What is an LMS? – Learning Management System Guide

» What is an LMS?

LMS is an AI-developed application that accommodates in updating and managing the content for training and learning development programs. The corporate and non-corporate organizations use LMS for official purposes like office administration, course documentation, tracking the performance of the learners, ­­­­and supports online and offline learning.

» What can you do with a Learning Management Software (LMS)?

Compared to the earlier times, the Learning Management System Software (LMS) has changed. The corporate sector and education industry use LMS according to their needs. With up-to-date Learning Management Software (LMS), you can avoid unnecessary labor like:

• Preparing manuals
• PowerPoint slides
• Spreadsheets in learning administration.

The following are the things you can do with an LMS.

• Reduce your cost - Are you in a tight situation because of COVID-19? Well, that could be one of the passing phases of your life. Unlike traditional teaching classroom methods, Learning & Development Software is cheaper. Even though the application needs an initial investment, it is a one-time investment. You can reuse the app to train the students and staff and conduct online training. You can use valuable resources according to your allocated budget for better coaching.

• Monitor and assess the progress - Designed to track and monitor the student’s and the tutor’s progress at any given time, the Learning Management System Software ensures that both faculties and students show a drastic improvement in their performances. Furthermore, LMS education also allows you to track learner’s progress and see whether their performance reaches the expected milestones. The students don’t have the time constraints to ask questions or doubts to their instructors as they can get the answers from the faculties once they read their messages. Even in the corporate companies, the employers can gauge the employees whether they are at the home, office, or even at the client’s place.

• Get the time flexibility - The students can study the subjects online with the help of Learning Management Systems at their pace through desktop, laptops, or tablets as long as they have access to the internet. It also helps the companies to harness the technology, which enhances your efficiency. The LMS also helps you to meet the demand for payroll or HR systems as it automatically adds or removes the employees across systems.

• Saves your time - The e-learning system saves time for the teachers, students, and companies. From the teachers’ perspective, they can create content from the student’s viewpoint, automate the assignment, and perform an incredible analysis of students’ performance. All these features make learning enjoyable and increase the students’ enthusiasm to perform better. In an organization, the employees can learn new things so they can increase productivity with uncompromised quality.

• Maintain social distancing while learning and working - The LMS makes your learning and productivity unstoppable despite the economic slowdown, owing to the reasons like COVID-19 or others. The online learning & remote working helps you gain more knowledge & earn a steady income while maintaining social distancing.

• E-Commerce - Many learning centers now develop e-commerce websites via LMS Software. It enables the students to place an order for the study materials online & start studying after receiving them at their doorstep. The companies can generate revenue with the help of cross-selling, which gives an incentive to the users after making a purchase.

• Easy upgrades - As the Learning Management System (LMS) uses the centralized location for the content, you can easily upgrade the information according to the specification of new trends. The end-users get continuous updates from time-to-time.

› Who uses LMS?

1. Students - The students of educational institute can easily study and solve the assignments allocated by their instructors.

2. Teachers - The LMS enables the teachers to give the students additional information once they prepare the content.
Educational Institutions - Make use of LMS to reduce the cost & generate income from students. They use the software to gauge their employees by collecting the students’ feedback on teaching methods, study materials, etc.

3. Corporates - There is a slight difference between educational institutes & corporate companies. Though both use LMS to monitor the employees, the corporates keep track of their productivity after undergoing the training after getting selected for a particular process.

4. Non-Profit Organizations - The other non-profit organizations are clubs, fitness centers, salons, healthcare centers, and others. They use LMS for the following reasons:

a. In-house talent development
b. Save training costs
c. Reduce training time
d. Safe and centralized storage
e. And others

› Salient Features of LMS

The LMS platform features you with:

• Easy content creation
• Effortless management of content
• Assessment creation
• Building the courses
• Conducting examinations
• Creating quizzes
• LMS Label and branding
• And others

» Why do you need Learning Management Software?

Learning Management Software is one of the most powerful applications used for corporate and educational purposes. Do you know that over 83% of the companies across the globe are using LMS? With the increasing demand of learning management platforms in the market, the forecasted net worth has a projection to attain $23.21 billion by 2023. The Learning Management System Software makes your life easier through content delivery and helps you handle onboarding, compliance, and skills gap analysis.

› Benefits of Learning Management Systems

• Cost Savings - The Learning Management Application helps in online teaching & training. It reduces conveyance charges to the employees, optimizes training costs, and minimizes the usage facilities. You only need to pay the salary to the instructors. The LMS can perform more tasks than what you can imagine.

• Makes the driving compliance easier - The compliance rules and regulations keep changing. However, when it comes to updating the traditional online course, it would consume much time. The Learning Management System already has readymade content. Hence, you can easily upgrade the content through modification. Adding the latest news and eliminating outdated information ensures that people are on the same page. The LMS enables you to unlearn and relearn the content according to the new compliance standards within a short time.

• Gives you a more engaging experience - Gone are those days where the employees had to undergo rigorous product training for long hours with their trainers in the conference room.

• Easy access to information – The Learning Management Software comprises a well-organized structure. The users can access the information irrespective of geographical location. The LMS helps the users to view and access the following in a single click.

♦ Courses
♦ Calendars
♦ Multimedia content
♦ Achieves
♦ Evaluations

The LMS offers the time flexibility to open the learning content and materials at your pace. You can learn a subject in whichever location you reside.

• Personalization – The LMS provides you a learning platform that helps in personalizing your brand completely. It further helps you to incorporate the corporate image, brand, into the platform. You can now tailor different elements and features according to your company’s taste, which can be in multilingual or monolingual. The LMS does not need additional installation for creating various portals and user IDs. Also, the application can function simultaneously with web access.

• Updated and Immediate Content – The administrators can use the Learning Management Systems to update the course content instantly. They can also add materials & provide the students with immediate access to valuable resources.

• Advanced Reporting – The LMS allows you to download the detailed performance reports of the students and staff through after streamlining.

• Multimedia Learning – Are you looking for an application that will enable you to create multimedia learning content? The LMS is advanced software that helps an organization to develop the content. The corporates use the material for training the selected candidates in project training. The hospitals use the Learning Management Software to provide primary medical education to the students. The LMS helps in presenting the materials using video, images, audio, and text. Hence the Learning Management System serves as a great tool in learning new skills or information. Furthermore, the system enables learners to communicate with their trainers and their colleagues through chat platforms & online forums. The software also promotes a collaborative, interactive, attractive, and personal learning environment.

• Sales and commercialization – The LMS also help the organizations to generate substantial sales revenue. E-Commerce is a renowned way of selling your products and services. It helps you to manage and automate the platform through a supports the payment modes like credit card or bank transfer. The students can make an online payment, signing up for the course of their choice. Even the corporates can get unlimited benefits, using Learning Management Software.

» Projecting the future of Learning Management System

In the present world, many organizations and institutes rely on the Learning Management System (LMS). In earlier times, people were making use of books and libraries. The students could only bank upon the teachers to attain knowledge. However, with the Internet, the students and workers can get more information from different sources.

You can gain plenty of information using devices like smartphones, social media, computers, MOOCs, and others.

› Does the Learning Management System have a future?

Yes, the LMS does have a scope in the upcoming days. In this pandemic situation, educational institutions have stopped running. But the employees are operating at home and are providing online training to the students.

The corporates are also suffering owing to COVID-19 setback. The employees are working remotely to maintain social distancing.

The COVID-19 cases are increasing across the globe and have resulted in a standstill. Furthermore, no one knows when the situation will come back to normalcy. However, most of the organizations are still running the show with the help of Learning Management Software.

The Learning Management System Software has helped in steady growth at the university level. Lately, the education scenario has witnessed drastic changes. The fortune companies aim at providing their employees with the best orientation to reach great heights. Hence, they invest in the Learning Management System that benefits them the most. The present and the future of LMS trends are:

• Enhanced communication – Communication plays a critical role in the business world. The Learning Management Software provides the platform to the employees to share their ideas with the coworkers.

• Crowd-Sourced Content – The companies, educational institutions, and other non-profit organizations must ensure they arrange the content that meets the user requirements.

• Gamification – It lets the learners understand concepts in an entertaining, interactive, and engaging manner. Gone are the days where the employees were in a toxic environment. Today, companies employ gamification technology to make their employees feel at ease. The LMS makes it possible for the employees to learn efficiently and deliver the right results to the organization.

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) changed LMS to competitive Intelligence –Artificial Intelligence plays various roles in our lives. For example, the virtual assistants give the news updates & weather reports before you retire to bed or wake up in the morning. Also, you get timely updates when the TV sets are on. The current generation has become addicted to technology to the extent of using Artificial Intelligence. The LMS makes AI, which helps in personalized and relevant learning. You also get insights according to the data and content on users’ behavior and requirements. The AI, in combination with LMS, helps you to update the content according to the latest requirements. It simplifies the task of L & D for the administrators and helps in smart work to deliver the newest enterprise learning.

• Impact of Artificial Intelligence on LMS – Has already begun. In the coming days, Artificial Intelligence has more expectations to build an effect on LMS space. The AI skips the automatic evaluation of:

1. How much the learner has understood the concept?
2. The adjustment of the learning pathway according to their understanding level.

Artificial Intelligence ensures an automated version of LMS that does the work of a great teacher. It gauges the mastery level of all individuals and provides them with relevant content. The LMS with AI makes learning easy for all the students.

