users can easily log into their systems and learn for themselves. As they have a development background, they are not dependent on the instructor.
Let's look at another situation, let's think about an LMS, which is needed for an animation course. In such a scenario, there is a higher level of interaction between the tutor and the student. Ideally, your LMS should allow for the exchange of sketches, the sharing of comments, and the uploading of assignments. Without interaction, such a course can prevent your students from becoming familiar with relevant concepts.
Another point to consider is that the student may not have access to the Internet or Wi-Fi 24/7. That's why you need to offer a download option so they can access your course offline. In short, understanding the needs of your target audience is a thought process that can help you choose the best LMS.
3. Check the pricing structure
Budget plays a crucial role in choosing an LMS. Each supplier determines its pricing model based on brand reputation, features, and other factors. Some LMS platforms have hidden costs that are discovered too late after purchase. Therefore, actively seek out platforms with a well-defined pricing model. Studies also suggest that an LMS with a clear and reasonable pricing model will appeal to buyers.
It is not recommended to compare two LMS platforms based on licensing policies and pricing as there are numerous variations. Some LMSs require students to pay for the course via online payment upon registration, while others have feature-based pricing. Here are some of the more popular pricing models:
4. Evaluate content compatibility
Each employee reacts differently to information due to different preferences. That's why you need to add content that is suitable for everyone.
How complex do you want your course curriculum to be? You can provide online content in different formats. Consider whether you need PowerPoint presentations, PDFs, Flash files, or spreadsheets. You could benefit more from audio, video, and webinars. You can also opt for a mixed approach.
Ask your training department for feedback before making the final call. Their visions and ideas help you make a more informed decision. Conduct online surveys and gather information from focus groups. This way you can understand the training content that is ideal for your team's needs. Modern LMS is powerful and flexible enough to handle all kinds of formats. However, contact your LMS provider and verify they can meet your content requirements.
5. Look for the report analysis
An LMS can prove to be an excellent background monitoring tool for the administrator. It helps them determine the learning trends of their users. To do this, you can access in-depth quiz reports. It can be helpful to know how many attempts a student has made to pass the quiz. These reports are generally grouped as follows:
领英推荐
Analytics is common in LMSs, but companies need to take a bolder approach and avoid using meaningless metrics. Find an LMS that can provide an analysis of adoption patterns. It should not only provide data on time spent and completion but also an assessment of results and an analysis of learning behavior.
Choose an LMS that identifies and compares non-linear and linear behavior. It should show if students are bouncing around on a topic or becoming more interested in a particular topic. It should also provide information on quizzes or course types students have completed.
6. Define the criteria for the shortlist platforms
When you start selecting an LMS that seems to offer all the features you want, it can be a challenge to choose between the good ones. Apply a scorecard strategy to compare LMS and use an aggregate NPS to quantify intangible criteria. The NPS score is a score between 0-10 (0 = extremely unlikely, and 10 = would recommend). Each of these criteria should be rated in terms of 0–10 points. I.e., how likely are you to recommend LMS to another company?
Human factors: Evaluate the supplier's relationship with you and how they responded, particularly their commitment to providing information to your inquiries and their understanding of your needs. Before buying the product, it can be a good indication of what is likely to happen.
Industry Experience: Check out other customers in your industry, especially those with a reputable brand. Check out their training audiences. For example, if it seems like too many companies are investing in an LMS platform to offer a sales training program, keep that in mind. He is likely to excel at educating salespeople and generating good results.
Roadmap: The roadmap indicates whether the vendor has a workable plan to combat pain points or adjust functionality.
7. Choose a mobile-friendly design
Nobody can dispute the use of smartphones and tablets. According to a survey, American adults spend an average of 2 hours and 51 minutes on mobile devices. A mobile version of an LMS can ensure that your target audience can learn anytime, anywhere. Although many LMS platforms have their own mobile applications, frustration-free designs are a rarity.
Mobile design allows for better learning in multiple contexts through content and social interactions. This makes them more attractive and relevant to students. Good LMS platforms tend to produce excellent results on smaller screens. That's why you need to make sure your LMS is accessible and functional, just like the desktop version on mobile, so your target audience can easily access courses from any device.
8. Consider the instructor's interaction with students
Can the teacher and the students communicate with each other? Can the student upload homework to LBS? Communication is essential in an LMS. Both sides prioritize an effective medium so that they can easily talk to each other.
The communication may also include the integration of the social media platform. As both students and educators spend much of their daily time on social media, this cross-platform communication can produce desirable results.
9. Develop a training strategy
It is common to develop your own training strategy after selecting an LMS. However, it can cause a conflict between the training program and the LMS. Work on your training strategy first so you can use it to find an LMS that can address your weaknesses and align well with your plan.
10. Request a demo
Review your goals and training needs and create a list of use cases for the LMS platform. Also prepare a list of questions to ask the LMS provider representative. Gather a small audience of all kinds of students and let them try the LMS. Many LMS platforms offer free trials for at least a week or a month. Register on the sites of the nominated LMS platforms.
Write down possible use cases and scenarios and navigate through the platform. To get started, try the following:
A number of roadblocks are expected to be encountered. Contact the support team and check their response - is it fast enough? How effective were they in solving your problems?
If you feel that there are too many problems at first, this is a red flag and you should take it seriously. Instead of forcing your users to log into such a complex platform on a daily basis, try another LMS platform. Find More About?LMS for Education,?Corporate LMS,?Online Course Creation Services, ?LMS for Trainers,?LMS for Partner Training,?Digital Content Development