Learning Management System, used as an aid in planning and executing learning processes, has become an integral part in a learner’s journey in enterprise L&D. Features like adaptive learning, performance assessment, hands-on experience on one platform have helped L&D with positive learning outcomes.
Where Does Traditional LMS Lag?
Curriculum Curation: Traditional LMS does not allow administrator to make alterations in an existing plan while the training session is still in progress. This reduces the possibilities of collaboration among the instructors and the learners.
Usability: Although traditional LMS’s offers a wide range of tools and resources, the cumbersome process involved in resource creation leaves administrators confused. Lack of product training among users is a contributor to this. Talking about students, the generic predefined learning paths developed to cater all learners to make it hard for individual learners to adapt smoothly.
Engagement: With the expansion of internet connectivity, learners get easy access to information anytime, anywhere and learn at their own pace. Traditional LMS accessible only in workplace networks proves to be a huge setback in learner engagement.
Costly maintenance: LMS becomes a costly affair in case of updating the software or adding a new feature to it. Sometimes the cost of maintaining an LMS can be as costly as developing a new one.
The Rise Of Modern LMS And Learning Experience Platforms
From being considered as virtual storage of resources to providing an immersive learning experience, LMS has seen a transcendental evolution. Modern LMS facilitate peer interaction among learners, extended to open collaboration between instructors and talent management teams. The most utilised features for modern LMS include:
Predictive Learning Analytics and Assessment
Adaptive content: This is a perfect example of the use of AI in learning. The platform uses the built-in recommendation engine to understand their learning patterns, automate learning paths, feedback, and helpful resources based on learners’ performances and learning preferences. Predictive learning analytics is to avert situations like disinterest and predict if a learner is going to drop off. The data received during learning helps institutional designers in these situations and employ appropriate measures. Similarly, adaptive assessments are used to assess learners based on different difficulty levels and alter the difficulty level during and at the end of sessions.
Age of Integrated Content
An LMS is supposed to put learners in the center of learning processes. As traditional LMSs are failing to engage and retain learners, the sole motive of pushing more and more information to the learners need to vanish. The learning resources need to be produced in small chunks having logical pauses to let students stop and think. The practice of adding engaging resource types like GIFs, audio, and video is going to accelerate training programs. The courses need to be designed in such a way that practical, digital resources and assessments are in continuation with each other.
Integration with ERP
LMS needs to communicate well with different HR software used by enterprises. Necessary employee details like attendance, demographic, and skills stored on these software provide valuable insights into learner’s performance. For example, if a learner was on a leave and his performance recorded on LMS is not well, it is easy to access the reasons.
Collaboration
The ability to collaborate and share information is one of the most engaging learning styles among modern learners. Traditional LMS lacks the facility where learners get to collaborate with fellow learners and peers on various topics and projects. Inclusion of social learning features like community discussion forums, polls, linking of social media profiles improve engagement among learners. The feature adds to the overall usability of LMSs.
Scalability
Most LMS used by enterprises today is not capable of establishing a streamlined exchange of information and resources when the number of participants is huge. A scalable LMS should be able to analyse a large amount of data while allowing an infinite number of students to access resources at the same time. Also, the addition of new resources, enrolment, or features in traditional LMS takes an undesirably long time. The platform needs to be scalable enough to allow LMS administrators to add features and resources in real time. The ability to add or remove resources allows administrators to design a learning path best suited to their learner’s performances in quick successions.
Conclusion
The evolving learning technologies has helped us offer resources based on learner activity, experience, and skills. ‘Experience’ has replaced ‘Learning’ and learning is aligned as per requirements and skills. Modern-day LXP’s are getting widely accepted due to their smart features and recommendation engines, combined social learning features that make learning easily accessible, fun and engaging. To conclude, “A system that embraces many types of content, collects data on interactions and activities, uses intelligent systems to promote content and monitor employee usage and is personalized for everyone.”