However, the LMS would have to maintain its competency as a lot would be expected from its platform.

» LMS Types

› Choosing the right LMS

Are you planning to go for LMS for the efficient functioning of an organization? It's understandable that, like any other business, you would like to generate quick revenue for your business.

However, when it comes to purchasing the right Learning Management System, there are over tons of things that you should ponder.
If you are good at developing the application according to your needs, then you wouldn't shell a single pie. You have three options to get the right LMS

1. Buy an LMS best-suited for your requirements.
2. Hire a developer with your Learning Management Software requirements.
3. As a developer, you can customize the off-the-shelf LMS application to fulfill your needs.

The budget also plays an important role when you make a decision. If you are running a startup company, then buying the software is the solution. However, if your budget allows for customized LMS, then you would hire a developer to get your application ready. If you are looking for the LMS type with a low budget and high functionality, the organization will buy and modify the software to its expectations.

› Types of Learning Management System Software

Here is the list of Learning Management System Software.

1. Open Source – An open-source is a platform in which you get the readymade source code for modification. The developers try these codes and finally selects the one which meets the project criteria. If you are not tech-savvy, it would be tough for you to grasp the implication of the coding. The Open Source LMS Software allows freedom, peer review, and knowledge sharing.

2. Cloud LMS – Are you looking for LMS software that does not require any hardware installation? Well, you can achieve it through Cloud-based LMS. The procedure is simple. You only need to logon to get access to the cloud-based LMS features. The Cloud LMS benefits you in some of the following ways.

a. Affordable – If you are looking for the LMS at a low cost, you can get a cloud-based LMS. You need not have a substantial capital to invest in that application. Whether you opt for short-term or long-term, you keep getting free upgrades.

b. Free Trial – The other benefit that you get is the 30-day free trial. It enables you to assess the software before you make a final decision to go for it.

c. Implementation Time – You can easily install a cloud-based LMS within less time, avoiding lengthy meetings. The Cloud-LMS also helps you to create and brand the portal, create courses, and manage enrollments.

d. User-friendly – You can use the cloud LMS in any web application. Cloud LMS helps you to do the following.

• Catch up with your Facebook friends
• Add your documents to Google Drive
• You can get noticed on Twitter.

You can do the same, even with the usage of commercial software. The Learning Management System makes adoption easier for frequent users. It provides you with a dashboard to the users of the hand-held devices which they can access.

e. Easy Configuration – Are you looking for a highly customized LMS solution? Find the right solution in Cloud LMS that makes a high level of configuration work for you.

f. Mobile-friendly – The Cloud LMS enables you to use the application on any device and location. The Cloud LMS with responsive designs allows you to access the web portals anywhere in the globe. It ensures that the user interface responds to your device size.

g. Security and scalability – If you are looking for a high level of data security and scalability, you can rely on Cloud LMS. You need to ensure that the app should provide you with the following.

• Secure code and processes
• Adherence to industry standards
• It undergoes regular and independent tests.
• Data encryption in transit

If your application meets the above criteria, then your data would always be safe. Also, the cloud-based applications should exploit the infrastructural advantages to meet the users' needs. If your LMS fulfills the criteria, then it is a safe platform for your data.

h. Low maintenance – It is the vendor's responsibility to take care of your cloud-based LMS. Most of the cloud-based LMS solutions would need constant uptime. The teams provide you with the timely updates which you need to implement from time-to-time. The vendor would not charge you for updating your application.

3. SaaS LMS – The Software as a Service or SaaS LMS offers you with a subscription model. When you pay a certain amount, you gain access to that LMS Software.

There are many other Learning Management System Software that you can use for commercial or educational purposes.

» LMS Requirements Checklist

Today, you can find thousands of Learning Management Software in the market. However, when you check each LMS application, it would take much time for you to arrive at a decision. When you perform an LMS Requirement Checklist, you need to prepare a list of common aspects that meets your system requirements.

› Steps for selecting a right LMS

While you select an LMS, you need to prepare an LMS Checklist to check out for the following.

1. Functional Requirements – An LMS must meet the operational requirements as they are essential for the learners and the officials. The LMS that you select must have the following features by default.

> Management of courses and users – Firstly, you need to decide in which way you want to work with the users and groups in the LMS. Depending on your operations, you need to decide on the following factors.

• Is it for the administrators or the users to register the employees?
• LMS Management – Should the system assign separate roles to administrators and other users?
• Do you intend to create individual training programs for employees and companies?

> Learning models – The next thing is you decide which type of learning model you want for your business requirements. The different types of models are:

• Pure eLearning – Employees only get online training consisting of courses and tests. They have to read only the books and articles recommended to them.
• Blended Learning – A blended learning comprises prerequisite courses through eLearning as well as personal training.
• Instructor-led training – It allows the learners and the trainers to discuss the training material on an individual or in a group. The instructors can deliver training either in classroom format or virtual training via video conferencing Softwares like Skype, Zoom, and others.

While you select an LMS, you also need to consider other things like

2. Webinar Hosting – If you are planning to host webinars, what the features you are searching in an LMS are?

• In the case of instructor-led training, which LMS will accommodate you in managing
• The classroom schedules & locations
• Monitor the attendance and performance
• Assign learners and trainers to offline sessions

3. Support and create the learning content – Creating a learning content plays a critical role. Hence, you need to decide what kind of training materials you should provide the employees. Your articles should be useful to the employees concerning the following.

• Use of content and technology – Whichever format you choose for the content and technology, the LMS should support them.
• Does your company need a course editor?

Now, you can also get the Learning Management Software with an in-built editor where you can create simple tests and courses. Also, you can find a bundled, powerful authoring tool to create interactive course materials, quizzes, and conversational simulations for faster learning and delivery.

4. Make an analysis and generate reports – The purpose of training the employees is to get the right results. So, you need to select the LMS that reduces your load in working with Excel spreadsheets and process the data manually. While choosing a report, consider the below factors.

• Type of report - Is it a simple report or a detailed report? If you choose to go for detailed descriptions, it should contain the report on material quality, group, and user performance.

5. Other options – Your LMS can also provide you with additional features depending on your business. Some of them are:

• Social learning
• Talent Management
• Mobile learning
• E-Commerce
• White labeling & Customizing
• Gamification
• Certificates

6. Technical Requirements – When it comes to technical aspects, you need to install a hosted LMS on your company’s server. An organization stores all the in-house data. But you face the challenge when you deploy a hosted LMS owing to its technical complexity. The task involves the system’s compatibility with the existing network (if any), and the software architecture. The professional requirement comprises of:

• Security – You need to find out the company’s security requirements, such as data storage and how the users should get their login details. All these get authenticated into the system and who can access the data.

• System integration – You may come across the combinations like HR Software, BI Systems, CRMs, and others. Identify what type of integration suits your company requirements.

7. Budget – You also need to keep the budget in mind while selecting a Learning Management Software. According to the sources, over 60% of the companies spend more than the average expectations on their Learning Management System.

» LMS Pricing Models

If budget is your concern for selecting an application, the LMS Pricing Models comes into the scenario. Most of the startup companies look for the best prices to buy the LMS without compromising with the functional and technical requirements. In this topic, you will know various types of Pricing Models in Learning Management Systems.

› Different types of LMS Pricing Models

The LMS Pricing Models vary from vendor-to-vendor or developer-to-developer. Here you go with different types of LMS Pricing Models.

1. Pay-per-active users: In Pay-per-active LMS Pricing Models, you make the payment only for those system users on every billing cycle. It also includes the monthly subscription fee. You have an option to unsubscribe at your convenience.

2. Pay-per-learner: Once you have a fixed number of users, you would have to pay the fixed price even if the users are inactive.

3. Pay-as-you-go: Are you looking to pay only for your usage? Pay-as-you-go is one of the innovative LMS Pricing Models that allows you to run the show. It is one of the most innovative pricing models that has attained popularity across the globe. Also, if you want to host your business using an LMS, you can opt for the Pay-as-you-go LMS pricing model. The model works out cheaper only if you have few users in your company; else, the pricing can be quite astronomical. It can also get out of your control if the student or the employee's strength is high. However, you have an option to leave or change the scheme.

4. License Fee/Subscription: In a License Fee/Subscription, you pay the fixed price for six months or one year. Irrespective of the number of users and training material, the price does not increase. If you have a more significant number of students, the License Fee/Subscription would be economical. If you opt for SaaS solutions, you can get them in three to four levels, having different features and students. Many LMS Pricing Models with this caliber have a fixed price with unlimited users.

5. Customized Pricing: You can find more pricing models that comprise more one-off pricing models for custom work and solutions at customized pricing.

Bottomline

After coming across various LMS Pricing Models, the best LMS pricing models depend on your company requirement and the budget.

» Gamification in LMS

› What is LMS gamification?

LMS Gamification is an activity introduced to engage the users in game-based mechanics, aesthetics, and game thinking. It helps in motivating action to promote learning and solve problems.

The purpose of combining learning and gaming at the same time is to make the course interesting for the learners. Gamification is not only about playing games. It is all about applying the game design’s concept to non-game applications.

LMS Gamification’s impact on the corporates

According to the study, the employees having expertise in video games have got more valuable information. Also, they have improved their skills and retained information for a longer time.

The corporates gamify the many business processes for motivating the employees to deliver better results. It frees them from robotic life and induces better ideas to market the products and raise funds.

Over 70% of the technology industries develop the LMS Gamification Softwares and have earned over $1000.

