A learning management system can be summarised as an online place that aids in the administration, tracking, reporting, and delivery of courses, lessons, and assessments.
How does a learning management system work?
Imagine a learning management system as a large website that only individuals with a log-in will be able to access. You can communicate with your pupils in two ways on this ‘restricted’ website: online or blended. Online learning is akin to distance education offered by organizations such as the Open University, in which students are based off-campus and communicate asynchronously with tutors and other students. Teachers and students meet physically in blended learning, but the LMS is utilized to assist learning by providing an area where materials may be kept and organized, assessments can be offered, and students and teachers can engage through blogs, forums, and other means.
Learning can be delivered by computer, tablet, or smartphone using a learning management system; the latter two channels are becoming increasingly popular as many organizations support mobile learning or “learning on the go.”
Because the major function of a learning management system is to offer to learn to students, there are usually three different sorts of log-in options (there could be more, depending on your solution). An admin log-in, a teacher log-in, and a student log-in are the most common.
The admin log-in will be for administrators; once logged in, the user will be given the ability to add material and users, remove content and users, and grant users access to specific portions of the learning management system to change settings.
Teachers will be able to assign work, receive completed work and results from students, and create courses using the teacher log-in (see below).
The user will be presented with information about their courses, outstanding work, and links to resources after logging in as a student. It will usually include a way for students to contact the teacher or course leader with any questions.
What are the typical features of a learning management system?
Most learning management systems are tailored to the needs of the enterprise, but they all include the same basic elements.
As previously stated, all learning management systems often have an internal messaging system as a basic feature. Many schools, colleges, and universities used internal email before the advent of the learning management system; the LMS can assist eliminate this practice. Having a learning management system implies that all messages – and everything related to learning – are in one place, which makes it safer, as there is no interaction with individuals outside the educational establishment.
Course development and management, self-marking quizzes and tests, student data, and the ability to assess work (or self-mark: some learning management systems may mark work that has been submitted for you) are all standard aspects of an LMS.
Your learning management system’s course creation is the most important component. Creating courses is how you assign work to your students and depending on your learning management system’s capability, it can help you make learning more enjoyable.
A course is created with the content that you intend to teach. Many systems allow students to provide answers immediately within the course, and self-marking examinations can be easily integrated depending on the nature of the questions.
Another important component of learning management systems is student data. When you have all of your student’s information in one place, it’s much easier to contact them and assign them assignments, especially if they’re organized into courses. Many educational institutions, such as Capita SIMS, connect their learning management system with their MIS system so that any changes to student data in their MIS system are automatically updated in their LMS, and vice versa.
What are the benefits of a learning management system?
There are numerous advantages to using a learning management system.
To begin with, it simplifies the educational process. Work is easier and faster to mark, especially when using self-marking quizzes and tests. Furthermore, as previously said, messaging, work assignments and submissions, and results are now all in one spot.
Technology has the capacity to engage and drive learners like never before – and with an intuitive learning management system, you might notice an increase in interaction and, as a result, results. Features that inspire students, incentivize performance, and make learning enjoyable.
You can also use your learning management system to keep track of activities, such as how many times a certain student has logged in and who has finished the task you’ve assigned. Because you can track and record data, items like test results are automatically gathered and saved in one place, making them easy to access and examine.
Learning management systems may be accessed from anywhere, which, along with their capacity to engage and encourage students, means students aren’t limited by a lack of tools or the ability to finish work without the assistance of tutors. With the ability to message their instructor for assistance or queries, they will be less reliant on having to visit them in person.
It means that learning management systems foster interaction between students and teachers, which can only benefit both parties and lead to more engaged students, improved educational quality, and better results.
