LMS (Learning Management System) or learning platform -- What is it?

An LMS, also called a learning platform, training platform, or e-learning platform, is a digital environment for managing training and its participants. It is used in schools, but also within companies for internal training or corporate courses.

An LMS serves as a tool for distributing digital courses and managing all related aspects, as well as for tracking the learning that takes place.

• Login -- with personal login credentials, you ensure that the right course participants can securely access the right information, while keeping sensitive course material away from unauthorised users.
• Course management -- so you can create new courses and update existing ones.
• User management -- both in terms of assigning courses to users and tracking who has completed what, as well as managing the users themselves: how to create users, import multiple users at once, or export options.
• Follow-up -- it is important to be able to track learning, generate reports both for your own use and for reporting to other stakeholders such as managers, clients, etc.
• Integration capabilities -- because today it is so important that all our digital systems can talk to each other, so we do not have to do the same work multiple times.
• Automation -- to minimise unnecessary manual work.

How do you choose the right learning platform or LMS?

It is not easy to know what to look for based on your specific needs and requirements for a learning platform. There is a lot to consider, and traditionally it has been associated with long contract periods and setup fees that make it costly to try different options.

Beyond cost, functionality requirements also come into play. These naturally differ from case to case, but below we have gathered some important points to consider when choosing a learning platform.

Functionality requirements

Most learning platforms have a roughly similar set of core functionality covering the points we presented above. They may look slightly different in how they work, but they aim to achieve approximately the same overarching goals. The difference lies in the details.

When looking for a learning platform, it is therefore important to look at what is offered, understand the differences between various systems, and define what is important for you specifically. If you are training your customers through the system, you may have different needs than if you are training your employees. Are you prepared to do more manual work, or do you want extensive automation? Does the user management work in a way that makes it easy for you to create a structure and hierarchy that matches the rest of your organisation?

Once you have a list of what is important to you, it is a good idea to review it once more and define what are actual requirements versus what would simply be nice to have. More often than not, you will need to compromise on some point on the list.

How many users?

Most learning platforms have a licensing model that is somehow tied to the number of users. For example, our model is based entirely on the number of users, where the actual user count in a given month is the only factor that determines the monthly cost -- and it follows the exact number from month to month without you having to do anything.

Other systems have different tiers where you need to commit to a level, for example between 300-500 users, and then pay a somewhat higher cost per user who falls above that. That can certainly work too if you know how many users you will have from month to month and are willing to commit to it.

Another important aspect when looking at user counts and the licensing model is to make sure the tier you end up on also includes all the functionality you need. It is quite common for learning platforms to limit functionality for those on their lower user tiers.

What is the purpose of the learning platform?

If you want to sell training, you will need certain features in the platform that are not needed if you are only using it for internal training. If you want to use the platform for compliance training, you may need a different type of follow-up and reporting than if the training is more general.

So when it comes to choosing a learning platform, it is a good idea to define your primary purpose, then add on any other areas where you could see the system being useful. It is not uncommon to start with internal training and then realise that digital courses could also benefit your customers by increasing customer value or reducing support needs going forward.

How many courses, and how large?

This question is important partly to understand how course management should be handled. If you are going to have many small courses, you may need a more streamlined way to assign courses to the right users at the right times than if you are going to have a few larger courses for all employees.

Will you want larger course programs where access to courses is triggered by completing the courses on the previous level, or do you want courses to be more standalone?

Existing course material or starting from scratch?

If you are starting from scratch, it is important to look at how courses are created for the learning platform. Do you want a system with a built-in authoring tool? Do you want to use an external authoring tool? Or do you want, like with Evercate, to skip authoring tools entirely and produce video clips and self-study materials in the software you are already comfortable with, then just package the final step in the platform?

If you have existing material, other questions immediately arise. How was the material created, and can it be easily uploaded to the learning platform? If you have courses created using older standards like SCORM, you need to decide whether you want to continue with them or whether it is time to redo them.

Another aspect to consider is who will produce the courses. Do you want to do it yourself, or outsource the work? Today, it is quite easy to create an effective course on your own, as you have the technology you need readily available (a computer and a mobile camera go a long way). If you prefer to outsource course creation, you should consider whether you want to pay a bit more for a dedicated e-learning producer or go with a different production agency.

Cost?

We have saved one of the most important questions for last. What is the budget? Unfortunately, all your wishes do not always match what things actually cost, so the budget can often be a major factor in the decision.

Beyond the monthly cost itself, which is usually based on the number of users, number of courses, or similar metrics, it is important to look at the costs surrounding it.

• Are there setup costs to get started with the LMS you want?
• What do the contract terms look like?
• What does it cost to exceed the user count you have committed to?
• Is support included or does it cost extra?
• What are the costs if you want to request a feature that is missing from the system?

Many times, the small surrounding costs of a system can add up to a bigger surprise than you were prepared for. On top of that come costs for creating the content, if you choose to purchase that service as well.