› 3 Steps to gamify your e-learning

Gamification helps you to engage in the learning experience. The three steps to gamify your online learning are:

• Keep your focus on engagement and motivation – Have a look at the learner-like players right from novice to master. Once you start playing, you get so engrossed that it would tempt you to play more. The LMS Gamification helps you to build online learning that encourages the learners to reach the next level.

• Challenge yourself to do better – The difficulty level keeps increasing in gamification. At every level, you find many incremental changes that motivate you to improve your knowledge and skills. As a user, you complete the challenges and provide feedback in terms of navigation, relevance, and engagement.

• Set a target for yourself to accomplish – Compare your test progress and scores with other learners to win a badge. When you achieve a milestone, it unlocks the next level in your course. You can also use them in compliance training and demonstrate the organization’s competence in a specific domain.

› Pros of LMS Gamification

• Helps in fun activities – LMS Gamification with fun activities promotes fast learning. It motivates the learners and helps in student engagement.

• Instant Feedback – The users get immediate feedback on where they have gone wrong. The outcome helps you to correct your answers and improves your score.

• Rewarding – Everyone in this world would like to get rewarded. The rewards motivate the users to finish the game quickly. If you have won the required number of points, the application unlocks the next level.

• Challenging – You won’t find any competitor other than yourself. The LMS Gamification shows your results and helps you to set the goals for yourself.

• Improves the learning atmosphere – The gamification enables you to create a real-life situation. It helps you to understand the abstract subjects easily. Also, learners develop empathy in a particular case.

• Variation in learning levels – The gamification also allows you to learn at your pace. If you learn fast, you reach the most difficult levels.

› Cons of LMS Gamification

• Makes you achievement-oriented – The other side of the challenges pressurizes you to overtake the other learners.

• Reduces your attention on essential aspects – Gamified learning gives you instant feedback. However, gamified learning depends on the quick teaching method. When the students start expecting more from the education system, it reduces their attention.

• Interferes with your learning curve – Excess gamification widens the gap between the course material and the games available in the market. The difference needs to get narrow with technology advancement.

» LMS Evaluation Checklist

The Learning Management Software (LMS) plays a vital role in the learning ecosystem. Today many institutes and corporates use LMS for enhanced training, learning, and efficiency in the global market. However, each organization would have certain expectations from Learning Management Software. However, a thorough checking consumes much time. The LMS evaluation checklist helps in selecting the right software quickly.

› How does the LMS Evaluation Checklist help?

Preparing an LMS Evaluation Checklist helps in looking at the features that you are in a Learning Management Application Software. Are you in a dilemma to decide on which LMS you should buy? In such cases, the Evaluation of the LMS Checklist comes handy. Here are the following features that you need to check in an LMS.

• Integration with your regular applications – The Learning Management Software is one of the claims in your system. Hence, you need to check for the options to integrate with other Softwares. Integration is one of the determinants to select the right LMS.

• Review & Experience – Make a thorough research on the companies that develop LMS. Every company comes out with an application with unique features. When you check for the reviews, you get a fair idea on what the users’ opinions about a company.

• SAAS installation on your server – You can either go for SaaS or readymade installation on your server. Are you looking for the software at a low cost that you can use quickly? In such a case, SaaS is the right option as you don’t need a personal server. However, you can also have SaaS on your servers.

• Support offered with LMS – All enterprises assure the customers with an easy-to-use interface. However, customer support is one of the essential factors which you can’t ignore. When you opt for an LMS, you need to know the pros and cons of that brand. After all, it is you who use that software after shelling out your hard-earned money & the valuable time!

• SCORM – If you are going for SCORM, you need to consider the advantages & limitations. If you buy SCORM, you would have to encounter certain restrictions. Hence, you need to have a piece of complete knowledge and analyze your requirements before making a final decision.

• Branding – Gives more weightage to your organization. Any customer would like to know your company brand before parting with their money. However, if you are running a training institute, you need to be careful while distracting the audience. The purpose of branding is to make your LMS attractive with different options.

• Reporting – The reporting module in an LMS is another determinant to opt for an LMS brand. You need to know what does the LMS track & how quickly you can export the results in an Excel sheet.

• Creating & Managing Content – Are you looking for an LMS that exclusively supports content creation & management? If so, you may opt for an LCMS or an LMS with a course builder.

• Pricing & Pricing Models – The pricing & pricing model of an LMS differ from one vendor to another. The LMS can either be expensive or work out cheaper, depending on the selected LMS Pricing Model.

» LMS Trends

› Are you wondering what the upcoming trends to expect in an LMS are?

You are in the right direction as all the individuals and the organizations are on the same boat. A lot of organizational leaders are researching LMS and the latest learning trends. Keeping yourself on the current updates helps in aligning your company. It also helps you to make your training more effective for your workforce and generate more ROI.

› What are the impactful trends you can watch at present?

Currently, the market is undergoing an economic slowdown owing to the pandemic situation. However, the companies are allowing the employees to work remotely to generate revenue. Here are some of the impactful trends that you can observe.

• The education industry is experiencing rapid growth – The education industry has always promised a recession-proof career to the employees. The Learning Management System facilitates e-learning, which helps the organizations to run their business. Considering the popularity of e-learning, one can expect the global e-learning market to hit $350 billion by 2025. The LMS had attained a net worth of $200 billion in 2018. In 2015 the estimated net profit was $110 billion. Hence, you can sense that the global eLearning market would experience incredible growth once the situation comes to normalcy. Also, there is a rise in technology-enabled teaching and training methods that stimulates the growth of the e-learning market.

• The eLearning content keeps updating – The designing of e-learning content was limited to compliance & regulatory tracking. Now, the focus on designing the e-learning content also covers leadership and soft skills training. Isn’t it a drastic change? The LMS trends equip the learners with verbal and non-verbal skills that add weight to your resume. Employers can mitigate the shortage of sizable skill sets and train them to meet the company requirements.

• LMS is enabling data analytics – As per the 2019 Learning Technology Awards, 82 percent of the L & D Managers are planning to add the reporting analytics to LMS. Over 70% of the organizations had undergone a drastic transformation in digital marketing with the right strategies. Today, companies have become more data-driven associated with data accountability.

• LMS are adopting the latest technologies for improved content delivery – The Learning Management Systems is one of the latest e-learning technologies. The LMS designers and content developers have been implementing improvement areas. Now, you get to see the LMS integrated with the technologies like:

• Artificial Intelligence
• Social Learning
• Mobile Learning
• Virtual Reality
• Interactive Video

The LMS trends have already begun to promote user adaptability, engagement, knowledge retention, and skills transfer.

The new LMS trends also deliver better outcomes in training outcomes in the corporates and educational institutions. The LMS trends evolve around drastic changes that would create an impact on corporate training and the future of the LMS industry. The organizations that adapt to the ever-changing LMS trends would deliver optimal training to the employees, which results in higher productivity.

» History of LMS

The Learning Management Systems Technology had come into implementation since the 90s. Even during those times, people used machines to design learning patterns. However, the LMS designing was improvised to the extent of assisting the organizations in delivering the materials efficiently. However, it does not mean that LMS was not useful in the earlier days. The usage of LMS restricted to higher education and the traditional eLearning platforms like:

• Instructor-led courses
• The restricted study materials.

It was only at the later stage; the companies began to develop the software to train their employees.

HR professionals use the Learning Management System Software to track their employees’ training and compliance.

› When did the Learning Management System begin?

• In 1924, Sidney Pressey had developed the LMS in the form of a teaching machine. It was an exclusive technology that looked like a typewriter. However, the device could administer the questions. It had one window that showed the problem, and the other window allowed the user to fill the answer.

• In 1929, M.E. Lazerte designed the Problem Cylinder, intended to present the set of problems to the student, and check their solutions.

• In 1956, Gordon Parks and Robin McKinnon-Wood worked as a team and came out with the first Adaptive teaching system, named SAKI. The machine had automatically adjusted the questions for the learners on their merits. Hereafter, Adaptive Learning began to gain more importance.

• In 1970, Hewlett Packard developed the desktop, which facilitated the LMS to take a new face.

• Robert Eliot Kahn & Vint Cerf developed the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) in 1982. The TCP/IP provides you with a copy when you use the Internet. Known for delivering online learning, the TCP/IP still has a tremendous impact.

• In 1990, SoftArc developed the first Learning Management Software for the Macintosh platform.

• Martin Dougiamas had launched an Open-source internal network, Moodle, in 2002. It has three separate platforms for users like:

• Administrators – are the ones who design the course materials for the teachers & simultaneously takes care of the general settings.
• Teachers – They can manage single or multiple subjects & fill the students’ information on their behalf.
• Students – The technology allows the students to participate in the subjects to which they have access.

The Open-source internal network contains over 60,00,000 users in 65,000 schools, implemented in 216 countries. If you are looking for blended learning, distance education, and flipped classrooms for your organization, Moodle is the answer.

• Eucalyptus launched a Private cloud in 2008. It has allowed the Learning Management System to work online without depending on the installation of an internal network.

• Many companies have come up with modern LMS hosted in the cloud. The companies can operate Cloud LMS without having to install & maintain the in-house systems.

» Difference between LMS, CMS, and LCMS

› Overview of LMS

• The purpose of the Learning Management System is to enable online learning.
• The LMS makes the data and content management easy for the students and the employees to learn and explore new technology.

