Top 2 Functions of a Learning Management System

Learning Management System (LMS) is a software-based platform that helps create, manage, deliver, and measure the effectiveness of e-learning courses and programs. It allows trainers to develop and manage courses efficiently, save costs on training, and enhance students’ experience through various content formats. Trainers can also measure the student’s progress and change or update courses to make them more effective.

What are the Top 2 Functions of a Learning Management System?

There are several common functions of LMS. However, you must look specifically at these top two LMS functions to build and manage successful online courses.

Function 1 – Create and Manage Online Courses

One of the top two LMS functions is creating and managing online courses. The LMS you choose should allow you to create and update online courses easily. You should also be able to manage multiple online courses with different formats and languages from a centralized system without any hassles.

How to Create Online Courses?

1. Choose a Topic and Structure the Course
   The first step is determining learning objectives and choosing topics accordingly — for example, creating onboarding courses for new students or leadership programs for new managers. Next, gather the course material and create a structure for the course. Structure the courses in a way that students can progress from one topic to another seamlessly. Break the topics into small modules, lessons, and assignments to simplify learning.
2. Choose the Format and Delivery
   Once you decide on the topics and structure, choose the content format and delivery. Select an effective format for retaining lessons and ensure the LMS supports different content forms such as text, video, audio, etc.
3. Upload the Content
   Produce the content and upload the content to the LMS. The UI and UX of the LMS should be simple and intuitive, allowing trainers to upload and manage different course formats efficiently. Use an LMS with features like drag-and-drop and templates to quickly create and upload content.
4. Include Quizzes, Polls, and Other Engagement Strategies
   Ensure the LMS supports features like gamification, quizzes, and polls. These critical components enhance knowledge retention and make courses enjoyable for students to complete.
5. Provide Access
   You must be careful about providing access, especially while creating courses for individuals or specific cohorts. Hence, ensure the LMS provides access to students and trainers who are authorized to get access.

How To Manage Online Courses?

Monitor the Effectiveness

After launching the course, measure its effectiveness.

• Check if it’s meeting the learning objectives, the engagement and churn rates, and if students face challenges in completing the course.
• Ensure the LMS provides built-in reporting and analytics features. This will help you identify poorly performing courses and update them to make them relevant to students.

1.Update the Courses

In an agile world, some topics become redundant after some time. Hence, update the course materials regularly to make them relevant to the current business situation. Ensure that the LMS allows you to modify the courses with ease.

2.Archive or Delete Obsolete Courses

Some courses may no longer be valid or relevant to students. Identify and delete or archive them to ensure that only relevant courses are accessible to the students.

Function 2 – Track Student Progress

The second primary function of an LMS is the ability to track students’ progress. Ensure the LMS provides comprehensive reports and analytics to evaluate the student’s progress and modify the online training strategies if required.

How to Track Student Progress?

1.Use Assessments to Measure Knowledge Retention

Assessments are a great way to check if students have understood the course material. After every module, nudge the students to complete the quizzes and assignments before progressing to the next one. You can also have assessments after the students complete the whole course. Badges and certifications can motivate students to complete the course on time.

2.Check Course Completion and Engagement Rates

Define the metrics for evaluating the student’s progress. These could include metrics like how often students access the course material, how actively they participate in the online community, and how much time they spend on each module. These metrics will help you evaluate the course’s effectiveness and find ways to improve students’ experience.

3.Identify the Bottlenecks

Analytics can help you identify potential bottlenecks in students’ progress. For example, is the course material difficult to comprehend? Is the structure haphazard? Are students facing problems in completing the assessments? Analyze the areas where students struggle and offer support and additional resources to complete the course successfully.

Benefits of Tracking Student Progress

1.Early interventions:

You can identify students who are struggling and offer early intervention and support to complete the course.

2.Personalize feedback:

You can monitor the strength and weaknesses of every student and personalize the feedback to help them achieve their learning goals.

3.Improve learning outcomes:

You can track whether the course has improved the employees’ skills, productivity, and overall performance.

4.Achieve learning goals:

You can determine if the course has achieved the learning goals decided in the beginning.

5.Demonstrate value to stakeholders:

One way to overcome management’s resistance is to demonstrate the value of training. Generate reports to show the training’s effectiveness and overall impact on the organization.

Conclusion

A good learning management system is necessary to facilitate training and help employees stay updated in the wake of the ever-changing business landscape and organizational values. It will help improve the learning outcomes. However, ensure that all the LMS functions are available to deliver and manage the courses. Check the learning management system features list and compare the prices. But more importantly, ensure the LMS supports the top two functions. It must allow you to create and manage online courses and track students’ progress without any hurdles. Contact us to schedule a free demo.