Early Stages of LMS
Learning Management Systems, more commonly known as LMS, have an extensive history which spans the last 20 years. The history of LMS weaves an intricate web through a vast array of organisations. From higher education to corporate firms, most people have come into contact with LMS use at some moment over the last decade or so….
Originally, these systems were named ‘talent platforms’ and were used by employers to track employee compliance and overall progress. Classes and activities were provided in CD-ROM format, but developed over time to become more aligned with digitised and online societal and professional norms; both cloud-based and locally-hosted LMS’s now exist.
Benefits of LMS
The development of LMS brought huge advantages to both employers and employees as early as the 2000s. Transferring Learning Management Systems for Organisations onto a Sharable Content Object Reference Models (SCORM) enabled employers to track the completion of eLearning courses, whereas later on, the X-API Specification ensured professionals could produce the necessary learning tools for employees and track progress both on- and off-line.
More recently, studies have shown the extensive and multi-faceted impact of LMS on small and medium-sized businesses. Firstly, it guarantees company budgets stay on track by refraining from outsourcing trainers, saving huge amounts of money. Perhaps most importantly, it boosts productivity, particularly noted in customer-facing environments where a rise in customer satisfaction has correlated with thorough training undertaken by employees.
Current Trends
Today’s Post-Millenial Generation, currently entering the workforce are are hungry for knowledge and itching to grow professionally, confident that new skills will set them apart from the competition and achieve that promotion or payrise they’re quick to set their sights on. Its because of this that LMS for Training Providers in a multitude of industries including education, technology and manufacturing has taken centre stage. A well-designed LMS ensures a business’s workforce is continually engaged in their learning , which in turn results in higher levels of employee satisfaction and staff retention rates improving.
LMS has become more accessible to its users by going mobile, meaning employees are more likely to complete eLearning courses, especially as this can now be done from the comfort of their sofa or during their daily commute. Video support has also recently increased LMS appeal by allowing employees to absorb new information and techniques through minimal effort.
Shaping the Future
With so many advantages of Learning Management Systems positioned at the forefront of learning technology, it is inevitable LMS will lead the Evolution of eLearning. In order to keep learning solutions on these platforms relevant to users, it is crucial that personalisation and adaptive learning are prioritised. For this to work, users data and preferences must be collected, which is done through asking employees for feedback and what it is they’d like to help them succeed, as well as observing and learning from their on-going, realtime behaviour with the platform. Through this, training can be tailored to suit individual preferences and goals.
IBM is already experimenting with external technology to employ this user-centred approach. For example, AI and machine learning which analyses the job skills of various roles can make course or activity suggestions to users on LMS.
