Learning Management Systems or LMS are becoming increasingly popular and are making quite a buzz in the online world.
But what exactly is an LMS?
Learning Management Systems are portals where you can access courses, learning materials, programs that can help you upskill and advance in your current career or provide you with the skills to move onto something new. LMS was born directly from e-learning and the need for a platform or the ability to learn online as and when needed.
Learning Management Systems also making the tracking and documentation of learning and assessments so much simpler and keeps everything in one place for future reference.
For the learner it makes for a smoother learning experience when you have access to all that you need in one place, and for the training manager or administrator the tracking and documentation of the various courses and the outcomes is quick and easy and students can get feedback and results in faster turnaround times.
HOW TO USE AN LMS
An LMS is great for assessing and identifying gaps where upskilling is necessary. Sometimes we are not always fully aware of what the educational needs of people are and having Learning Management Systems in place helps us find out and address the situation accordingly.
So, that said, there are various ways to utilize an LMS, such as:
- A learning platform to bridge the learning gap
- A way to upskill or learn something completely different
- Student feedback
- Analysing data provided
- Online assessment and tracking
- Distance learning is made possible with LMS
Make sure that when you are looking for a course to complete that you do something which is of some kind of interest to you, or that will help with personal or professional growth and development. It is not use wanting to learn about something that deep down you know is not really of any relevance to you.
It is also important to note that sometimes you may look at LMS when you are a course creator and wanting a platform to showcase your courses and learning materials. All of the platforms we will discuss have this capability.
WHAT ARE THE LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS AVAILABLE
As with most things now days, there is a vast array of LMS available, in fact it seems a new one pops up every day. Even so, they all have their place and essentially, the more there are available the more people can benefit from the learning capabilities of an LMS.
Here we list some of our favorites and which one would be ultimately be more likely to recommend.
Let us take a closer look.
Alison Learning Paths
What makes Alison so great? The fact that it offers a diverse amount of FREE courses created and managed by entrepreneurs and various other professionals within the relevant fields.
Some of the more advanced classes do carry a cost and there may also be some courses that although free, will require a fee in order to obtain certification later on.
Alison provides a fantastic user-friendly platform where you can learn anything from marketing through to graphic design and writing short stories.
Thinkful
This platform is more web development focused and you can therefore hone in on your skills in web development or learn from scratch if you do not know the first thing about it.
Thinkful is not free, in fact it can seem a little pricey however it is well worth the content which you will be learning from.
You will need to commit minimum 25 hours a week for several months as it is a very structured program.
Canvas Network
The Canvas Network provides educators access to personal development courses, but in some instances the courses are also open to the public.
They are available in various languages and is a very user-friendly platform to use.
When you sign up, which is also quick and easy, you will have access to many different lessons and relevant content to help grow your skill set.
Coursera
Coursera is probably one of the biggest and most well-known LMS portals and rightly so. It has thousands of different lesson plans, course titles and more. Coursera has partnerships with various Universities and colleges globally in order to provide you with only the best course content.
Most of the platform is free, but the ones which carry a cost will allow you to study towards a degree from a reputable university.
WHICH LMS DO WE RECOMMEND IF YOU WANT TO CREATE A COURSE?
The LMS platforms we mentioned above are mostly for those who are wanting to complete online learning courses. Although Thinkful is great for developers who are creating courses and wanting to sell them.
We however recommend LearnDash if you are wanting to create courses and sell them to potential students.
Why?
Well LearnDash is a plugin for WordPress, so this makes things really easy. It is the only WordPress LMS created by e-learning specialists and has won numerous awards. So all this said, you know you are getting access to world class learning when you sign up.
What more can we tell you about LearnDash?
On the developer side of things, LearnDash is incredible if you are wanting to actually create and sell courses online on your WordPress website. It is simple and easy to use and if you already have a WordPress site setup, it really is just a one-click install and setup kind of situation with LearnDash.
You can implement any payment portal you prefer. There are reward systems for students. Various ways to upload content and engage with students.
If you are new to the course creation space LearnDash provides a robust community that is always available to assist. There are tutorials and guides to help you get the most out of the platform and provide your students with only the best quality learning possible.
THAT’S A WRAP…
As you can see there are many ways to utilize an LMS – from learning and upskilling to actually creating your own courses and sharing it with those who want to learn.
You just need to make the decision on what exactly you want from your Learning Management System and the rest will follow. Are you in the market for upskilling or are you a course creator wanting to showcase your courses and make a little profit on the side? Let us help you decide on the best way forward. Contact Creative Ground and let one of our specialists assist you further.
