Are you operating an out-of-date homegrown LMS? Did you purchase an out-of-the-box of SaaS technology which isn't keeping up with your business as you evolve and scale? It might be time to research better options.
Let's dive right in. Here are 12 telltale signs it's time to move off old LMS and invest in something new:
If you are tired of supporting a homegrown solution which can't keep up with the pace of technology, is clunky, or requires too much 3rd party account management, explore your other options.
Help learners access learning on any device from any location. This will help increase efficiency and improve engagement.
Not every LMS can consolidate all of the functionality you need to create, manage, and deliver online learning experiences globally. Avoid paying and managing multiple vendors by choosing a platform with integrated site builder, content authoring, monetization, and reporting tools.
Online learning administrators want robust reporting tools in order to track learner progress and make smart business decisions. Learners want reporting in their learning view to track course progress and competition. Decide which reporting is important to your business—learner dashboards, engagement, site metrics, key performance metrics (KPIs), etc.—then choose an online learning technology which enables that reporting.
This is huge. Restrictive LMS technology requires organizations to build courses using 3rd party systems, then upload to the LMS. Moving to a learning technology which enables your organization to create full courses will streamline the Instructional Design and content creation process.
Clients and learners crave customized learning experiences. If your current LMS doesn't enable your organization to update the user interface and brand learning environments, find an online learning technology which does. A fully white labeled experience will improve engagement and the overall experience for clients.
Some homegrown and legacy systems require your organization to upgrade in order to access new features. The downsides are that upgrading isn't always easy, it's time-consuming, your organization might not love the new version, and maybe the release comes at a new cost. Avoid headaches by moving to something new.
Your organization might need the ability to manage multiple courses, multiple clients, and different administrator permissions. An LMS which gives you a holistic view of your entire learning ecosystem and allows for this level of customization will bring some peace of mind. Sophisticated admin features will also help with functions like importing clients, setting admin levels, and more.
Without licensing features, it is hard to scale your online learning business. Licensing allows your organization to manage multiple clients in one place. Create custom, branded learning environments for each client and then assign your courses to each client.
SCORM is a set of technical standards for eLearning software and technology products. SCORM helps programmers write code which is recognized and accepted by their eLearning software. The problem: SCORM files aren't always mobile-friendly and it's hard to upload them into some homegrown and legacy systems. Make this process easier by using an online learning technology that allows your organization to easily embed SCORM-formatted content in a mobile-friendly way.
Innovation takes skills, knowledge, and manpower. Using homegrown or legacy systems could slow the pace of innovation, causing your online learning business to fall behind the competition.
With innovation comes better learning experience for learners. Online learning technology that enables gamification, the creation of interactive content, or the development of custom learning experiences will help learners better engage. When considering moving off your old LMS, it's important to look for technology that allows learners provide feedback, chat with instructors, or access a support portal.
When your LMS has limited functionality and lacks important features, it's hard to scale an online learning business. After going through the list of pain points above, decide where your organization feels limited, and talk to different technology vendors about how their online learning offering can help. Help your business scale by not settling for subpar tech.
Originally published at blog.thoughtindustries.com.