Last Updated on 09/03/2022 by TheDigitalHacker
If your goal is to increase learning efficiency and, as a result, increase productivity, all you really need is to choose the right learning management system for a corporate or a small business. This is the right strategy and competitive advantage.
But let’s start from the very beginning. What is a learning management system? It is a web-based platform that supports digital tools and learning experience analysis. On the one hand, online education has a huge number of advantages. But on the other hand, each user has his own needs, which are constantly changing. This means that it is important to be flexible and choose a platform that will adapt to all changes.
Despite the fact that there are many options and you can really get confused, we can help you decide on a good management system and make the right decision. Here are a few factors and a JatApp guide you should consider.
Decide on your goals
Whatever project you start, the first thing you need is to decide on goals and objectives. How can you choose and implement the right training learning management system if you don’t know what your expectations are and can’t articulate them clearly?
Of course, your goals should not be vague like “I want to learn how to study effectively.”
This phrase doesn’t make any sense. It does not contain a clear definition for effective learning, indicators that will show that you have achieved the goals, and even a deadline.
You need to ask yourself about the current situation, problems, and challenges, as well as skills or information that are being acquired during the study course.
Analyze the status-quo
We have mentioned the gaps and challenges that you are facing right now, and this is really important.
Surely you are not starting from scratch and you already have some kind of development and learning strategy. But if you are thinking about acquiring and implementing LMS, you probably have some questions about the current strategy.
You need to make a list and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the current killer material. Thus, you will understand what changes you need.
When it comes to staff training, effectiveness can be understood by measuring team performance. Once you have clear metrics and benchmarks in hand, you can build a new strategy around them and articulate your expectations for the online learning management system.
List your requirements
The next tip for choosing an LMS assumes that you already have some basic information.
You collected data, analyzed the current strategy, and understood the areas that require development. It’s time to move on to the next step and decide on the requirements.
Write down all of them, including even those items that seem small and insignificant.
It’s a good idea to separate the items into different categories, such as sorting those that are required, desirable, preferred, not so critical, etc.
This information will already be enough to find platforms that offer relevant solutions.
Try to include any examples and details that might make sense to your team. For example, since we are now talking about online learning, people are probably in different time zones.
You can’t offer them a course that’s available for a limited time. It is important that the cloud learning management system be flexible and adapt to different cases.
Analyze the audience
By analyzing the previous step, we came to the conclusion that you need to understand a lot about your team in order to make decisions.
Obviously, the time zone is not the only aspect you need to keep in mind. Therefore, at this stage, you can adjust your list of requirements based on different data about your audience. It can be:
- The total number of course participants
- Age range
- Current knowledge, skills, technical background
- Place of residence
- Marital status
- Presence of children (especially preschoolers)
Consider what other factors might influence the choice of LMS. You need to make sure that the needs of the majority of participants will be covered.
Get feedback from participants and instructors
It’s great if you’ve formed a vision and are ready to move forward with it. But you must understand that this is only one point of view on a system that will involve a large number of other people.
This means that before you choose LMS, you need to collect different points of view – from participants, facilitators, and trainers in your organization.
It is often the very people who deal with learning tasks on a daily basis that can provide valuable feedback.
These are the direct target users of the LMS and they know which features are critical to them and which are not worth the money.
Analyze the possible limitations
Let’s be honest: at the very beginning, you need to understand that you will not be able to implement 100% of your ideas.
There will always be some kind of limitation. The question is that you should learn about them and analyze them at the very start.
For example, there is no point in buying an LMS that is not compatible with your organization’s infrastructure and technology.
Let’s say your colleague is unable to be online 100% of the time due to internet problems in his or her region.
Obviously, in this case, you need a system that will work or at least offer part of the functions offline.
Also, at the moment of audience analysis, you already understood what level you are dealing with. It is understandable that novice and experienced team members will use different LMSs with different learning approaches.
Unfortunately, sometimes it is not that easy to find the solution that covers all the needs. It is not your task though.
The bottom line is that you find the best learning management system in the current situation, considering the goals, challenges, and limitations of your organization.
Look for appropriate solutions on the market, compare and analyze them with a keen eye
You can’t just pick the first platform in the SERPs and stop there. Be prepared for the fact that you will analyze dozens of different solutions, delving into the features of each of them.
The first thing you should pay attention to is a comparison with your current system, as well as a list of current criteria and expectations. Next, you need to understand the budget and make sure you’re paying for features that will really benefit your team.
Don’t limit yourself to the platform site, which is always promotional and highlights the benefits of a particular LMS.
You need a more honest opinion, which means you should read reviews on independent sites where people share their opinions.
Another way to look at the platform from a different angle is to talk to colleagues from different fields who have already implemented LMS and can give you valuable insights.
Speaking of the budget, it is important to understand that this is not a one-time investment. You buy a platform that will be used for several years and you will pay for the maintenance.
Therefore, at this stage, it is important to make sure that you clearly understand the pricing model, as well as the value of a particular solution.
You should not focus on the most expensive product on the market, and vice versa – on the cheapest. If you make an effort, you will find the optimal solution that will cover all your tasks and will not leave your training budget empty.
Besides, we are sure that you can try any online learning management system free before you make the final decision. Feel free to use this option as it is the best way to understand if it is your perfect match.
Make sure LMS offers you the tools you need
When administering the platform, you must control the performance of course participants.
It will be good if you initially choose LMS, which comes with an analytical unit and generates reports for you on the effectiveness of training courses.
They usually look attractive, are easy to set up, and provide information about all the important indicators.
So you will understand the successes and difficulties of your team, make changes to courses, and prepare periodic reports.
Another useful tool is compatibility with responsiveness, especially targetting mobile devices. Even if the main device for your colleagues is a laptop or a personal computer, they probably often use smartphones and tablets.
Especially when it comes to training courses. Why not watch a video or take a test while on the train or at a coffee shop?
Systems adapted to mobile devices and offering good UX are always head and shoulders above their competitors in the learning management system industry.
Wrapping things up, these 8 steps are not that complicated. Yes, they require time, and you have to be really involved in the process – choose the LMS as the user who will interact with it all the time.
When you know your teams’ pain points and have a strong desire to skyrocket their performance, you’ll choose the most suitable LMS without any hurdles!
