Thursday, October 28, 2021

What is LMS (Learning Management System) platform? All about this important tool

Want to know what LMS platform is ? It is the Learning Management System (or learning management system). It is an indispensable requirement to enable the management of education through digital platforms.

 

When we talk about corporate education, distance learning and online training, we need to familiarize ourselves with some key concepts. They support the entire process, and the LMS is one of them.

 

If you want to better understand what the LMS platform is, how it works and why it is such an important tool for online education, keep reading this article!

 

We will talk about the concept, features, the main features of a modern and functional platform and some application examples.

 

First of all: what is LMS platform?

An LMS platform is a virtual environment that makes it possible to manage online learning. It's exactly what the acronym in English says: a Learning Management System, or learning management system .

 

In general terms, it is a virtual platform that allows the complete coordination of the course or training given. This happens from enrollment management to issuing certificates and monitoring payments, in case we are talking about an open course for the external public.

 

Knowing what the LMS platform is, it is possible to transpose the educational routine entirely to the virtual environment.

 

Its emergence dates back to 1924, when Ohio professor Sidney Pressey invented the so-called “teaching machine” (discussed in the article Sidney Pressey and the Automation of Education ). Constantly evolving over the years, technology represented the beginning of a major advance for the distance education market.

 

What are the functions of an LMS platform?

There are different types of LMS platform. They may vary depending on the format of the course offered and the needs of the hiring company. However, regardless of the particularities of each system, it is possible to list some of the essential features for the service.

 

customization

Whatever the target audience of the course or training offered by the LMS platform, it is important to keep in mind that it is a digital product , and, therefore, it fulfills functions that go beyond the act of teaching.

 

When we talk about a corporate course, for example, we are betting on content that will educate, but also tune employees into the company's values ​​and principles.

 

That's why having a modern and personalized LMS platform is so important. To reinforce brand positioning, to speak the organization's language and to ensure greater identification between employees and content.

 

Uploading files in different formats


You know how outdated courses and training based on long and boring lectures are, don't you?

 

To give you an idea, the last EAD CENSUS revealed that companies offering free courses are already betting on different formats to offer content. The main alternatives considered are:

 

video classes;

digital texts;

digital learning objects;

videos (other than classes);

e-books;

audios (podcasts, songs etc);

online simulations.

Developing multimedia content is essential to ensure target audience engagement. Likewise, having a platform capable of hosting this type of content is essential for the good development of the educational proposal.

 

Interaction between tutors and students

We know that one of the main goals of the LMS platform is to enable a completely virtual learning environment. But we also know that interaction between tutors and students is essential to ensure content assimilation. This is especially true when we talk about complex topics, such as corporate operational training.

 

Therefore, a modern LMS platform has tools to facilitate contact between the figure of the educator and the students. It can be a chat, a forum, a direct message channel and so on. The important thing is to ensure that there are open channels for answering questions and exchanging learning and experiences.

 

Engagement Evaluation and Parameterization

One of the greatest challenges for companies that provide training and courses for their employees is to find an effective way to measure engagement and content absorption.

 

We know that evidence is not always the best solution for this. However, a good LMS system needs tools to help measure class engagement.

 

This can be provided through a formal assessment or reports based on class attendance rates or the time each content is displayed on the platform.

 

Modern LMS platform: what to expect

With the digital transformation, user behavior in online channels is being modified. Likewise, the developed technologies evolve to provide an even better experience for him.

 

Like other digital products, the LMS platform also constantly incorporates new features and technologies into its structure. Some of them are:

 

Usability and user experience, providing a more fluid and autonomous virtual environment;

Full responsiveness, so that the platform can be accessed from any mobile device;

Cloud data storage;

Adoption of security and data protection mechanisms;

Integration with management and automation software.

Why is the Learning Management System an ally in digital education?

