LMS features & why you need an LMS
That?s not up to us to decide, you know that. If you are an HR or an L&D manager working for a company, you are the one who knows the training needs of your employees. You are aware of the skill and knowledge gaps, the learning opportunities they should take, the budget your company has and so on. But you can ask yourself a few questions and they?ll probably get you closer to making a decision.
Do you want a better employee onboarding experience for your new hires, with structured information that they can access anytime? Then an LMS is your solution. Do you want to reduce training costs, to never have to think about travel costs again? Then you should probably move your learning programs in an online environment. Do you want to give access to specific information very quickly, to implement a hybrid learning environment, and to keep the know-how of your employees within the company?
This is also something that can be made possible by using a learning management system adapted to your specific needs. There are many aspects that should be considered when choosing a learning environment, and you should start with the learners, as they are the center of the learning process, aren?t they? What are their needs? How much do design and usability matter for them? When do they access learning resources? What?s their learning style? What makes them actively engage in learning?
Most of your employees actually want to learn, they want to invest in their development, to be ready to take on new challenges, to be ready to respond to changes and, as we have seen recently, there are so many in the business environment. If they are not engaged in the current learning process, it?s probably because it does not suit their needs. So that?s something that should be addressed frequently, to make sure that all the money, the time and the resources don?t go in vain.
LMS features that might come in help
Communities of practice
Most of us have been working from our coaches, behind our laptops for a while now, and we miss the interactions. Maybe not in the sense of going back to the office (the comfort of our homes is great, indeed), but in the sense of working with people, learning with people, sharing ideas, brainstorming, solving problems together, with different expertise provided by different professionals.
Moreover, social learning is proven to be a great asset in a training journey, because people are used to learning by observing other people?s behaviours. That?s where communities of practice come into play. This is one of the LMS features that is a game changer for the learning community, as you can have full control over managing content, media and learners, while making announcements and starting discussions on various topics, thus encouraging collaborative learning. Also, it?s a great way to implement an internal communication system.
Knowledge graphs
Let?s say a company has been using a LMS for over a year, with dozens of courses delivered and hundreds of learning resources uploaded. When an employee wants to find a specific topic, he/she might find it challenging to go through so many resources in order to find a specific concept. So what LMS features are an asset for this aspect?
Knolyx has anticipated these needs and came up with knowledge graphs that structure all the concepts in the organization, either uploaded on the platform or existent in the Google Drive/OneDrive, to make it easier for every employee to find a specific concept in no time, by means of the so-called brain insights. When you assess LMS features, always keep in mind the accessibility of learning resources, because this is what sticks with the learners in the long run.
Learning analytics
You can not know if your learning objectives are achieved if you can not measure the results, right? That?s why it?s essential to have a proper evaluation process in place and to make sure that you are always in full control of your learning progress and results. With the right eLearning platform, you have access to a variety of LMS features such as assessment management, skills assessment, dashboard and graphics reports, and training tracker maintenance, all of which should improve the quality of your training process.
So, here are some tips for choosing your eLearning platform and LMS features: make sure it fits the needs of your learners, it keeps you in control of the learning process and it makes training fun and interactive.
