About Learning Management Systems

A learning management system is software for delivering, tracking and managing training. Learning management systems range from simple systems for managing training records to software for distributing courses over the internet and offering features for online collaboration. In many instances, corporate training departments purchase learning management systems to automate record-keeping as well as the registration of employees for classroom and online courses. Student self-service, training workflow, the provision of on-line learning, on-line assessment, management of continuous professional education (CPE), collaborative learning, and training resource management, are some of the additional dimensions to leading Learning Management Systems.

Most learning management systems are web-based to facilitate "anytime, any place, any pace" access to learning content and administration. They are favored by regulated industries where compliance training is essential.
Leading LMS providers seek to include integrated "performance management systems," which encompass such functionality as performance management, competency management, skills-gap analysis, succession planning, and multi-rater assessments.

Learning management systems are based on a variety of development platforms, from Java EE based architectures to Microsoft.net, and usually employ the use of a robust database back-end. While most systems are commercially developed and frequently restrict access to their source code, free and open-source models do exist. Learning management systems focus on different educational, administrative, and deployment requirements. Open source and web-based LMS software solutions are increasingly important.

About Learning Content Management Systems

A learning content management system is a related technology to the learning management system, in that it is focused on the development, management and publishing of the content that will typically be delivered via an LMS. An LCMS is a multi-user environment where learning developers may create, store, reuse, manage, and deliver digital learning content from a central object repository.

The LMS cannot create and manipulate courses; it cannot reuse the content of one course when building another. The LCMS, however, can create, manage and deliver not only training modules but also manage and edit all the individual pieces that make up a catalog of training. LCMS applications allow users to create, import, manage, search for and reuse small units or 'chunks' of digital learning content/assets, commonly referred to as learning objects. These assets may include media files developed in other authoring tools, assessment items, simulations, text, graphics or any other object that makes up the content within the course being created.

An LCMS manages the process of creating, editing, storing and delivering e-learning content, ILT materials and other training support deliverables such as job aids.

Learning Management Systems vs. Learning Content Management Systems

In essence, an LMS is a high-level, strategic solution for planning, delivering, and managing most learning events within an organization, including online, virtual classroom, and instructor-led courses. The primary solution is replacing isolated and fragmented learning programs with a systematic means of assessing and raising competency and performance levels throughout a learning enterprise. For example, an LMS can simplify global certification efforts, enable entities to align learning initiatives with strategic goals, and provide a viable means of enterprise-level skills management. The focus of an LMS is to manage students, keeping track of their progress and performance across all types of training activities. It performs heavy-duty administrative tasks, such as reporting to instructors, HR and other ERP systems but isn’t generally used to create course content.

In contrast, the focus of an LCMS is a strategic solution for managing learning content across an organization's various training development areas. It provides developers, authors, instructional designers, and subject matter experts the means to create and re-use e-learning content more efficiently and reduce duplicated development efforts. Rather than developing entire courses and adapting them to multiple audiences, an LCMS provides the ability for single course instances to be modified and republished for various audiences maintaining versions and history. The objects stored in the centralized repository can be made available to course developers and content experts throughout an organization for potential reuse and repurpose. This eliminates duplicate development efforts and allows for the rapid assembly of customized content.

Learning Management Systems in the Industry

In the relatively new LMS market, commercial vendors for corporate and education applications range from new entrants to those that entered the market in the nineties. In addition to commercial packages, many open source solutions are available.
In 2005, LMS represented a fragmented $500 million market. The six largest LMS product companies constitute approximately 43% of the market. In addition to the remaining smaller LMS product vendors, training outsourcing firms, enterprise resource planning vendors, and consulting firms all compete for part of the learning management market.

Most buyers of LMS utilize an authoring tool to create their e-learning content, which is then hosted on an LMS. Buyers, however, must choose an authoring tool that seamlessly integrates with their LMS in order for their content to be hosted. There are authoring tools on the market, such as Lectora, which meet AICC and SCORM standards and therefore content created in tools such as these can be hosted on an AICC or SCORM certified LMS.

