Growth poised organizations are investing more in corporate training and implementing customized Learning Management Systems (LMSs) to make their employee training an automated process. A recent survey report shared by Software Advice states, “Almost 96% of stakeholders accept positive effect on the ability to track learners’ progress.The majority of LMS users also accept that it delivered positive impact over employee retention, job performance and engagement.”
Measuring the effectiveness of employee training and development is a continuous process; LMS helps to know the effectiveness and the ways to improve the training deliverance.
Difference between LMS and e-Learning:
eLearning is a broad term referring to online availability of learning material. It is a cost-effective training method widely adopted by the organizations to keep the employees updated with the latest developments in terms of advent of new technologies, new ways of strategy implementation, process improvement, filling skill gaps etc. As the training content is available online, so, the training consistency is easily manageable and becomes affordable.
LMS is the advanced format of e-Learning that fulfills more expectations of learners. It is a learning platform that delivers learning material with manageable access to a variety of tools. Through this, organizations are able to effectively manage the training and development of learners, thereby enhancing their engagement quotient as well. LMS facilitates the sharing of content to a particular group of employees. As the learners interact with each other through the learning platform, they get a unique feeling of being part of the elite community.
Any LMS learning is e-Learning but not all the e-Leanings are necessarily LMS; the vast difference makes the LMS a preferred choice over e-Learning for corporate training.
Benefits of LMS for Corporate Training:
- Availability of training content at one location:
LMS allow storing and management of all the training materialsin one location, i.e cloud server. Thisreduces the risk of data loss. It allows developing own training material as per current needs. Cloud-based LMS is stored on a remote server; therefore, any authorized member can access the desired information anytime from anywhere.
- Freedom for unlimited access:
Once you upload and publish the training content on to LMS, the concerned employees have unlimited access to any part of information irrespective to their location. Even the latest information made available can be accessed via Smartphone and tablet to incorporate the learning in the ongoing task; hence, the employees don’t need to wait until the next training session to get updated about the latest developments.
- Measurement of learner’s performance is possible:
The advanced LMS supports to track the learner’s progress; the measurements ensure that the learners are benefited to perform the best. If a learner doesn’t seemsto progress as per expectations, he/she can use supplemental resources to improve theirlearning and thereby improve their performance. The advanced LMS features like AI-based analytics and reporting tools allow the training masters to pinpoint the areas of improvementas well as the areas where the learner excels. If the majority of learners seem struggling with a particular subject, the content can be re-assessedto make necessary modifications.
- Reduces Learning &Development (L&D) cost:
Cost plays an important role in decision making for corporate training. The LMS eliminates the instructor travelling cost, rents of training space, and the cost of printed material etc.. Learners can carry all the training material wherever they go. Cost saving has proved a powerful driving factor for increasing popularity of LMS for corporate training.
- Reduces Learning time:
LMS reduces the time required to learn a specific skill. The users can access a particular part of the information that they need because the training content is uploaded in easy to explore categories with headings and sub-headings. Instead of attending a complete training program, the learners can click on the specific module where they get the relevant information. In addition, they can assess their knowledge level by participating in online exams, quizzes, interactive sessions etc.
- Helps the organizations alter processes according to the latest compliance regulations:
Compliance laws are ever changing; therefore, organizations need to make changes in ongoing practices.LMS is an invaluable tool to update the training content according to the changed regulations. LMS simplifies the task to make the corporate learners aware of the latest compliance rules to avoid possible penalties.
- LMS goes beyond the e-Learning boundaries:
Using LMS is beneficial for trainers and learners both because it goes beyond the traditional learning boundaries. The course and content can be expanded up to any extent encompassing new trends, new technologies, management practices, problem-solving methods, data-based case studies, research studies etc. The content creators don’t need to change the entire content or eLearning module but the changes can be made at a particular point. The updated information can be forwarded to concerned employees also.
Eight Essential Features Corporate Training LMS Must Have:
The success of LMS for corporate training depends upon its users’ friendliness and technical excellence. Here’s a list of eight key features that a corporate training LMS must have to deliver as per collective expectations:
- Online progress assessment
- Compliance management
- Single Sign-on allows the employees to use the same authentication as they use for other LMS
- Branding – for corporate culture strengthening
- User feedback
- Course development
- Multimedia compatibility
- Security
Concluding Note:
Outsourcing the perfect cloud-based LMS is the only way to enhance the benefits of e-Learning. Using free trials and evaluating the features and cost is the only way to fix the essentials for the best suitable LMS. Reviews shared by the users on social media platforms also help to decide right. List down your specific requirements pertaining to functionalities, budget, needs, employees’ learning behavior, expected benefits etc., and outsource the best developed LMS just for your organization.
Author Bio:
Aditya Khanna is a part of the http://www.centumlearning.com/ team and focuses on finding innovative ways of improving brand visibility and client acquisition using inbound marketing channels.