› Content Management System (CMS)

Are you aspiring to create your blog or website right from scratch? The Content Management System (CMS) helps you to own a website or a blog. The site comprises JAVA, Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), and Cascading Style Sheet (CSS). The implementation of these codes helps you to build an attractive and interactive website.

If you are not too familiar with hard coding, then you can use the Content Management System. You do not need much technical knowledge when you use CMS for building a website. The content management system also allows the users to add, read, edit the content.

› CMS Types

• WordPress – Is an open-source PHP-based CMS, paired with backend databases like MySQL or MariaDB. The WordPress provides you with over thousands of plugins and templates, having a flexible and simple interface at low development cost and deployment time. Many individuals and organizations use WordPress, which has become very common. WordPress helps you to add the following:

• Social media icons to your blogs or website
• Creating membership areas to the users
• And others.

• Drupal – Are you looking for a CMS that provides you with multiple page templates or content types? Well, it's Drupal! It's the Content Management System, equipped to handle your needs. Known for its more advanced features than WordPress, the CMS provides you with the site admins, content editors, and individualized access to private content, and more.

• Joomla – Are you in search of a free and open-source Content Management System for publishing a website content? Joomla provides you with the best platform. Joomla is the right option for creating a website for small and medium organizations. Also, Joomla comes handy when it comes to creating government websites. You can get a massive amount of online extensions like:

• Components – Comprises of mini-applications that cause the functioning of primary elements, content, and menu items.
• Modules – Enables you to add widgets to the components like Footer and Recent added Articles box, placed in the sidebar.
• Plugins – They add more functions like music, video, social media share buttons that enhance your website's performance.
• Templates – Provides you with a set of designs and layouts which you can edit for developing a user-friendly and pleasing website.
• Languages – Joomla also comes to you in various language-translation translation packs and helps you to create a dynamic and interactive website.

› LCMS

Unlike LMS, the LCMS facilitates content creation and delivery with the help of authoring, publishing, delivering, and content measurement. It provides the writers with a centralized location platform to collaborate on projects, in which you can synchronize and reuse the content. The LCMS features you with the following:

• Repository of centralized content.
• It provides you with collaboration on cloud-based projects.
• It gives you flexibility for publishing single-source content through ILT, eLearning, HTML5, AICC, SCORM, and mobile.
• Enables tagged content with metadata that supports personalization by role, product, level, region, and others
• Helps in managing translation and local support.

› How do LMS, CMS, and LCMS are different?

LMS

• LMS helps in assigning, storing, and tracking the training materials designed for the employees.
• The software provides the materials with formatted content.
• LMS is a learner-centric application that emphasizes the way a learner uses the content to deliver on a platform.

CMS

• It creates a framework for content storage and display. The CMS specializes in designing and managing the learning content.
• The CMS helps in selling your applications and generates online revenue.
• A CMS is a data-centric storage system that gives more importance to managing and storing the content.

LCMS

• LCMS stores and organizes the content. It stores and organizes the content like CMS and tracks the learners and employees' performance like LMS.
• LCMS is simple math that provides the ideal experience to the employees.
• An LCMS is an application, designed from the trainers' perspective that serves the concerned person who creates customized content.

» Swapping your LMS

Just as moving to your house is difficult, in the same way swapping your LMS can be a complicated affair. With the advancement of technology, your business would require drastic changes to meet market demands. In such circumstances, the situation would differ in the Learning Management System. Also, you may feel the need for the swapping when your organization outgrows the existing LMS or when you are spending a hefty amount of resources only on its maintenance. However, you would need proper planning before you opt for migration.

› Reasons for switching to a New Learning Management System

1. Lack of a single platform for all types of learning – Though you have the authoring tools like knowledge base, corporate intranet, social media, services for conducting quizzes, the LMS that you have may not provide you with a single platform to meet these demands. If you are looking to club these requirements in a single platform, switching on to the latest LMS would be the right solution.

2. Outdated LMS – If you are using customized software, it has every possibility to get outdated within a short time. To enhance your business, you would need an updated LMS that covers up for designing eLearning content format, mobile learning, and removal of irrelevant collection and reporting of non-relevant metrics. If you have hands-on experience as a developer with sufficient time, it will save your resources. The other two options are to hire a developer to customize your LMS or buy the LMS application from the third-party vendor. Hence, you need to consider the factors before selecting an option.

3. High cost & complex – Are the users struggling to use the LMS and asking the administrators with overwhelming questions? If so, you can avail someone’s help to support the users for giving instructions and video tutorials regarding the use of LMS. The other alternative for you is to shift to a user-friendly platform.

4. The growth of your organization is quicker than your LMS – If your strategy for increasing your business revenue works out quickly, then you would upgrade your LMS. However, if you are handling multiple clients and generating a quick revenue, then you would keep yourself updated on the latest version of your LMS.

› Planning for LMS Migration

If you have decided to upgrade or switch to the New LMS, below are the steps that you should follow:

1. Take the Backup of your data – It’s always good to have a backup of your data, especially when you are migrating to new LMS. It comes handy if in case you lose the data after switching to new Learning Management Software.

2. Revision – Secondly, you need to make sure that you don’t miss out on the critical data while taking a copy to your external drive. It is also essential to analyze whether you require the information according to the latest trends. Here is the list of materials & data for which you should prepare a list.

a. Users: It includes the list of users, employers, trainers, and the administrators who are the part of the organization.
b. Content: Comprises the files on training programs, course materials, and external libraries. The system can also have different content for which you can access the materials & convert them according to the format of your choice.
c. Statistics: Records the results about courses, test scores, past activities, achievements, and certificates. You need to determine the data that you can export to your Excel sheet or CSV files, which you can transfer to new Learning Management Software.

3. Assess the difficulty level of new LMS – Is your system designed only for technically-sound people? If you are technically sound, then you may either create a customized LMS all by yourself. Else, you can make out the simplicity according to look and feel without any hassles.

4. Budget – Each business enterprise would prepare the budget on all their purchases and the salary hikes to the employees. The budget also would depend on the Return on Investment that you earn in your business. However, it is one of the most important aspects while you go for a migration plan.

5. Reviews – The reviews give you a fair idea on which would help you to make a final decision when you purchase a new LMS.

» Get Started with SCORM

› Basic understanding of SCORM

Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) is a unique way of developing an LMS Software & training content compatible with other SCORM conformant systems. It is also a set of technical standards that helps in communication methods and data models that allows you to present the eLearning content with high efficiency.

SCORM also enables the programmers to write a shortcode that runs well with other eLearning applications.

› Why SCORM?

In the global economy, you find different individuals and organizations using SCORM for various purposes. SCORM provides you with interoperability, which enables you to integrate the eLearning content into an LMS. It also becomes easy for the clients to import your content from many sources. Some of the benefits that you can extract from SCORM are:

• Timesaving – SCORM helps in integrating with the vendors within a short time at reduced costs, which otherwise is a time-consuming process.

• Easy Access – SCORM enhances your capacity to track, access, and deliver the instructional components to multiple locations. With the help of plug-and-play functionality, SCORM helps in creating one-time creation courses and distribution to various platforms.

• Easy to adapt – It refers to the tailoring ability to instruct different individuals about the organizational requirements.

• Cost-effective – SCORM proves out to be affordable and economical when it comes to delivering the eLearning content to different locations.

• Interoperable – SCORM provides you with a set of tools or a platform that helps you to transfer the components from one location to another.

• Reusability – You can use SCORM for multiple applications and contexts.

• Better content delivery – With the aid of best and compatible tools, you can deliver better content to the learners, employees, and other organizations. SCORM follows the de-facto industry standards, which means the majority of the platforms will approve the content. With the help of in-built authoring tools, you can make the content more interactive and engaging to the audiences.

› SCORM’s brief history

The American Department of Defense had created SCORM to help people to learn an advanced distributed learning. Even though many have accepted SCORM, it cannot be termed as an open standard when it comes to sharing the content.

• SCORM 1.1 - It is the first version launched in January 2001. However, the application failed to make a mark.

• SCORM 1.2 - It is an Improved version of SCORM 1.1, which many have accepted. The application had solved the issues that the earlier version was facing.

• SCORM 2004 - In the year 2004, SCORM had become more advanced and sophisticated. The developers had designed the app to support the sequences of the content, having different paths that users take.

• SCORM API - Later on, the developers had added the runtime APIs and data models for effective coordination between content objects and LMS.

› SCORM Package

It is an XML-file with the information that you can transfer the eLearning content to a SCORM-compliant LMS.

› SCORM-Compliant LMS

The SCORM rules make the SCORM-compliant LMS behave according to the set SCORM rules. It helps you to upload your course content that works well within a system and allows the users to access your content.

› What are the new things you can do with SCORM?

1. It helps you to extract the final scores of each student by the end of their course.
2. Get the test scores and the points scored in the quiz competition.
3. Check out for the students' answers to each question and practical problems.
4. It helps in calculating the amount of time taken to view the pages.
5. It helps in finding the scores of the students in each module.
6. It helps to view the progress of each student so they can continue at the point they left.
7. Overall status of the students whether they have passed or failed.

› Demerits of SCORM

1. Ever since new learning opportunities have come to the market, SCORM has become an old-fashioned technology. Now, the technology has come up with new eLearning options in which you can access the content handheld devices. Mobile learning is one of the new eLearning options that allows you to view the content even if you are not at home.

2. With the evolution of new technology, the course content can get reformatted. Hence, it would be pointless in using SCORM.

