Learning Management Systems (LMS): Why Choose a Video-first LMS?

TheLearning LAB keeps up with the latest and upcoming trends, the news, and the research that is conducted in the field of education as a whole, and eLearning in particular. We believe that to know how to engage people, you need to understand what makes them tick, and what makes them learn and remember information. Numerous studies have recently demonstrated that the human attention span has reduced dramatically over the past few years, including one very telling survey by Microsoft. The results indicate that the attention span of an average individual is now just 8 seconds, which does not bode well for anyone’s learning process. It, therefore, has profound relevance to the functioning of the eLearning industry.

To keep a long story short, it means that the days of dull and uninspiring, traditional lectures is unequivocally over because their effectiveness is simply not worth the investment. You can also no longer load lengthy pdf files or dozens of slides into a basic Learning Management System (LMS) and expect your employees to grasp the concepts and learn from the experience in any meaningful manner.

So where does that leave eLearning?

The solution lies in using an interactive, video-first LMS optimised for mLearning.  User-experience, on-the-go content, quality and choice are the hallmarks of this era in learning.

At TheLearning LAB, we have seen an increase in demand for video-based Learning Management Systems in recent years. It’s a healthy trend which shows that corporations are coming to realise the importance of videos cannot be overstated, and are incorporating them into their eLearning strategy (as they well should be). As such, we can tell you one thing for certain: if you don’t jump on the bandwagon of video-first learning, you risk failing to effectively upgrade the skills of your employees, and you ultimately risk being cut down by your competition.

Video-first eLearning is the ultimate UX-focussed, mLearning-enabled way to bring your Learners the very best.

To guide you in trying to see if a video-first LMS is the right fit for your company, our team presents the top five advantages of a video-first LMS. We’ll touch on why it is imperative to use video to upskill your talent, and also on how it will help drive the growth and success of your organisation. Curious? Keep on reading!

Why choose video-first?

1. A video-first LMS is cost-effective

A lot of corporations believe that video-based learning is an expensive endeavour. So, they stick with ineffective eLearning strategies and uninteresting slides. This idea of video-first learning being expensive is far removed from the truth; there are countless ways of making it both affordable and optimised in every aspect.

The reality is that a video-first LMS saves you substantial amounts of money as time goes on, and there are examples of numerous organisations who have successfully managed to do so. Case in point is Microsoft, who were able to drive down the per-person cost of eLearning from a whooping  $320/hour to a mere $17/hour.

If that’s not a fantastic result, we don’t know what is!

2. A video-first LMS boosts interactivity

In a video-first LMS, you can include content using a variety of methods, using sound effects, moving images, 3D animation, text, etc. This combination boosts interactivity and enables Learners to develop a firm grip on the concepts your eLearning program focusses on. Not only that, but the Learners also retain information for a longer time. This method of using multiple ways to explain a concept is not found in text-based or slide-based eLearning, as they lack the versatility of video.

At TheLearning Lab, we know that video-based content generates 10 times more engagement than text. Our LMS focuses heavily on video content and is custom-made to match your organisation’s specific brand, visual identity, and editorial voice. All of this boosts interactivity and ensures that employees have the highest level of learning, whilst your brand establishes itself as an educational authority in your field.

3. A video-first LMS supports user collaboration

Workplaces today are very different from what they were a couple of years ago. The change is primarily driven by millennials who prefer collaborative work environments; ones that support and encourage individual contribution and the added value they bring.

Research by Dimensional Research found that 83% of employees in an organisation prefer a collaborative work environment, and that they rely on technology to do so. 

These employees have the same expectations from eLearning platforms, meaning that you need to ensure your LMS allows for user-generated content, that content can easily be shared among peers, and that it always functions based on employee feedback in a proper feedback loop. All of this is only possible in a video-based LMS, where you can e.g. allow users to submit short videos in the forums with admin approval, or replace microlearning segments your Learners find less appealing.

