Learning Management System

By: Mohamed Naseer, Post graduate Diploma in teaching

What is a learning management system?

A learning management system (LMS) is a software application or Web-based technology used to plan, implement, and assess a specific learning process. Typically, a learning management system provides an instructor with a way to create and deliver content, monitor student participation, and assess student performance. A learning management system may also provide students with the ability to use interactive features such as threaded discussions, video conferencing, and discussion forums.

LMS - Learning Management System. 

Learning- because you use it to deliver education courses or training programs. 



Management- because it helps you organize these courses (create them, change them, assign them to students, grade them, etc).

System- is just a fancy word that translates to "software". An LMS is a computer program.

Just like Word helps you write documents and Gmail helps you manage your emails, an LMS is a software program that helps you create, manage and deliver eLearning courses.

An LMS is the "engine" that powers eLearning, and in the most common form it consists of two separate parts:

- A server component that performs the core functionality (creating, managing and delivering courses, authenticating users, serving data and notifications, etc.)

- A user interface that runs inside your browser as a web (like Gmail or Facebook), that is used by administrators, instructors and students.    

What are they using an LMS for?


An LMS can be used for all kinds of learning activities. But it is also an invaluable business tool, one that has been embraced by enterprises and organizations big and small.

Here are some of the most common use cases for an LMS platform:

Employee training -The need to train new employees or teach existing employees new skills is a constant, whether you are an insurance company, a scooter factory, a hospital or a government organization. With an LMS you can cut down on costs and eliminate business disruptions associated with traditional learning, by letting your employees study the material online and at their own pace. With eLearning, we can gain better insights on their employees' progress with integrated monitoring and reporting tools.


Employee orientation-The all important task of onboarding a new hire can be automated and handled easily by an LMS. You still get to greet them and give them a tour around the office, but all the rest they can study at their own pace (and refer back to it, whenever they need). An onboarding course can include all the stuff nobody pays much attention to (the message from the CEO, the company's history, etc.), as well as the all-important detailing of their role and responsibilities, information about career advancement opportunities and benefits. It is also a good place to educate your new hires of your company's employee conduct code, privacy guidelines, and race/sexual harassment policies.


Knowledge retention- A knowledge retention program ensures that valuable skills, techniques and information stays with your company when your employees leave or retire.It is also a good fit for an LMS platform, as you don't want this valuable information to just sit in some document management system that nobody ever checks, but to have it available at all times to train new employees or people coming from other departments.



Education- An LMS is a good fit for general educational offerings. It could be a school selling online lessons, a traditional educational institution supplementing its classroom based courses, a business educating its clients, or even a government agency or NGO helping educate the general population. In all these forms, and many more, eLearning is here to stay, to the degree that it might be the very future of learning.

What does an LMS do?

An LMS lets you create eLearning content (lessons), organize it into courses, deliver the content (either internally to your business or to a wider internetaudience), enroll students courses and,finally, monitor and assess their performance (attendance, grades, etc.). 

A Learning Management System (or LMS, as they’re often called) allows trainers to use software to help distribute and manage huge amounts of learning material to pupils in a classroom, office, or just about anywhere. And with many cloud-based LMS programs, modifying courses and scaling them up or down is fast and easy.

Whether hosted on a company’s internal server or in the cloud, Learning Management Systems allow trainers to rapidly reach and monitor pupils in a way that’s never before been possible. And with the potential for integration with pupils’ other networks — from online calendars to colleague groups on social media sites — along with other advances in user-oriented Web applications, LMS continues to grow and evolve.

Common Features of a Corporate LMS
Automatic enrollment: Logic within an LMS which registers and reminds employees for mandatory courses.

Enhanced Security: Many corporate LMS solutions have single sign in, advanced authentication and firewalls to ensure data security.

Whitelabeling: The ability to create online training content that aligns with a company’s brand

Multi Lingual Support: In a globally distributed company, many employees or partners need training in their native languages. A corporate LMS allows training in multiple languages.

Advantages of LMS
Easily adapting and reusing materials over time.
More choices for creators of curriculum, such as method of delivery, design of materials, and techniques for evaluation.
Creating economies of scale that make it less costly for organizations to develop and maintain content for which they used to rely on third parties.
Improvements in professional development and evaluation, allowing companies to get more value from human resources while empowering individuals with additional tools for self-improvement.

Benefits of Learning Management System
These systems offer students and teachers the ability to interact with video conferencing, threaded discussions, and forums. They also facilitate administration and course documentation. They track and report on events too. These systems can be used in regulated industries to host compliance training and educational institutions can use it to enhance their classroom teaching. There are more and more courses being offered through learning management systems that provide students around the world access to education.
But what are the main benefits to integrating learning management systems?

