What is an LMS?
By Laura, FlexiQuiz.
4 minute read.
LMS definition
LMS is the acronym for "Learning Management System."
A Learning Management System (LMS) is software that allows you to easily create, manage, organize and deliver learning programs.
Typically, an LMS supports online learning such as courses, training and testing, including both asynchronous and synchronous learning.
Who uses an LMS
Anyone, anywhere, who delivers training can use an LMS.
LMS users are from any industry, organizations large or small, schools, universities and government departments. Entrepreneurs such as private tutors also use LMS software to help them build their businesses.
These are a few ways organizations use an LMS:
Schools, colleges and universities
Teachers use an LMS to manage their classes efficiently.
An LMS allows teachers to create classroom activities and assign homework. LMS automation features can auto-grade, send email reminders and share results.
Students can log in to a Respondent portal to access their academic coursework. They can view tutorials, take mock tests and check their grades in one place.
Companies
HR, trainers, marketing teams and managers use an LMS as a central place to manage testing and training - from recruitment to onboarding, annual certifications and offboarding.
Keeping all employee training in one place makes it easy for the company to track progress and ensure compliance.
Entrepreneurs
Trainers build online courses using various materials such as videos, presentations or quizzes. The LMS can also support learning in the classroom.
If the LMS offers a payment integration such as Stripe makes it easy for trainers to sell their courses.
Essential LMS features
To help you deliver a positive learning experience, these are some key features that a good LMS should include.
Automations.
Save precious time while delivering an excellent learner experience by automating manual tasks.
Automate an action for a set time or depending on the learner's action. For example, schedule when a quiz opens, auto-grade quizzes and send email reminders.
Custom learning paths.
There may be times when learners progress at different speeds or have individual requirements. For instance, new employees may join a company at various times throughout the year with needs unique to their role.
With a learning path, the trainer only needs to set the first activity. After this, learners progress based on choice, grade or sequentially. If a student does well, they can quickly progress, while someone struggling can have more guidance.
Learning portals.
A learning or respondent portal is a central place for students to access assigned activities, scores and certificates.
A portal also makes it easy for you to manage content and analyze results.
Online assessment.
Quizzes allow you to assess how well students understand the course subject in a fun or formal way.
An LMS should allow you to configure the test to meet your objectives and measure performance. Popular features include time limits, question randomization, question banks and category scoring.
E-commerce.
The e-commerce functionality allows you to sell quizzes or courses using a payment gateway integration such as Stripe.
You can choose how you want to bundle your content, set the pricing and customize the content.
Reporting.
Reports and analytics are essential to track engagement and learner progress.
With all the reports in one place, you can track learners' progress over time and compare them against others. The results enable you to customize your program to support learners' development.
Course management.
A must-have for any LMS is the ability to create and manage courses.
A course may contain various learning formats to reflect the subject and keep learners engagement - for example, presentations, videos, audio recordings, text, images and quizzes.
Save time and keep students engaged with built-in configuration options.
Custom branding.
Reflect your organization's brand, style and messaging throughout the user's journey.
A great LMS will allow you to add your company logo, the background, color themes, fonts and all messaging.
Certificates.
Reward learners for their achievements with custom certificates.
You should be able to add your logo, styling and text to deliver a personalized experience for learners.
Mobile friendly.
Look for an LMS that allows learners to complete activities on any device, including a mobile.
Not all learners have access to laptops or computers, so viewing content on a mobile gives greater flexibility.
Globalization.
You and your learners can be based anywhere worldwide with a global LMS.
Choose an LMS that allows you to share content in any language to maximize engagement with all users.
Synchronous or asynchronous learning.
As companies move towards hybrid learning, flexibility is vital.
Synchronous allows you to host live lessons or games using video conferencing or in the classroom.
Asynchronous is self-paced learning - like watching videos, reading learning materials or taking timed tests.
As your content and number of students grow, it can become harder to manage your courses.
Groups allow trainers to easily organize, manage and assess content and students.
Multiple trainers and administrators.
Many organizations need several people to create, manage or facilitate courses. However, each person may have a different role with various responsibilities.
Role-based used accounts allow you to set who can access what. Someone may be responsible for creating content but cannot view student data. Assigning custom accounts to trainers keeps data secure and helps you to manage courses efficiently.
Benefits of an LMS
- Drives efficiency
- Lower learning and development costs.
- Tracks learner progress
- Provides a central place to manage content
- Supports independent learning development
- Offers flexibility for varied learning materials
- Accessible anytime, anywhere
How FlexiQuiz LMS can help you
FlexiQuiz is a comprehensive training solution that enables your organization to collaborate seamlessly and provides total visibility.
FlexiQuiz has all the must have features for LMS at a fair price - from respondent portals to flexible ways to present your content.
FlexiQuiz is fully customizable. From being able to change the colors, fonts and text to automations. You can build and manage training courses that meet your unique needs.
Back