Drawbacks to Learning Management Systems

Learning Management Systems (LMS) are often viewed as being the starting point of any e-learning or blended learning program. This perspective is valid from a management and control standpoint, but antithetical to the way in which most people learn today.
LMS' like WebCT, Blackboard, and Desire2Learn offer their greatest value to the organization by providing a means to sequence content and create a manageable structure for instructors/administration staff. The "management" aspect of LMS' creates another problem: much like we used to measure "bums in seats" for program success, we now see statistics of "students enrolled in our LMS" and "number of page views by students" as an indication of success/progress. The underlying assumption is that if we just expose students to the content, learning will happen.

According to Godfrey Parkin, “The LMS, as available today, is not a universal solution for a corporation’s e-learning problems. In fact, an LMS is often the albatross around the neck of progress in technology-enhanced learning".

The issue is not that an LMS is not needed for learning. The real issue is that LMS vendors are attempting to position their tools as the center-point for e-learning, removing control from the system's end-users: instructors and learners. Unfortunately, beginning learning with an LMS is often a matter of wrong tool for wrong purposes. Implementing an LMS as part of a holistic learning environment gives the end user flexibility and control to move in various paths.

Examples of Learning Management Systems

SyberWorks Training Center
The SyberWorks Training Center allows you to manage and track all types of learning — from self-paced e-learning courses to traditional classroom instruction and other offline learning events such as workbooks, and audio or video tapes. You can deliver sophisticated training to geographically dispersed employees or customers when or where they need it, and have remote access to management tools that allow you to track and report on your training programs. You can integrate their LMS into your existing applications, such as human resources, to increase efficiencies and reduce redundancies. You can also use their timesaving tools to incorporate the company’s corporate branding and terminology. In addition, SyberWorks has a suite of add-on tools for greater functionality including, skills management, self-registration and e-commerce, language packs, seminar logistics, online survey tools, single sign-on and more.

ANGEL Learning
ANGEL Learning develops and markets web-based teaching and learning tools. This company claims to be recognized as a leader in product innovation. According to them, ANGEL Learning’s proven, powerful systems allow instructors to easily and efficiently manage instruction, develop sophisticated and collaborative learning experiences, and, most importantly, improve learning outcomes. ANGEL Learning has grown form a campus-based organization of university researchers and instructors to a profitable firm with global reach.

eLeaP Learning Management System
eLeaP Learning Management System is a complete, secure, web-based training and e-learning solution that employs a simple and intuitive user interface. This way both technical and non-technical training managers can easily create, manage, and track interactive training courses and learning programs for all levels of users. The eLeaP Learning Management System is designed to fit any organization size. eLeaP Learning Management System is available and delivered online. That way you do not have to install complex programs, invest huge amounts in hardware or software or hire or maintain an expensive IT department. The e-learning system can be deployed in less than 8 minutes. You can begin creating and deploying training and e-learning immediately.

Meridian
Meridian Global LMS integrates learning content management, workforce analytics, knowledge management and competency modeling in one learning management system (LMS).They provide professional services, courseware development and hosting services. They currently serve 5 million users at more than 250 public and private sector employers. Their software is used by companies that range in size from 900,000 employees to less than 100 workers. Some of their clients are AutoZone, Panera Bread, Sodexho, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, Whirlpool and more than 80 federal, state and local governments. They claim to be the number one ranked learning-technology company for customer loyalty.

Conclusion

The very notion of “managing learning” conflicts with how people are actually learning today. Outside of primary and secondary school, most of our learning falls into the “topping up what we know” category. As a result, we need tools that allow for rapid creation and breakdown. Searching Google, blogs, and wikis has a very quick learning structure creation and breakdown. An LMS has a long creation/breakdown process (and once the learning structure has been broken down it is no longer accessible to learners). LMS' still view learners as canisters to be filled with content – this is particularly relevant in light of the heavy emphasis on object repositories for learning. Essentially, most LMS platforms are attempting to shape the future of learning to fit into the structure of their systems, even though most learning today is informal and connectionist in nature.

While learning management systems have many disadvantages, we currently do not have a tool accessible to most educators that does what an LMS does. This creates a challenge in defining which path to take: work with LMS vendors to restructure their systems to reflect end-user needs, or walk away from LMS' altogether and develop an alternative based on decentralized, learner-in-control, piece-it-together tools? Until these questions are answered, learning management systems will continue to have a role in the overall structure of e-learning.

Jessica M. Martin