3. There is also a possibility of bugs in some SCORM content, more so in the case of videos in case you are an Apple iOS user. The developers had built SCORM, keeping Flash in mind. However, HTML5 eliminates Flash as you can insert the videos easily into the web page.

4. Even though SCORM saves your time and resources, their cost of authoring tools can be astronomical, especially when some of them have a high learning curve. If you need training as a developer, it adds up to your cost. You can divert the same amount to develop other innovative applications rather than adding full SCORM support.

» What is Blended Learning Model?

› Introduction to Blended Learning

Blended Learning has a dual combination of online educational materials and interaction and classroom methods. It would require the physical presence of a mentor and a student that includes specific elements like control over time, place, and path.

In the case of eLearning, the webinars substitute the classroom methods, which make learning more accessible. On opening the first chapter in your ebook, you can click on the link and follow the instructions on your laptop or any other hand-held devices.

The first scenario comprises a classic learning method, while the second instance describes a modern learning method. Hence, calling Blended Learning as a mixture of traditional and modernized learning methods justifies the answer.

› Blended Learning Types

Blended Learning has different types of models. They are:

• Station Rotation Blended Learning: Are you looking for a blended learning model that allows the students to get an online learning station despite the rotation? In such cases, the students could opt for Station Rotation Blended Learning. Most of the elementary schools adopt Station Rotation as they are moving to different centers to teach the students. Also, they would be more comfortable with the teaching method.

• Lab Rotation Blended Learning: Like the Station method, the Lab Rotation Blended Learning allows the students to move to different stations on a fixed schedule. However, the Lab Rotation Blended Learning restricts the student rotation to an online learning station in a computer lab.

• Remote Blended Learning: Also called Enriched Virtual Blended Training. The students aim at completing the online assignment only while meeting your teacher either intermittently or as and when you need their guidance.

• Flex Blended Learning: Flex is one of the models in Blended Learning in a course or a subject where online Learning contributes a lot in student learning. Even if the student opts for offline activities, they move on an individually customized fluid schedule among learning modalities. In Flex Blended Learning, the records of the teachers are on-site. The students can understand the subject or the course better through the brick-and-mortar campus. The teacher's records or any other adult's record provide you with face-to-face support with flexible and adaptive time via activities like small-group instruction, group projects, and individual tutoring.

• Rational Blended Learning: In a Rational model, some students work in a group while others work on their computers. The pupils rotate in these stations throughout the day.

• Flipped Classroom Model: The students are required to prepare an appropriate content and video at home and do practice at school the next day with teacher/peer support. The Flipped Classroom Model reverses the traditional roles for each space.

• Open Classroom Model: Allows the students to work on their systems under the assistance of their respective teachers. It provides the right solutions to the students when they start working on a computer. However, it would be necessary for the students to motivate them.

› Pros of incorporating Blended Learning

The Blended Learning offers you an independent study and describes eLearning as an integrated or combined learning, having a more traditional classroom setup. The learning approach engages the audiences, which is a good sign for their productive learning experience.

Now, the Blended Learning strategy has attained popularity among the individuals having a unique way of learning as it caters to the needs of the individuals and the organizations with more flexibility and convenience. Hence, every learning strategy has its merits and demerits.

• Provides you with around-the-clock access to training resources – The Blended Learning comprises online resources, digital resources, and time constraints. If you have a reliable internet connection, there is a scope for improving your learning strategies more than the limitations that you may face. The online resources in Blended Learning provide you with 24/7 able assistance. Furthermore, the Blended Learning Strategy also offers you with a public forum where you can gain more knowledge through discussions. You get the first-hand experience from others and the right solution without your instructor's help.

• Personalized training experience – Are you seeking customized training? You can acquire a personalized and individual training through Blended Learning. All participants have different and unique learning capabilities. So, the teaching method differs from one student to another. That's where the instructors need to use a different way of teaching. The purpose of personalized training is to teach the course, subject, or concept from their viewpoint, which the students grasp through Blended Learning.

• Improved communication skills with collaborative Learning – With the help of Blended Learning Strategy, a student can access the resources at their pace. They can improve their communication skills even in the absence of their trainers. The online Learning Platforms provide you a variety of communication tools. Some of them are:

o Email
o News announcements
o Instant messaging
o Online grading tool
o Online discussion
o Drop boxes and
o Others

The communication mentioned above tools provides you with immense flexibility and ensures on-time communication. It also helps the trainers to have an interactive session with the learners, which allows the latter to think out-of-the-box to provide the right solution to real-time problems.

• Helps you to track the participants' skill and performance – The right set of tools in association with your Blended Learning Course helps you to track the performance records of the participants. It helps in quick and convenient data tracking and eliminates unwanted cookies that occur during grading exams. The Blended Learning also offers you with a better option for evaluating an online assessment with an inbuilt grading rubric and instant feedback as an extra feature. The modernized side of Blended Learning also helps the participant to track and access the material. The Blended Learning in a corporate setup helps in tracking the record of employees through digital means.

• Cost-Effective – If you are looking for cost-effective eLearning, Blended Learning helps you to get personalized training at affordable rates. It not only saves your traveling cost but also helps you to compensate for the loss of missed work. In this way, Blended Learning helps you to integrate and organize the events in your training program. You do not require the instructor's presence for eLearning as you have 24/7 access to access your course content.

› Blended Learning from the company perspective

• It reduces costs like interpersonal training, traveling, accommodation, and printed training materials

• The companies can adopt various types of eLearning methods like webinars, gamification, and others that result in better engagement for the learners.

• As Blended Learning reduces the training cost, it results in a quicker increase in the profit margin.

• It helps you to track the status of the course completion of the employees.

› Cons of incorporating Blended Learning

Blended Learning also has some of the disadvantages in store for you.

• Expensive maintenance – When it comes to incorporating advanced technology for Blended Learning projects, the cost of infrastructure setup and devices could become costly. Though the big corporates incur these expenses, they would get the equivalent benefit from Blended Learning in the long run.

• Dependent on Technology – The content developers use the advanced, easy-to-use, and up-to-date technology tools & resources to accomplish the learning objectives of the Blended Learning program. However, the participants are dependent on robust internet connectivity as it creates an impact on the overall learning environment and experience.

• Waste of Resources – If the learners don't understand the technology implemented to develop a learning course, it won't deliver the results that you expect. Also, if the technical tools are not up to the mark or irrelevant to course material, it can backfire in the form of wastage of resources.

» What is self-paced learning?

› Basic understanding of self-paced learning

Self-paced learning comprises a specific and unique method of learning in which the learner can control the amount of material consumption in the course duration. It allows the participants to set their schedule of working in a group according to the instructor.

› Five critical keys to self-paced learning

Here are five of the essential keys for self-paced learning.

1. Tracking the progress shown by the students – A self-paced learning helps the students and provides them with a pacing guide. The purpose of self-paced learning is to assess the students whether they are on par, or do they need extra tuitions to learn the concept.

2. Make a flexible group – Project-wise student grouping helps the students to learn how to work in a team in an organization. You can accomplish the task of setting different teams either on tables or desk groups according to the allotment of the project or assignments. After the students complete one project, they can move to another. Shuffling of the groups helps the students to work in a variety of projects, so they get trained to work outside the friend group. Self-paced learning enables a group of students to shift organically.

3. Include special populations – Using a Learning Management System (LMS) in a particular subject helps you to accommodate the students in learning the international language like English in a discreet manner. In case a student needs extra time, the LMS allows you to adjust the allotted time on quiz, test, or assignment due date for that student. Also, if you have the students who have improved their standards, you can give them an appointment that either contains questions on a test that tracks their progress.

4. Assess the learning curve – Apart from building an individual assignment in each topic, you can also make heterogeneous groups together. It helps the students to work in a small task, consisting of solving authentic problems in a unit. Assigning the students, a mini-lab or multilevel problems in random groups mix the students, so they come out of the comfort zone and move ahead of the suggested pace. It also helps the trainers to assess the learning curve of their students.

5. Moving towards mastery – Encouraging the students to deliver the project on time with uncompromised quality boosts their confidence when they face the interviews and work in an organization. However, you need to follow the process systematically to get long-lasting results. When a student excels in their project, the trainers will get the credit as well.

› Benefits of implementing a self-paced learning

Employees’ viewpoint

• Flexibility – The self-paced learning strategy not only allows the employees to learn the concept or the process at their pace but also gives them the feeling to complete the project within the allocated time. The self-paced learning strategy also benefits employers, enabling them to conduct the training sessions. It also allows you to learn from your mistakes without any feeling of guilt or ego, even if you give an incorrect answer before the entire crowd.

• Retaining more knowledge – A self-paced learning also helps you to maintain your culture and performance of your memory. Furthermore, it also helps with inductive and innovative thinking. Inductive thinking refers to the capacity to comprehend the information and draw appropriate conclusions. Creative thinking enables you to think out-of-the-box to solve real-time problems that arise in a project. Gamification is one such eLearning technique that allows you to participate in loyalty programs and share the progress or results through social media applications or websites. It not only entertains the employees but also makes them learn the new concepts that motivate them to do something concrete for the company.

• Improvised employee experience – When it comes to getting a better employee experience, they would like to get an excellent pay package, work culture, and job security. Every employee would be happy when they have a secured job. When new technology begins to evolve in the market, it will impact the lives of the management and the staff. It would eventually make sense for the companies to provide access to the employees to the materials they should use for working on a project in which they have work experience.