Benefit #1: Centralized Learning
The first benefit to using a learning management system is it offers a centralized source of learning. This means that the training, performance, and development content are offered at all times from the same source. Multiple users can access the information at any given time. These systems ensure consistency in the evaluation and delivery of the material, meaning every user sees the same content through the same manner. These systems let the user design customized training modules that can be used to introduce new equipment, update equipment, or modify operating procedures.

Benefit #2: Tracking and Reporting Features
The second benefit to using a learning management system is that you can enhance performance through tracking and reporting tools. Progress of new users can be tracked, records can be reviewed, and users can register for more than one course. Employers are able to offer the courses through web-based training, webinars, and other forms of instructor-led training. Management can then access the records of those who participated to analyze which areas need improvement. The learner can now put in additional efforts in the areas that are difficult for them, because learning management systems give users the ability to manipulate their learning pace.
(With an LMS, you can report your learners scores from ready to use eLearning Game Templates and develop faster than ever before.)

Benefit #3: Evaluation Capabilities
The third benefit to using a learning management system is that it allows users to be evaluated before they take the course, while they are in the course, and when they finish the course. This means that employers can evaluate their retention levels through periodically scheduling assignments. They can then review the records to determine the levels of success. In educational settings, students can review their personal performance based on quizzes and tests that are administered by the professors.

Benefit #4: Easy Upgrades
The fourth benefit to using a learning management system is that the content and information in the course can be easily upgraded. Because the learning management system offers a centralized location for information, it is simple to make a change to the forms, requirements, product descriptions, or specifications. Users will get the same upgraded information at the same time.

Benefit #5: Simplified Learning Process
The fifth and final benefit to using a learning management system is that it simplifies the learning process. The systems are easy to use and new users can figure everything out easily. The systems accommodate multiple features including recording and tracking, documentation and administration, as well as classroom learning. These systems are affordable alternatives that offer scalable and personalized platforms for learning. They deliver integrated and enriched learning experiences for the users that expound upon virtual learning and collaboration modules.
Overall, these are just the top five benefits to using a learning management system. There are many, many more and it is important that companies and educational institutions alike consider all of the benefits before they being complete integration of the systems.




Components of LMS

Rosters: A digital roll call sheet for tracking attendance and for sending invitations to class participants.

Registration Control: The ability to monitor and customize the registration processes of e-learning curriculum.

Document Management: Upload and management of documents containing curricular content.

Multiple device access: Delivery of course content over web-based interfaces such as desktops, phones or tablets.

Distributed instructor and student base: Remote participation by the instructor or pupil allows courseware to feature multiple teachers or experts from across the globe.

Course calendars: Creation and publication of course schedules, deadlines and tests.

Student Engagement: Interaction between and among students, such as instant messaging, email, and discussion forums.

Assessment and testing: Creation of varied knowledge retention exercises such as short quizzes and comprehensive exams


Grading and Scoring: Advanced tracking and charting of student performance over time.

Why Do You Need A Learning Management System?
A learning management system is a robust software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting and delivery of eLearning education courses or online training programs. LMSs can range from systems for managing training and educational records to software for delivering online or hybrid college courses.

Choosing a learning management system can be costly and time-consuming for many businesses and professionals. These are a few common organization requirements when seeking an LMS.

Administration – The ability to easily manage and administer the learning function including classroom, enrollments, course catalog, instructors, and more.

Facilitating Learning – You must be able to facilitate, manage, and build all eLearning programs and courses.

Company-Wide Solution – The LMS can be used throughout the entire company, rather than only for the learning/training department.

Anywhere 24/7 Access – Most LMSs are web or cloud-based applications that allow you to access your eLearning and training courses anywhere, anytime.


While most learning management systems can accomplish all of these organization requirements, there are a few additional features and advantages that can determine whether or not your organization needs an LMS. They are;

  1. Consistency of Training.
Training and course delivery via an LMS is consistent since it is centralized. It delivers a consistent training and learning quality to all employees by supplying a single source for content, course materials and instructions.

   2. Tracking and Reporting.
LMSs allow the company or organization to easily generate training reports on an overall or user/student level basis. By utilizing an LMS for your eLearning courses and/or online training, you can easily track goal progress, knowledge gains, ROI, and more.



  3. Meet Regulatory Compliance.
Many industries may be required to train, assess, and report for compliance purposes. Just a few of these industries are Oil and gas industries, Pharmaceuticals, Communications, and Building and construction. If you are within one of these industries, an LMS can help you satisfy these legal and regulatory requirements.
   4. Cost Savings
Training and teaching via an LMS reduces employee travel, optimizes training expenditure and usage, and minimizes facilities and instructors to pay. From the cost savings aspect, an LMS is a no-brainer.

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Reference: elearningindustry.com,
                    www.mindflash.com,
                    www.talentlms.com