E-learning is the primary means of professional development for 77% of U.S. organizations as per the eLearning Statistics, 2016 stats. Nowadays, a learning management system (LMS) is the means of performing e-learning within many organizations.
Now, let’s talk about the top 10 LMS features that organizations should consider for comprehensive e-learning programs in 2024!
1. Course Content Creation and Management
The LMS system usually has content creation and management inbuilt tools but not all of them have course creation features. The LMSs that lack course creation then allow you to create course content on the third-party platform and then import them back into the LMS system. But the best learning management system like MapleLMS offers inbuilt tools for course creation.
2. Gamification
The LMS platforms that have features like badges, leaderboards, and gamified courses with levels make the learning experience more engaging and interactive for the learners. When online learning platforms include gamification, the learners are more keen on learning and their productivity also increases, thereby making your organizations gain more profits.
Overall, these gamification features make the boring subjects grasped faster with more knowledge growth, completion rates, and increased engagement as well by the employees.
3. Mobile-first Learning
The elearning LMS platforms these days are made to be mobile-friendly or either they have apps designed for both iOS and Android. The employees can use the learning management systems on mobile devices and continue their learning from anywhere at any time. They can find it handy even to learn offline when LMS platforms like MapleLMS provide that feature.
The flexibility it provides to the employees to access the training materials from their own devices like tablets, mobile phones, etc. makes it easier to follow their regime of learning in their unique ways. The hybrid employees’ team working in different locations could find their training easier to handle, especially for the certification programs.
4. Social Learning
The training becomes more fun for the employees when they are working in teams and they can share their knowledge with each other. The top learning management system like MapleLMS incorporates social learning with forums, groups, feedback, chats, and surveys. This only ever improves the learning capabilities of the employees working together in the same organization making instructors feel less burdened.
The feedback and forums allow the employees to learn more about the topics they are not sure about or ask direct questions to other learners or instructors for more clarity. It also enhances the interaction between colleagues and instructors for more effective networking.
5. Blended Learning
Blended training courses can be designed within an LMS with both online and in-person virtual training for the employees. Your organization can decide which format to use based on the location, schedule, and learning style.
The blended programs serve as a different approach to the existing training programs for each setting. For instance, you can add a tutorial video in an online lesson to showcase live or your employees can take part in online role-play simulations to practice what they have learned so far in person.
6. In-built Reporting and Analytics Tools
Using an LMS for employee training acts as a common platform for administrators and team managers to track their employees’ involvement, completion, and progress so far. The dashboard of reporting and analytics should be able to be customized and shown with detailed visualizations and charts. It also has additional features such as individual progress tracking, and check-in data.
7. Personalized Assessments
The training programs designed for employees whether optional or necessary, adding exams and quizzes in the training courses are an efficient way to check the knowledge and skills of the employees. The administrators can also assign in-built assessments and even allow self-evaluation.
8. Various Integrations
Every organization has its unique requirements when it comes to training programs for its employees. Your organization will require various LMS integrations like LMS integration with CRM and e-commerce platforms like Shopify, etc. when your company is product-based for instance.
Many LMS platforms can also integrate with other communication and collaboration tools like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Slack so that you can design blended and interactive learning experiences. There are also integrations with popular CRM, Salesforce, and on-the-job training.
9. Accreditation and Certification
Many LMSs have the functionality to give certification and accreditation to the employees after completing their courses. This also marks that employees are completing their programs and how skilled they have become after their training.
Having these LMS features to manage accreditation and certification within the system itself also increases government compliance by exporting learners’ completed or pending certificates in a single spreadsheet. Being able to track your employee’s skills and certifications received makes you see the progress in your training programs.
10. Asynchronous Learning
The best LMSs have the ability to make the training asynchronous depending on each of the employees’ learning speed and method. They don’t have to join in when the instructors are giving online lectures or follow a particular schedule for their training.
The efficient LMSs allow you to add and manage training videos, online recorded webinars, and forums to discuss with colleagues or instructors that make training material impactful.
Conclusion
In conclusion, advanced LMS features are necessary given the development of e-learning. Every aspect, from designing courses to creating customized tests, from gamification to accreditation, adds to the creation of an engaging and productive learning environment. By embracing these features, companies can stay on the cutting edge of professional growth and cultivate competent and motivated employees well into 2024 and beyond.