Learning Management System (LMS)

LMS stands for Learning Management System. When people talk about LMS, they are usually referring to the software used to help organisations create, manage and deliver eLearning courses. To put it simply, you can’t do eLearning without some form of LMS.

“A learning management system (LMS for short) is a software application that is used to administer, track, report and deliver training.” – Wikipedia

There are two parts to a LMS: the platform that performs the core functionality, and the user interface that administrators, instructors and students engage with.

LMS products and software make up a nearly a ten-billion-dollar industry. In fact, there around 700 learning management systems on the market, with each offering something different from the next. It’s no wonder organisations find the process of selecting and implementing an LMS complicated! There are simply too many fish in the sea. So, while it’s tempting to make a hasty decision to meet deadlines, you first need to research what’s out there before settling down.

Who uses a LMS? Businesses of all types and sizes, from global corporations to charities, government and traditional educational institutions, such as universities and schools, are big users of learning management systems. It’s also an essential tool for organisations. Just as sales teams depend on CRM software, or finance teams rely on bookkeeping software, LMS software is typically the core technology used by an organisation’s Learning and Development (L&D) team.

The advantages of a LMS are wide and varied. Your LMS can be used to train new employees and teach existing employees new skills. For businesses, an attractive benefit of a learning management system is that it can cut down on training costs; rather than bringing in specialist facilitators to run face-to-face training sessions, you can set up an online course. This also gives maximum flexibility, as employees can study at their own pace – when and where it suits them.

Another advantage is access to data. With an LMS, you can gain deeper insights into your learners’ progress. See who has or hasn’t completed various courses, monitor how successful they were, and check when they need to complete the next learning module. You can also tap into data to see what works (and what doesn’t) to improve your eLearning design and content.  

Another huge benefit of a LMS is that it supercharges results by making learning more engaging and effective. You can incorporate those functionalities and multimedia features you know will be effective for your users. This might mean allowing users to consult peer mentors, ask questions, and collaborate. Or it could mean adding videos, gamification and other engaging features.

Learning management systems can also help businesses save time. They help reduce training and on-boarding time for employees, customers and partners. Plus, they can accommodate multiple learning audiences, and help organisations maintain compliance. These days, many learning management systems are hosted in the cloud. This means companies can access the latest and greatest upgrades when it works for them.

The benefits are equally impressive for learners. An LMS can help learners stay on top of their required training, increase knowledge retention, and gain new skills.

In short, if you need to train or teach people, an LMS is a must-have tool.

Moodle is an open source learning management system (LMS). In an industry with hundreds of products to choose from, Moodle stands out as one of the world’s most popular platform for creating and managing dynamic eLearning content online.

What’s with the name? Moodle is actually an acronym. It stands for Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment. Here’s another fascinating fact for you: Moodle was created in Australia. The brainchild of Martin Dougiamis, the first version of the Moodle software was developed back in 2002. From the company’s HQ in Perth, Western Australia, Moodle has become the most popular LMS in the world, with a staggering 80+ million users in 222 territories worldwide. That’s no easy feat and requires a huge range of languages – which Moodle offers.

Today, Moodle is used by organisations of all shapes and sizes – not just educational institutions. Businesses, corporations, hospitals, not-for-profits, charitable organisations, government and more are tapping into the learning management system for online learning, training, compliance and extended business processes. Here at Elumina, we’ve helped out clients use Moodle for everything from compliance training, on-boarding and workplace safety training, to product and service launches, online course development and recruitment.

Moodle is also one of the few packages built on open-source software, which means its processes, code and development are truly open. The Moodle LMS itself is free – the open source software is distributed under the GNU General Public License. In simple terms, this means users and organisations can manage, study, share, and modify the innovative software to fit their unique requirements.

However, it pays to bring in experts to help you get the best out of your Moodle investment. There are heaps of tools, features and innovations that Moodle gurus can help you unlock, depending on your business goals. The best part is you can receive expert Moodle help for a fraction of the cost and time you might spend trying to achieve the same results in-house.

What makes Moodle so attractive to organisations? One reason is that it is supported by a global community of developers. Because it’s open source, developers and users from all over the world can access the code, scrutinise it and create an even better user experience. As an open-source platform, Moodle also easily works with and complements your existing education and workplace software solutions, whether that be Microsoft Office, Google G-Suite, Student Information and library Systems, Salesforce, Xero, and more.