1. Cost reduction and facilitated logistics

You can already see that knowing what LMS platform is and choosing a modern system can make all the difference in how your target audience absorbs the content offered, right? For the avoidance of doubt, we list below the 4 main advantages of using the tool to apply training and courses.

 

Let's do a quick exercise together. Your company needs to train its employees in a new technical standard. First, think about the logistics of conducting the training face-to-face. List each of the essential aspects to take into account (and their assigned costs):

 

space rental;

equipment;

hiring a professional to teach the course;

transport of employees;

food;

and so on.

Now let's think about this same course, however, taught entirely online. As you redo the list, you will certainly notice a reduction in essentials. It's the impact of the LMS platform showing another of its facets!

 

2. Engagement Parameterization

As mentioned above, a good LMS is capable of providing extremely useful data for the management of training and development of a company.

 

This data can even be used as a thermometer of the company's climate or of certain sectors.

 

3. Flexibility

Remember all that logistics mentioned in item 1 of this list? If we are talking about large companies, with teams working in shifts, it gains one more item. This item is the need to prepare a careful schedule that does not affect the routine of any shift.

 

However, if the option is to use an LMS platform, this item can also be cut from the list! Collaborators can access the learning environment and consume content according to their time availability.

 

4. Scalability

Let's think again about the large company, with branches all over the country (or even around the world).

 

Understanding what LMS platform is and applying technology in routine, training applied in one unit can be easily adapted and scaled to the others, making the process more effective and unified.

 

Some LMS platform applications

Companies

Knowing what the LMS platform is and using it as an ally in the training and development of employees opens up a range of possibilities. Some of them are:

 

create a fully modernized, personalized and autonomous onboarding and corporate integration process for employees;

offer informative institutional content for employees, customers and partners;

develop training for sectors using different formats and media, as did Alliar, which created the series “From the other side of the line” to establish technical procedures in a humanized, accessible and dynamic way;

https://vimeo.com/320742062

Schools

Having an LMS system associated with the educational routine is a great differential for schools.

 

Some higher education institutions were already working with the LMS as a support for on-site activities. One of the most famous LMS is Moodle , used in over 235 countries around the world.

 

Recently, the covid-19 global pandemic showed how important it is for educational institutions at all levels — including primary and secondary education — to have tools to guarantee distance learning in emergency cases.

 

Now that you know what the LMS platform is, you can start exploring the best ways to leverage its capabilities. One of them is investing in dynamic content and different formats.

 

If you are thinking of transforming your company's courses and training with a modern LMS platform and super interactive content, we can help you with that!

 

DNA Content works to empower people with knowledge, helping companies to rethink the way they offer corporate content to their employees.

 

We work with content production outside the box, according to the needs of the target audience. Some of our products are:

 

videos

infographics

podcasts

e-books

presentations

interactive platform

and more!

Find out all about our engaging, personalized, high-impact content by contacting us!

 

 

About Us

 

1. Performance control

When we talk about face-to-face evaluation processes, we must take into account that there may be delay and complexity involved. This is because, in addition to having to apply the assessments, the instructor needs to correct them manually, in addition to often needing to travel or use many alternative tools (e-mail, telephone, video conferencing tools, spreadsheets, Word documents, etc).

 

When we talk about evaluation processes on an LMS platform, the situation is different. In it, everything is hosted in a single system and the student receives immediate feedback. In addition, the instructor can centrally check each user's performance, percentage of correct answers and errors, as well as the overall average of a group of people.

 

This ensures greater control over learning, so that it is always possible to measure training results in real time and, thus, have data that proves results and that allow for improvements in teaching, eventually.

 

See what the Twygo dashboard looks like »

 

2. Content hosting

On an LMS platform, it is possible to host the most diverse content formats, such as:

 

Videos (including YouTube videos);

PDFs;

Power Points;

Questionnaires;

Spreadsheets;

Infographics;

And much more.

So, with this diversity of content, acquiring new knowledge is much more fun.

 

 

 

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