A benefit to the students

• Movement – The students can take as much break as they want to select the materials for their learning activities. They can check-in to answer the questions and gather resources.

• Organization – When the students select the learning materials, it will impact the company to reorganize the training sessions. The organizations would have to prepare the model and work towards accomplishing their dream project. It also helps the students to grasp the natural motions of self-paced learning within a short time.

• More Relevance – A self-paced learning not only enables the students to gather a ton of information but also makes them get the relevant information. The students would indulge in an independent engagement with technical content writing. The students would get to learn more things in the process.

• Instant Results – The students can get immediate results on any project or endeavor when they use their knowledge relevant to the requirements. The self-paced learning aims at providing real-time training to the students so they can work at a faster pace.

• Inference - Self-paced learning not only boosts the student’s confidence but also motivates the corporate employees to deliver the project within the stipulated time. They can use technology daily to get access to online interactives. It gives them limitless opportunities to show what they have learned and gain more knowledge from the projects on which they have worked.

» What is the difference between Synchronous and Asynchronous learning?

› Synchronous Learning

Are you looking for practical education in online or distance education? Synchronous learning provides you the knowledge that you require through various online channels without having to involve in real-time interaction. The synchronous learning comprises online learning like video conferences, telephone conferences, live chatting, and live-streaming lectures.

› Pros

• Classroom Engagement: Are you a learner who believes in active discussion, instant feedback, and personal familiarity? You can get these only through classroom engagement. You can never miss the classroom experience in case of synchronous learning. It also gives you the main difference between the traditional classroom and online setting. Also, you can interact with your colleague through videoconferencing, online lectures, or messenger chatting, making the transition a lot easier.

• Dynamic Learning: A high rate of engagement would be enough to acquire the experience of progressive learning. There is a controversy on online synchronous learning, allowing us to explore dynamic learning through various topics with different ideas and concepts. You can receive the right answers for your questions through video conferences. It also helps you to discourse the debate with your peers and classmates in a quick way.

Synchronous learning also evokes the same accountability and engagement in classroom attendance. If you are looking for a fast pace to face the surrounding competition with complementary ideas, you would undoubtedly experience dynamic learning through synchronization.

• Guarantees you with in-depth knowledge: As synchronous learning helps in regular and frequent interaction with your professors, you get to know them in person. However, you also get an opportunity to have a face-to-face discussion, individual guidance, and establish a mentorship regularly. If you are a student who delivers the best work through accessible and supportive guidelines that would possibly make you an asynchronous learner.

› Cons

• Rigidity: Are you seeking for online learning that does not clash with your unpredictable work schedule? If so, then synchronous learning does not guarantee you with that flexibility. The lecture delivery & discussion in the classrooms takes place only during fixed hours. If you take up nursing or call center jobs, you would be in a fix when it comes to working in rotational shifts. Also, if you are running a house and taking care of your family, it keeps you entirely occupied during the day. Hence, the only option for you is to balance your synchronous learning & personal responsibility with your schedule.

• Technical Issues: Is extensive traveling necessary for your work? If yes, then it could be a severe issue if you opt for synchronous learning. When you travel to remote places, you can face network issues or the internet speed and connectivity, unless you make amends to multiple dongles and personal hotspots. If you have the mobility that would force you to complete your course in weird places like coffee shops, airport terminals, and hotel lobbies, you are sure to carry the laptop wherever you go. However, you would be looking for Wi-Fi access in these locations. In such cases, you would face the possibility of missing an important class or exams because of technical difficulties. Spotty internet, crashing of hard drives, and dying batteries, where you may not even find the right plug point for your adapter for charging your laptop.

› Asynchronous Learning

If you are looking for the time flexibility to improve your knowledge, Asynchronous learning takes place according to your unpredictable routine. In the case of Asynchronous learning, either the instructor or the lecturer would provide you with the materials wherein you can read at your pace and recorded classroom lectures, completing the assignments, and evaluations for your final exams. You get access to meet these requirements in a flexible time frame. Asynchronous learning includes:

o Self-guided lesson
o Modules
o Streaming video content
o Virtual libraries
o Posted lecture notes
o And others

› Pros

• Time Flexibility – Are you finding it difficult to cope up with your taxing schedule and your online learning? Asynchronous learning enables you to go through your materials even during the odd hours. You would receive online materials that you can access during your prime time. Your study material includes the text-based lecture notes which the students would have in their classroom engagement. Besides that, the institute provides you with a self-guided interactive module to which you can refer while you travel by bus or train. If you listen to the recorded lectures through headphones, it will not disturb your child. With the help of Asynchronous learning, you can complete the assignments at your convenience.

• Pacing – It is one of the best features that you can find in Asynchronous learning. Pacing and time-flexibility are inter-related to each other. You can listen to the recorded lectures and read the study materials at your pace. Moreover, you can also complete your assignment at your disposal. Unlike Synchronous learning, you would not face the pressure of meeting the deadline. If you are good at grasping things at a faster rate, you can have a glance over the materials and solve the assignments immediately. Even if it takes a little more time to absorb new concepts, you can review information, take notes, and practice retention without having to worry about the instructor’s speedy lecture delivery to your classmates.

• Affordability – If you have a budget constraint to go for online education, Asynchronous learning comes to you with millions of opportunities at budget-friendly rates. You also have an option to interact directly with the instructors through various modes of communication with high latency. The popular communication modes are email and social media. However, self-guided modules, video tutorials, and virtual libraries would be more than sufficient for a layperson to understand the concepts at minimal fees.

› Cons

• Isolation – When you have an advantage, you also would have to bear the consequences. If you are looking for a personal touch with your peers to discuss the concept or the subject, you will not find that in Asynchronous learning. Even when you listen to pre-recorded lectures or communicate with your classmates through phone, live chat, or video conferencing, you would feel lonely. Also, if you disclose through social media, you wouldn’t get the personal feel.

• Risk of apathy – Though a self-guided environment could be empowering and encouraging, ask yourself whether you are a person capable of learning with the drive. It is not only about pacing yourself to commit and accomplish your personal goals. Passion and enthusiasm also play a critical role for you to learn the subject matter without the lecturer’s guidance. If you are apathetic, it will lead to procrastination to complete your assignment.

›Difference between Synchronous and Asynchronous Learning

Synchronous Learning:

• Comprises a setup of a traditional classroom where you can mingle with your classmates to discuss the subject.
• Synchronous learning allows for instant messaging.
• You can get immediate feedback or answers from your instructors and classmates.
• Synchronous learning allows you to make a phone call to the instructors.
• Synchronous enables to avail of personal training
• You get an opportunity to attend the live webinar owing to rigidity.
• Allows you to work and discuss in a group
• The live webinar takes place at the same time.

Asynchronous Learning:

• If you are unable to attend the classroom, Asynchronous learning will suit your requirements. You can listen to the lectures, recorded in a classroom
• You can communicate with your peers or the lecturers only through email
• You can only send the question and wait for the response.
• You can only depend on the recorded voice message.
• The asynchronous video provides you with the online training courses without live video.
• You can listen to recorded or virtual webinars at a convenient time.
• Asynchronous learning is the best option for self-paced learning.
• You can attend virtual webinars at different times.

› Conclusion

The information that you need for synchronous and asynchronous learning is right in front of you. Now, its’ for you to decide what type of education would suit your requirements.

» What is Online or E-Learning?

› What is the concept of online learning?

Online learning is a form of asynchronous learning, eLearning that happens over the Internet. It is equivalent to distance education.

› History of online learning or eLearning

Earlier, the students who were working to support themselves while pursuing their education were dependent on the correspondence course, renamed as distance education.

Online or eLearning has been prevailing since 1999, where the Computer-Based-Training (CBT) systems seminar had used the trend.

After 2000, the educational institutes began to provide the training through the Intranet. The students could see what the faculties are doing. It has eliminated the disadvantage of the seating arrangement in which tall people would have to adjust their height according to the short people while looking at the board.

› Online Learning Types

• Computer Managed Learning (CML) – In CML online training, the organization uses computers to assess the learning processes. The Computer-managed learning systems extract the information through databases that contain the student details. It includes the number of ranking parameters that enable the system to educate the students according to their preferences.

• Computer-Assisted Learning – It works the same way as the Computer-Assisted Instructions. The CAL refers to another learning trend that uses all the computers together with traditional training. The Computer-Assisted Learning provides education to the students with the help of multimedia like

o Text
o Graphics
o Sound
o Video

People like attractive content, as it would be comfortable for them to understand the concept. The multimedia helps the trainers to enhance learning, which in turn would help them to teach the students.

• Fixed E-Learning – In a Fixed E-Learning, the content does not change the learning process. All the participating students would receive the same information. It comprises predetermined materials in which the teachers don’t change the teaching method according to the student’s perspective.

• Adaptive E-Learning – If you are looking for an innovative type of E-Learning, Adaptive E-Learning provides you the training as per your needs. It considers the parameters like student performance, goals, abilities, skills, and characteristics. The trainers use Adaptive E-Learning tools to provide individual attention to the students.

• Linear E-Learning – Is one of the types in online learning that does not allow two-sided communication between the teachers and the students. In Linear E-Learning, the students receive the training materials through TV and Radio programs.

• Interactive Online Learning – It helps in improving communication skills as it enables the coordination between the senders and the receivers. The 2-way communication channel comprises both parties. In the education field, the teachers and the students can communicate with each other where they can make amendments to teaching and learning methods.