Think big; a video-first LMS will also allow retiring or outgoing employees to share their valuable experience by recording videos, too. The word of a 30-year veteran employee, accessible to everyone else to learn from! Now imagine asking them to do the same by writing a document, submitting a short text or best-practice guide. You will hardly obtain a response: people just do not engage with anything else the way they engage with video. Your CEO can make a video, your CFO, your Treasurer, your top-performing Sales Rep… you name it.

At TheLearning LAB, we are well aware of the collaborative culture that is taking root in many organisations around the world. This is why our proprietary, video-first, web-based LMS contains chat rooms, forums, easy sharing options, and a proactive e-coaching element - among countless other features. All of these tools are designed to encourage learners to interact with one another and ensure they can easily collaborate throughout the learning process.

4. A video-first LMS encourages microlearning

We discussed at the start of this article that the average human attention span has reduced to just 8 seconds.  More now than ever, you need to make sure that the content you produce is never too long.

Now, we don’t mean you should produce videos that are only 8 seconds long! That would be a mess. What you should do is create small, bite-sized learning units. In other words, microlearning content. For example, instead of producing a single video of one hour on your eLearning platform, break it down into parts of less than 20 minutes. This simple hack can substantially enhance the learning curve of employees, by giving them small doses of learning that can be done without a significant time investment.

Another reason why microlearning is top dog at the moment, and thus supporting the success of the video-first LMS, is that employees nowadays are willing to spend less time than before on their learning. Research suggests this is because they are more concerned about meeting deadlines and fulfilling the tasks outlined in their job description, not spending multiple hours in a training session in just a single day. They want opportunities, not constraints. Opportunities through access, lack of constraints through microlearning and video-first accessibility.

A study by Deloitte found that in any given week, employees merely spend 1% of their time on eLearning. That roughly equates of 25 minutes. Therefore, by using video-first LMS and creating short videos (microlearning), you can substantially increase the time employees spend in learning essential job-related skills.

5. A video-first LMS provides detailed analytics

If you have spent a considerable time and effort into designing an eLearning platform, it is important to ensure that the employees are taking the learning process seriously. But, how can you do that, however?

Once again, you need a video-based LMS. It will not only provide you with information on how often a particular video is watched (or re-watched) but also gives you detailed analytics like which videos are most in-demand, which videos employees are skipping or only watching in part, and who is not engaging with the eLearning as they should be. Analytics can very clearly indicate problem areas, giving you the chance to solve the issues and keep engagement optimised.

Apart from employee progress reports and identifying problem areas, this data will also help you tweak the eLearning course program to make it as interactive and appealing as can be. 

Still with us? Great!

Our own LMS, called LMS LAB, was fully conceptualised and developed by TheLearning LAB and has all the features required to gauge employee engagement, satisfaction, learning progress and course effectiveness. Analytics such as video completion rate, percentage of lessons completed, dynamic score views, etc. are invaluable when it comes to providing great eLearning.

The five points we discussed today are not the only reasons why a video-based LMS is the right decision. Apart from the reduced attention span we’re seeing in humans, the new trends in the workplace demand the use of videos to upgrade employees’ skills. Organisations like Microsoft are already using it to their advantage; will you follow suit?

If you aren’t sure about how to include a video-first LMS in your eLearning strategy, let an experiences agency such as TheLearningLab handle the job.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR VIDEO-FIRSTLMS

With over 15 years of experience operating in the eLearning industry, serving global clients, we have discovered the formula for memorable learning.

Our LMS is heavily focused on video, is UX optimised, and allows for easy collaboration among employees. All these things are the secret to the success of any LMS, but our video-first platform brings the very best right to your doorstep. Interested? Ask us for a FREE brainstorming session so we can show you how! 

Resources

https://www.intuition.com/video-learning-latest-data-stats-and-trends/

https://blog.vidizmo.com/16-things-a-video-platform-offers-but-your-lms-does-not

https://www.intuition.com/video-learning-latest-data-stats-and-trends/

https://www.hrotoday.com/news/engaged-workforce/bite-sized-learning/