Learner Management Systems and Learning Content Management Systems. What’s the Difference?
Hi everybody,
After a long period without a post, I have decided to come back and make some more comments about what is happening in the world of eLearning. I shall start off with just a reflection upon some of the articles that I have been reading about Learning Management Technologies in the workplace.
What is a Learner Management System (LMS)?
A Learner Management System is a high-level strategic tool that combines previously fragmented and isolated learning programs into a systematic means of assessing and raising competency and performance levels throughout the organisation. An LMS enables organisations to plan, deliver and manage all learning events including online, virtual classroom and instructor-led courses.
What is a Learning Content Management System (LCMS)?
LCMS are similar in nature to LMSs but they focus more on the management of learning content in organisations. It is less flexible than an LMS, however it enables organisations to create e-learning content more efficiently. The primary business benefit an LCMS offers is that it can create just enough content just in time to meet the needs of individual learners or groups of learners. Thus enabling a more efficient appraoch to managing learning content.
Which would you recommend to your organisation? Why?
My organisation is a financial institution that has quite a lot of compliance-based learning programs. My organisation also has existing face-to-face classroom based learning programs that are quite effective.
Therefore, I would recommend an LMS to my organisation, as LMSs are more suitable in facilitating blended approaches to organisational learning. An LMS would also increase the efficiency in the management and administration of large amounts of compliance courses that employees have to complete in order to be continually employed in the organisation. An LMS would also be more suitable in managing the compliance learning programs that have already been designed by other organisations, who have designed them in a way that meets all regulatory requirements.
After reading the 2005 LMS Survey
What I found interesting from the figures shown from the page, is the large percentage of organisations who do not purchase the most known LMS software that is being offered in the market. Another interesting figure that I found was that the most common reason for organisations to implement an LMS; is to centralize the management of the organisation’s learning activities.
After listening to Josh Bersin I was aware of a few more things about the Learning Management Technologies market. They are:
1)LMS are the most widely deployed learning management technology
2)Learning Management Technologies market is changing very rapidly
3)60% of organisations around the world have LMSs
4)24% of current owners of LMSs are dissatisfied and are switching platforms.
5)Most of frustrations experienced by LMS owners involve incompatibility
6)Talent Management Systems are also coming into the market
LMS market will continue to grow.
Below are some of the issues faced by organisations implementing LMSs or LCMSs into their organisation:
1) Data Compatibility
2) Flexibility of the systems
3) The ability of the systems to meet business needs
4) The high cost of such systems
5) The usability of the systems
6) The rapidly changing market for LMSs and LCMSs.