• Individual Online Learning – Refers to the number of students who participate in and achieve their goals. The students depend on the learning materials and study individually to accomplish the learning goals on their own.

• Collaborative Online Learning – If you are interested in undergoing training in a modern method, Collaborative Online Learning serves your purpose. The multiple students set their objective and engage in collective learning to achieve their common learning objective.

» Effectiveness of Online Learning

• Online Learning has become popular in recent times, owing to some of the obvious reasons. However, eLearning courses became famous because of the simple virtue.

• Today many students prefer online Learning so they can balance their studies with their existing responsibilities and commitments.
It also helps the students to learn the subjects, using multimedia content and learning materials. Also, they don’t have to spend their money on traveling.

• All they need to do is to enter their login details and access the learning materials at home or office.

• Online Learning can be useful, depending on the course content.

› What makes online Learning effective?

1. It helps the students to get more knowledge – The students gain control over what they have learned. Also, they can work at their pace. The text, graphics, and multimedia keep the students engaged, so they pay complete attention to understand the concept. The eLearning makes the subject interesting for the students, which makes them surf more information, which makes them creative. Also, online Learning does not narrow you down only to the books.

2. High retention rates – Compared to offline or face-to-face Learning, the online courses have succeeded in retaining over 30% to 70% of the students. Not all readers would read the subject that contains plain text. They would like to see the content with appropriate pictures. Hence, online Learning acquires more retention rates.

3. Consumes less time and money – The time and money spent on traditional courses are more as the students would also have to pay for the tuition fee apart from the study materials. The offline Learning will make to travel a long distance if you are staying far away from that locality. Hence, they also incur traveling costs. In online training, the students only pay for the study materials and other necessary tools. They can learn more things at a lesser time.

4. Frequent assessments reduce distractions – As soon as a student completes and submits the assignment, they receive another task. The students get to understand the concept better through multimedia content and learning methods with some regular mock tests, which keeps the students engrossed in their work. Hence, the chances of getting distracted get less.

5. The greenway to study – Online learning not only a better option for the students but also gives them a better environment. Suppose you are a student who would like to study. According to the sources, universities have found that online courses have gained more weightage than traditional classes. Online Learning with multimedia has made the content more useful for students in the education industry.

6. Tracks the learning patterns – Online Learning also helps the educators track how much the students have learned. It helps you to maintain the student database and helps you to make an analysis, using analytical tools. The researchers use the tools and examine different strategies and select the best one that works out successfully and deliver desired results.

Conclusion

Online Learning has more scope in the future as students can get more information. However, for professional courses, you would require practical experience as well.

› Pros and Cons of Online Learning

Online learning has become widely accepted across the globe. Ever since the Internet has entered into the market, things had changed drastically.

Even though online learning has attained popularity, it has some disadvantages as well.

Pros of Online Learning

• Lower costs: When it comes to cost, online learning will work out cheaper for the mentors as well as learners. Do you think that you would have to pay the hefty amount to buy a computer, internet connection? Well, the amount in which you invest in desktop and internet connectivity would be more economical than purchasing the advanced textbooks, which would become outdated after a specific period. So, opting for the desktop and internet connection would be cheaper for eLearning.

• Convenient and flexible: The employees struggle to balance their job and education owing to their rigid schedule. Online learning provides the employees with flexibility so they can give justice to their work and school. The eLearning would be enough for the employees to grasp the advanced technology owing to the corporate experience. With the help of the correct login details, the learners can work on the allocated assignment at a convenient time.

• Knowledge enhancement: Online learning lets people learn the technology in their prime time according to their speed. If you are looking for more information apart from the materials, you are free to surf the topic and gather more information on the subject.

• Increase in revenue & ROI: According to the analysis, the entire globe has accepted online learning as a source to gain more knowledge. Many people enroll for online courses which increase your revenue and ROI and enhance your business. The research also confirms that e-learners implement their education when they face a practical problem in the organization. The companies also train & mold their employees to meet the project requirements, which increase their net profit.

• Efficient content update: Online Learning, in combination with an LMS, helps you to manage and update the content as & when there is a change in technology. In case of hard copy, the only option for you would be to reprint the material, which would lead you to spend money on stationery, cartridge, and the printing charges. The old book that you have would no longer be useful for you. In eLearning, you can update the content in no time.

• Self-discipline: Procrastination is the foremost hurdle when you opt for online learning. Even the instructors would tend to put off the things till the last moment. When you are preparing for your exams at the last moment, it won’t give you the desired results. Sometimes, you might end up failing in that subject or perform poorly in an assignment. However, if you have the hunger to learn new things, it would teach you to become self-disciplined and devote your time to attain mastery to learn that concept, where you would face the experts with confidence.

Cons of Online Learning

• Requires self-discipline & skills to manage time: If you lack self-discipline, you will postpone the assignments till the last day. The same thing would apply to the employees when it comes to preparing themselves for their online or written tests.

• Isolation: Online learning helps you to gain more knowledge. On the other side of the token, you would also have to have separation, unlike face-to-face learning where you would have a lively group discussion and raising your hand to ask the trainer with questions that come to your mind. The problem might be related to the materials, or it may be out of the topic for which you would eventually get answers to your questions. However, in online learning, you can only send your item to the instructor through email & wait for the reply in case you are unable to get the information through online research.

• Not suitable for all disciplines: How would you learn to drive through online learning or perform surgery if you are a medical student? Well, you wouldn’t like to be a passenger or become a nurse, anesthesiologist, or even a general doctor. Hence, you would need to appear face-to-face before the concerned person.

• Lack of practical exposure: As mentioned earlier, online learning gives you more theoretical knowledge than actual training. The possible experience emphasizes on hands-on-experience to accomplish your tasks. Hence, it cannot transfer practical knowledge like how you play offline. Even when you play a game, there would be a significant difference when you play with your handset & and appear on the ground. No matter how much ever recognition eLearning would have got globally, it cannot substitute or replace the knowledge that you gain through practical experience.

• Heavily dependent on technology: Many young generations enter the company workforce. At the initial stages, the company would train the employees through eLearning to make them understand the project requirements. However, it would be difficult for a computer illiterate to follow the commands or coding part, which would be hard for you to train them. Hence, the employees should be computer savvy to understand the project through eLearning.

› Inference:

Do you still think online learning would eliminate traditional education?

Well, it can’t eradicate traditional learning as the latter does hold the upper hand over the former. So you would have to use your discretion to measure the complexity of your training materials and learn the pros and cons for your benefit.

» The contest between online learning & traditional learning

Online learning has attained popularity owing to the COVID-19 situation. Coronavirus has hit the world in terms of economic growth. However, everyone has to live with it until the scientists find out vaccines or drugs to cure or eradicate the disease. Would the world end? Certainly not! That’s where online learning enables the profit, and non-profit organizations run the show.

Online learning provides time flexibility and comes to you with self-directed study options. The teachers & the students find online learning more feasible. But is online learning more effective than traditional education? Face-to-face learning can’t get eliminated, and it has the edge over the former in some of the aspects.

Face-to-Face learning comes under the category of traditional education. It comes under a typical classroom set up for fixed hours where the students have to attend each session in person.

› How do you differentiate between online learning & face-to-face learning?

› Asynchronous and Synchronous learning

In online learning, you go through the e-books that an organization sends to with the login details. In Face-to-face learning, you see the students and peers/classmates in the classroom. Online learning can be synchronous as well as asynchronous, but face-to-face learning is always synchronous

› Knowledge delivery and facilitating learning

In face-to-face or traditional learning, the instructors do the knowledge delivery and assess each student have understood at a later date. In online learning, the instructors do the work of a facilitator in which they help the students with the material and clear their doubts.

› Teacher and Child-Led Advancement

The online and face-to-face learning have individual components for the student-led and teacher-led syllabus. Online or eLearning lends more support to child-led advancement learning. It allows the students to decide on which topic they would need in-depth information and invest extra time.

› Self-Discipline and Self-Motivation

In online learning, self-motivation is the only way where you can succeed. You don’t be under any pressure to complete and submit the assignment as no one keeps track of you. In Face-to-Face learning, you need to be punctual to attend the lectures, which require self-discipline.

› Evaluating the performance

Both online & face-to-face learning have their way to assess the performance of the students. The instructors assess the performance using the means like:

• Assignment submission
• Conducting tests, exams, and quiz competition
• Allotting the points for participation

However, in online learning, the instructors find it more challenging to measure participation and class attendance.

› Environment

In face-to-face learning, the instructor sets the pace while the students can set the deadline in online learning.

› Reading

Face-to-face learning confines only to textbooks and other traditional materials. The online learning you also get supplemental materials, online discussions, 2-way communication between teachers and students, and others.

› Discussions

In Face-to-face learning, discussions happen personally between the instructor and the students. In online learning, conferences take place through written and researched responses.

› Assessments

In face-to-face examinations, the students get monitored at a specific time. In online tests, you find the timed screens that may get recorded. You find more time flexibility in online exams.

» Best practices used for online/eLearning

In previous topics, you would have got a fair idea about online learning. Though online education has become the preferred source, it has reached the pros and cons. In this topic, you will learn about the best practices that students have to implement for completing the course successfully.

› What are the practices that the learners should use for online learning?

When it comes to learning the new concept or preparing for your exams, some of the things remain constant. Here are some of the common factors that you need to consider.

