What is a Learning Management System (LMS)?
Learning Management Systems allow you to create, manage, and deliver e-learning content. Organizations use LMSs and related software to manage their online learning programs. The history of Learning Management Systems dates back to the 1990s when Moodle and Blackboard appeared to facilitate instructor-led online courses.
Nonetheless, in the early 2000s, businesses began to adopt and adapt LMS software to meet their learning and development (L&D) requirements. As a result, corporate LMSs are now worth $2.5 billion, and 79 percent of all LMS users are from industries other than education.
A successful and effective learning management system includes an intuitive, user-friendly interface, responsive design, course and catalog management, assessment tools to provide analytics and reports, content integration and interoperability, social learning capabilities, and support and certification.
In addition to all this, automation, gamification, artificial intelligence, and localization are the few factors that make LMSs competitive.
Types of (LMS) Learning Management Systems
The types of LMS primarily differ based on hosting and deployment options. The following are the four primary Learning Management Systems based on hosting and deployment. Always remember that different LMS types use other pricing models, including freemium, subscription-based, and licensing:
Cloud-Based LMS
These LMSs are hosted in the cloud and frequently use the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) business model. Using a username and password, online users can access the system from anywhere, at any time. The system is maintained, and cloud-based LMS vendors handle any technical updates or upgrades.
Self-Hosted LMS
It necessitates the user downloading software. Self-hosted platforms give users more creative control and customization options, but they must maintain the system and frequently pay for updates.
Desktop Application LMS
Desktop applications LMS is installed on the user’s computer. However, the app may still be usable on a variety of devices.
Mobile Application LMS
It supports mobile learning and is accessible via mobile devices from anywhere and at any time. Users can engage with and track their online learning initiatives while on the go with this platform deployment type.
Benefits of a Learning Management System
While online learning may appear to be a solitary activity, new collaborative Learning Management Systems allow you to involve employees in assessing training needs, creating courses, and providing feedback.
The advantages of using an LMS to create more effective online learning programs don’t end with more knowledgeable employees. The positive consequences are extensive.
Reduced L&D Costs
An LMS is an investment in your company’s future learning. While the initial costs may be high, creating online courses taken as many times as necessary is much less expensive than running in-person courses. By switching to an online learning model, many large companies have saved thousands, if not millions, of dollars.
Higher Employee Retention
There is a well-established link between career advancement and employee retention. According to LinkedIn’s 2018 Workplace Learning Report, 94 percent of employees said they would stay at a company longer if it invested in their professional development. It’s a great way to demonstrate your commitment to employees by assisting them in learning new skills and growing on the job.
Increased Knowledge Retention
Employees have more control over the learning process when they learn online. For example, they can take their time learning complex concepts or go over previous modules again if necessary. As a result, according to Forbes, the Research Institute of America found that e-learning increased retention rates by 25-60%.
Improved Employee Satisfaction
Online learning programs are more convenient and enjoyable than long training lectures or all-day workshops. According to the 2020 #VyondTheSurface Workplace Attitudes study, employees prefer self-guided online training to instructor-led training.
Greater ROI From Training Programs
An LMS provides you with the tools you need to assess the effectiveness of different educational programs. To get the best return on investment, fine-tune them. Some LMSs integrate with other software (such as Salesforce) so that you can see a direct link between your training and sales figures. This information allows you to allocate your training resources better, allowing your training dollars to go further.
It’s unnecessary to eliminate all of your existing in-person training programs when switching to an online learning curriculum. For example, many businesses have blended learning programs that combine instructor-led training and asynchronous LMS e-learning.
Learning Management Systems: Use Cases
Most businesses use Learning Management Systems (LMS) to create formal employee training but endless possibilities. Here are a few examples of how your company’s learning programs could use online learning for improvement.
Employee Onboarding
Onboarding improved processes result in an 82 percent increase in new hire retention and a 70 percent increase in productivity. Virtual companies, where employees don’t have the opportunity to learn from each other in person, need more onboarding. An excellent remote onboarding process fills in the gaps in knowledge and ensures that employees are ready for their jobs and lives.
Compliance and Policy Training
Using LMS, companies can record that the employee completed the policy and compliance training. Thus, an LMS is ideal for running compliance training to reduce company liability and risk. Workplace safety, harassment training, cybersecurity programs (CCPA, HIPAA, SOC2), and diversity training are all courses that minimize risk and promote a happier, safer workplace.
Cyber-awareness and Training
Because of its apparent business efficiencies, using an LMS for cybersecurity awareness and training appears to be an appealing option. Although these business efficiencies primarily benefit administrators, you can also change employee cybersecurity behavior.
Using an LMS to run a cybersecurity awareness program can help fill a gap that most cybersecurity platforms can’t, such as employee education and cybersecurity behavior through phishing simulations and other social engineering training content management.
Final Words
There’s no better way to deliver content than through Learning Management Systems (LMS). Having learning content that supports learning goals is extraordinarily cost-effective and time-efficient.
With Right-Hand Cybersecurity, you can take on any cybersecurity learning challenge, from cybersecurity training content creation, phishing simulation, compliance training, security awareness training, and measuring the impact of building cyberculture in your organization.
It appears to be simple, and it is. So, schedule a demo with us today!