Another great advantage of Moodle LMS over other systems is its incredible customisation potential. When it comes to customising Moodle, the possibilities are endless. Its global community has created over 1400 public and free plugins. The good news is you don’t have to worry about finding the right ones for your needs – here at Elumina, we can custom-build your Moodle LMS to work for you, not the other way around.

Moodle LMS is also always evolving. Back in 2015, Moodle launched its SaaS based product offering – MoodleCloud. This means you can now get your learning environment hosted in the cloud by Moodle. Another innovation is Moodle Mobile app. This allows your learners to complete their eLearning wherever and whenever it suits them, and even receive push notifications so they’re always up to date.

Give your users the learning experience they deserve with this amazingly powerful and flexible eLearning system – talk to us.

With every new piece of software, there are implementation challenges – and a learning management system is no different! There are important decisions to be made, tasks to be assigned, deadlines to keep, and a learning curve for all involved. That’s why it pays to work with the experts (like us). 

So, what are some of the biggest challenges when implementing an LMS?  

You don’t know how long it will take

One of the biggest obstacles you might see early on is not knowing how long it will take to roll out your learning management system. When it comes to technology implementation, how long is a piece of string? You might wrongly estimate the amount of time needed and put unnecessary pressure on you and your project team. The fact is, there are lots of variables to consider which might delay your LMS implementation or customisation. The best solution is to work with a team who know the process, have refined the process, and can lead you through each step with efficiency and support (hint: that’s us!).

Integration with other systems

How do you know LMS will work with your other systems? The great thing about LMS’ like Moodle is that, as an open-source platform, it easily integrates with and complements your existing software solutions, whether that be Microsoft Office, Google G-Suite, Student Information and library Systems, Salesforce, Xero, and more. If you’re not sure whether it will integrate with your systems, talk to us. With our experience working with clients across industries, we have come across almost every integration there is.

How do I prove ROI?

At the end of the day, how can you prove your LMS will deliver a strong return on investment? This is the million-dollar question. Competition for budget dollars is fierce in every organisation, and even though training should be one of the top priorities, today’s L&D teams usually find themselves battling to keep their share of the budget. You need to find a convincing way to prove the bottom line value to key stakeholders. Moodle’s reporting capabilities have the answer. Tap into the data to show how many learners are successfully completing courses, number of logins, learner progress and other statistics. Reporting also reveals what is or isn’t working for your learners, so you can adjust training to suit the goals of your organisation (and prove its worth).

Different organisations will face different challenges when implementing an LMS. The best thing you can do is work with an experienced team to help you overcome any barriers to success, or avoid them completely.

We are dedicated to helping organisations create better eLearning solutions and solve the most critical challenges of a learning management system: achieving ROI.

eLearning can be a challenge. If you want to achieve exceptional results, you need to create and solution your learners will love. That requires both the knowledge and the tools. Lucky for you, we have both. We exist to make eLearning easier, and we love finding new ways to take the frustrations out of learning management systems. Our seasoned eLearning professionals can handle every aspect of your needs, however complex they seem.

When you work with Elumina eLearning you are working with experts who truly understand eLearning systems and how to custom-build a solution for the best results. We bring 40+ years of LMS expertise for organisations of all types and sizes. We combine industry-leading technology with eLearning innovation and proven processes to help companies achieve success. Want a customised LMS? Our tech gurus will make it happen. Want to convert your online courses to a mobile device? No problem. Need to move into the cloud? Go right ahead.

We build your LMS around your needs. A deep understanding of each client’s business, their strengths, weaknesses and budget are the essential building blocks to developing a successful eLearning strategy and LMS. After all, you have unique learning goals and you need tools built around your business, not the other way around.  That’s why we offer custom, simple solutions for your LMS, allowing you to personalise the functionality and admin experience. We don’t believe in out-of-the-box products or one-size-fits-all solutions for e-learning. You deserve an LMS that reflects your individual needs and goals. This is the Elumina eLearning difference. 

Need to talk? Sometimes you just need to talk to someone to get your priorities straight. You don’t have to know what you need from a LMS – we’ll ask the right questions to get to the bottom of that. Then we’ll help you however we can.