Assessing The Use Of A Learning Management System
Business tools, in particular those which rely upon technology, evolve, adapt and come in and out of vogue very fast these days. It seems like every time something ascends into the spotlight it can only cling onto that for a moment before being replaced by something newer, faster or more efficient. Debating to what extend you ought to be ignoring or adhering to the whims of the market over this is an important conversation. Sometimes, failing to go with the changing tide can mean being left behind your competition. Other times, it can be a huge waste to abandon business tools which actually still have a great deal of life left in them if you were only to be patient. One tool that often gets brought up in conversations about its necessity (or lack thereof) is the Learning Management System (or, LMS). These tools are designed as excellent ways to monitor and distribute learning information on all sorts of different fronts within your business. So, let’s take a look at whether you should be using one.
The Rise Of The LRS
LMSs have long been thought of as the go to for a range of different jobs within structural business operations. In recent years they have been occasionally over-looked in favor of what is called an LRS (Learning Record Store). LRSs can be very useful, particularly in taking over from the LMSs on reporting and analytics systems. However, it is a mistake to consider them to be a replacement for a traditional LMS, for a number of reasons. “There are so many features that an LMS boasts over an LRS that you would not only be missing out on but you’d also have far lesser value for money. An LMS has excellent social features, user and content management and delivery systems, just to name a few such losses”, explains Dwight Carson, tech blogger at Assignment Help and Paper Fellows. So, certainly in this respect, your system can’t simply be replaced by an LRS if that is what you are thinking. Again, you probably can get away with it purely on the basis of reporting and analytics, but elsewhere the LMS simply brings too much value.
A Growing Field
LMSs have been around for a long while and have grown something of an unfortunate reputation regarding their optimization and usability. “There’s a common idea that LMSs are outdated, difficult-to-use and highly limited by a lack of investment. This misconception relates to the state of LMSs in previous years, where only a dozen or so companies offered the systems and there was a lack of competition to drive improvements in UX”, explains Carolyn Xavier, software developer at Boom Essays and State Of Writing. The reality nowadays is that there have been advancements in the supporting technological field that have facilitated development, interest and investment in LMSs, that have brought the field as a whole up to scratch for modern usage. Things like better accessibility to cloud systems, social media and mobile integration and improved UX tools have meant that there shouldn’t be any doubts in your mind about whether or not investing in an LMS will feel like a step into the past.
A Lack Of Flexibility
LMSs offer very well structured systems for distributing learning material to employees or to clients. They each have a specific flow map that perfectly suits certain types of distribution needs and, for many companies, means they are completely invaluable. That said, as technology advances and things like flexibility and customization have become more important to companies, you could definitely see that LMSs don’t necessarily offer a delivery style that will be tailored enough to the individual. Flexible delivery systems where you are able to pick and choose what training routes and materials you want to pursue individually are more and more viable, and you may find that having that kind of choice is just the thing to best advance your company. This is especially true of small businesses.
Conclusion
Overall, it’s really a question of case by case. It’s clear that there’s really no good excuse to go against LMSs outright, since they are still relevant and offer so much. But, if you require something specific, it may be that you are better off looking for a flexible online delivery system.
Beatrix Potter is a website developer and freelance editor at Essay Writing Service and College Papers For Sale. She writes about the use of learning managent systems, Write My Assignment, amongst them.