• Preparation – is playing a vital role, whether you are an instructor or a student. The question is what you do for preparing as a student and a trainer. If you are a student, you would have to study all the chapters as you wouldn’t know what the questions you may have to answer are. A teacher, on the other hand, would have to answer the questions that a student asks. You can also expect out-of-the-box problems. Preparation helps the instructors as well as the students.

• Design a learning material – When you prepare or design a study material, make sure that readers navigate the content without any difficulty. Also, you need to ensure that the links that you provide are active and up-to-date. Fragment the text into small sentences and make the paragraph readable. Bullet points, numbers, videos, and images come handy for the students as well as the instructors. Model questions boost the confidence of the students to fare well in the exams or crack the job interviews.

• Lending customer support – If the learner is unable to open the link, you need to examine ask for the broken or inactive link so you can replace that link, which opens the relationship of the online study material. All customers prompt & efficient customer support. In the education industry, educational institutes treat the students as their customers. Adding the contact information to the course or exam introduction page helps the student to contact the concerned person directly. The course content should not be too straightforward or too tech for the pupils.

• Set the realistic target – If you have selected online learning from the student perspective, it would be essential for you to set a realistic goal. However, online education gives complete freedom and flexibility to the students. It would depend on how seriously they will take to complete the course so they can take up a job.

• Select the conventional and effective teaching methods – The understanding level differs from one student to another. So, you need to design the course content such that any layperson or tech-savvy can understand.

• Analyze the results – After the students meet their goals or go through the training stages, they can analyze the statistics and results. The analysis not only shows your strengths and improvement areas. It also helps in giving feedback to the teachers on their improvement areas like teaching methods, study materials, and others. The student can also communicate with the management and suggestions on improving the infrastructure.

• Adjustments – After receiving the feedback from the students, you can make amendments to online courses with the help of a learning management software.

» Mobile Learning or M-Learning

Now that smartphones and Wi-Fi have entered the market, many users get glued to their handsets. Earlier, mobile phones were considered a luxury. But when the days passed, the same handsets have become a necessity. The smartphones not only support the conversation with your family and friends but also helps in online shopping, ordering food, playing games, booking the cabs, and so on.

When it comes to M-Learning, you can access the learning content through mobile devices, even if you are not carrying the laptop.

› About Mobile Learning

Mobile Learning or M-Learning is a learning activity that uses smartphones or any other handheld device to access the content. The M-Learning seeks for the mobile devices that have the ubiquity and unique potential to design study materials for the according to the industry standards. It would give the unique learning experiences to the students & engage them with up-to-date content.

› Impact of M-Learning on corporate training

The M-Learning impacts corporate training with some of the outlined advantages:

• Ultimate Flexibility: Mobile Learning offers you full freedom where you can complete your practice wherever you are. It also gives you an option to redirect the training time outside busy hours. As a learner, you can extract information whenever the support work tasks require.

• Portability: Mobile phones are lightweight compared to laptops. In mobile learning, you can log in to your online resources with your credentials and access the information. You can solve the assignments and take part in fun activities like a quiz on your smartphone.

• Learning empowerment: Mobile Learning can also work as a learner-centric solution and controls the participants to manage the training requirements. It gives you a unique educational experience.

• Higher engagement rate and collaboration: According to the research, people share and collaborate their ideas with the right person. With mobile learning, you can integrate the apps and social media, using any handheld device to communicate with your peers about your training. You can also share your training and experience to retain the engagement rate.

• Increased Return on Investment: If you are looking for an increased ROI, mobile technology can generate leads which you can easily convert to sales. M-learning extends the training and nullifies the future of employment-population who use mobile phones during production hours.

• Real-time feedback: Mobile learning helps in giving a speedy input that you receive from your team. As the employees can access your shared content, you can expect more positive feedback so you can strengthen the improvement areas on the training courses to generate quick results.

› Disadvantages of mobile or M- Learning

• Distraction – Many times, mobile phones can cause disturbance makes you lose your focus on your learning and work. If the users constantly interrupt with text messages and notifications, then you would require to use the handset at your discretion so you can focus on essential matters.

• Limited internet connection – Your mobile would have a Wi-Fi connection as long as you are within 100 meters of the range. Once you move out, you would have to either use the hotspot or use the Wi-Fi when you are traveling by car or sitting in the café. In the case of a mobile hotspot, you can lose the internet connection when you receive a phone call.

• Small Screen – Mobile learning would not work well for specific content that you wish to share. When you write on technical topics, you may not get clear images on a small screen.

» Induction Training using LMS

› Introduction to Induction training

The Human Resources Department uses the term Induction training. They start with the introduction of the selected candidates who have entered the board as employees. After the self-introduction, HR collects the credentials from the new hires.

› Salient Features of the induction training system

• The management creates awareness about the organization’s policies, aims, and objectives.
• HR Manager designs the training strategy for shaping the employees’ approach and development.
• Draft the presentation on the company’s way of working.

› Aims and objectives of induction training

The induction program welcomes the recruits with open arms into the organization. The HRD provides them with confidential information before they begin to work. The goals and objectives of induction training are:

• Make the employees feel at ease – The recruits would be in a honeymoon period with the organization. The team leader or manager would be mentoring the recruits about the project. In some cases, the company hires the trainer through the internal job posting to reduce the load of a team lead or manager.

• Create a friendly, positive, and cordial atmosphere – The management expects the desired results from the employees. The employees, in turn, would expect a decent pay package and a good work culture from their employers. Hence, HR’s duty to ensure that employees get a friendly, positive, and cordial atmosphere.

• Create a feeling of being a part of the company’s family - The HR department and the management provides all the facilities to the employees like perks, breaks, recreation, transportation, gym, and others. In some of the organizations, the employees would also find a big LCD in the cafeteria, so they become aware of the incidents taking place in the nation.

• Build the employees aware of the organization’s policies and procedures – The primary purpose is to make the employees adhere to the company’s guidelines if the employees are aware of the possible threats if they fail to adhere to the rules and regulations.

• Share company values with the employees – The recruits have the right to know the company values, so they give due respect to the organization.

• Sharing the work-related information – The project supervisor makes the new employees sit beside their seniors to observe how they work. It would give them an idea on how to tackle the real-time problems they are going to encounter. Hence, they find the appropriate solution according to the information acquired during the training period.

› The intervention of LMS in induction training

Are you looking for an LMS that helps in the induction training? Corporate LMS is the answer. The HR Manager presents the following during the induction training through LMS in the following ways.

• New Hire Orientation – When you think about LMS in induction training, a corporate LMS would be the best application for the said program. All you need to do is to design the core training program and provide them with the new onboard employees. The HR Manager would share the following company details.

• Company’s history
• Mission Vision & Values
• Corporate policies
• Corporate culture
• Structure of the organization
• Leadership team
• Products & Services
• Key Partners & Clients

• Pre-process training: The HR Manager conveys the pre-process training with the help of LMS & monitors their performance.
Process training: The employees get the training either from a corporate trainer, team leader, or manager.

• Performance: The performance of the employees gets evaluated from the time they start working on the floor.

• Leave policy: The employees would have to adhere to the guidelines.

› Pros and Cons of Induction Training

The HR Manager of the company conducts an induction training program for the selected candidates. When the employees join a large organization, the company would be happy to share the information with the recruits. The objective of conducting an induction program is to integrate the selected candidates. When an employee has joined the company, the HR Manager must make them understand the systems and procedures that an organization follows.

› Pros of induction training

• Saves your time and money: Induction training is the first step for the new employees. The Human Resources Manager shares the company’s information to the employees, required to resume their duties. Once the employees understand the induction training, they can adjust themselves to their new roles and deliver the desired results quickly. In this way, the organization saves a lot of time and money.

• Operational efficiency: If the induction training program covers all the aspects and answers the queries satisfactorily, the employees get used to the company’s vision and work culture. It also enables the employees to understand their role in accomplishing the company’s goals. A healthy competition among the employees enhances their productivity and efficiency.

• Make the new employees feel special: An excellent induction training program welcomes the employees with open arms. It aims at clearing the employees’ doubts about the organization’s functionality. The employees would feel special as the company makes them comfortable.

• Better communication skills: Induction training programs also encourage 2-way interaction, which enhances communication skills. The introduction of the new employees is a part of induction in which they directly coordinate with their direct supervisor, team leads, managers, and directors.

› Cons of induction training

• Inclusiveness & Legitimacy: When a new manager joins the organization, the person would have to introduce themselves to other managers and peers. As a result, the recruit as a manager would learn more about the company than any other existing employees working under them. Also, it confirms that a new manager is a part of management, and it would make them feel they are superior to others and are worthy of that post.

• Forced Introduction: It depends on the way a new employee gets introduced to the staff and the managers, right from the interview process. Many organizations make use of panel interviews & include the managers and staff in the selection process. Such a process would be considered a consensus approach in the hiring process. If there is no formal agreement between the employer and the employee in the round-robin fashion, the employee’s introduction, there are possibilities that it would backfire.

Summary

The LMS got introduced in 1990. It is an application that makes the organization work systematically to get better deliverability. Each organization selects or develops the Learning Management Software according to the requirements. It covers online and offline learning for students and corporate employees. The LMS benefits profit and non-profit organizations in terms of induction training, blended learning. Synchronous and asynchronous learning shares the similarity between online and face-to-face education. The LMS, if installed in the smartphone, would be more feasible as the organizations can gauge their staff closely.