The learning management system has transformed classroom learning into digital learning for decades. It has a huge impact on the school or university curriculum.  LMS is an online educational platform that facilitates collaboration among lecturers and students by allowing them to share study materials, discuss topics, and solve doubts outside the classroom. Institutions need to choose the right LMS to deliver, manage, and track educational content.  This article explores everything about LMS and the LMS selection process.

1. What is LMS?

LMS is an acronym for Learning Management System that has transformed the learning environment in the education system. LMS is an educational software that allows educators and learners to share materials and assessments and evaluate learning processes over the web.  The LMS software was developed successfully to implement E-learning within organizations, schools, and colleges.  The concept is to implement distance learning or online learning with the help of Information Technology devices.

lms

LMS allows peer students to discuss and share knowledge among themselves. It also allows them to connect with their mentors anytime. Educators and learners use advanced communication devices such as chatbots, forms, and eLearning authoring tools to communicate and share knowledge. It is a platform that enhances the education system to a fun learning environment and develops flexibility among teachers and students. 

2. Features Of LMS

Some features of a learning management system are the integration of various communication media, support of different languages, and integration of alternative technologies and resources to present well-planned courses in an organized manner. It is essential to ensure the quality of e-learning and course effectiveness for the construction of learning and interaction.

Various LMS software are available in the market today, providing various features to institutions to implement E-learning effectively. The software comes in two categories: commercial or free software. The software also provides free courses other than academics to develop further skills.  Some of the leading LMS software in the international market are BlackBoard, Moodle, Absorb, and iSpring Learn.

3. LMS Selection Process

It is essential to choose the right Learning Management system to implement e-learning successfully in the institutes. The institutes or organizations have to assess the quality standards of LMS before choosing, such as its readability, scalability, security, sustainability and international standard adoption capability. According to several types of research, the right LMS for an institute depends on its characteristics and objectives. 

Seven Necessary Elements

The following seven necessary elements are suggested by researchers before choosing an LMS:

Interface:

It is the medium through which communication is established among the users of the platform. The interface has to be clean and clear, fast-loading, portable, consistent, and support different languages.

Navigation:

It is the element that allows users to scroll or move from one page to another. It has to be straightforward and standardised controls that allow easy movement between pages.

Evaluation:

It is the element that allows teachers to evaluate student performances. It has to support different evaluation methods and monitor student activities to provide appropriate results.

Didactic Resources:

It is an element that consists of different resources helpful for teachers for teaching and evaluating. The resources must be easy to use and understand by the teachers.

Communication:

It is the element that eases interaction among the platform users. The interaction between teachers and students must ease distance learning.

Coordination:

It is the category that manages the course planning, creation, and execution. The LMS software has to monitor the activities and engagement of students and tutors. It has to assess the roles and cognitive development of students throughout the course.

Administrative support:

It is the category that does all the administrative tasks like assigning access controls, generating statistical reports, providing information to users, and processing applications.

The institute has to create a list of functions that the software needs to support, such as disseminating learning materials, monitoring student activities, grading students, monitoring progress, communication among stakeholders, and maintenance. The institute may take the help of third-party providers to choose the right proprietary LMS software or use an open-source LMS software like Moodle to meet their specific requirements.

Learning management System Policy

In either case, the institute has to create a policy to govern critical aspects of LMS software. The policy should include rules and regulations for the adoption of the platform by students and teachers. It also includes the process of dissemination of materials, establishment of forums, conduction of assessments, and feedback from students.

security policies

The institute has to develop and implement LMS security policies as the software generates, stores, and processes vast amounts of student data. Security policies help to address how these data are managed by the software providers and reduce the risk of cyber attacks.

The other thing to consider is intellectual property rights on the materials and courses hosted on the platforms. The ownership of the materials and courses hosted on open-source software will be simple. However, if the institute is using propriety LMS software, then they need to negotiate on the hosting agreement. 

Commercial LMS software providers have hosting rules that may not comply with the institutes. So, the university has to discuss and include clauses of ownership rights and acceptability of the courses on the platform by the end users before choosing the LMS platform.

The university should also create other policies, such as sexual harassment, discrimination, plagiarism, and respectful communication, before implementing LMS software within the organization. During the Covid-19, many institutes have adopted the LMS technology to continue studies. It has mandated the creation and implementation of policies to reduce the victimization of students. 

The final and most important thing to consider is the budget. The institute has to consider the pricing of different LMS software in the market that fits the budget to proceed further.

4. Conclusion

Learning Management System software are boon to online learning. These software are cloud-based and enable learners and educators to connect anytime from any device. According to the research, LMS has a positive impact on 80% of students. They have positive perceptions and satisfaction with the software as it increases their performance level in academics. Finally, universities have to choose the right platform to take full advantage of technology. 

By FNZ