How Is An LMS Useful For Education?
LMS stands for Learning Management Systems. As the name goes, anyone could believe that these systems are used for teaching and learning in schools or colleges or other educational institutions. But this is quite not the case. While LMS or learning management systems were developed and adapted from the concept of remote learning and distance education, their main purpose is not to support education or educational institutions. A learning management system has a wide variety of features and a large number of uses in different places. These systems automate most jobs and make working more convenient.
A Learning Management System was initially developed in the late 1990s. These systems are used by offices, big and small businesses, local and national authorities, government bodies and many other types of services. A learning management system basically provides a single platform for conducting various types of activities, housing a large amount of data and giving access to different types of users of the portal. A web-based technology, the learning management systems not only helps in saving time and making work hours more productive but also reduce costs for the institution where these systems are being used.
A learning management system must have certain features and be user friendly so that the users of the platform can easily access and use the services as and when required. Some important features of a learning management system are:
- Accessibility: the LMS used by an organisation must be easily accessible using different devices like a Smartphone, laptop or tablet. The user must not compulsorily have to use a specific device for this purpose.
- Responsive and user-friendly design: the LMS must be designed in a way to be responsive to the user controls and also be user-friendly. It must not be too complex or very difficult to understand for a user who is working on the same for the first time.
- Use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology: AI is a game-changer in the field of technology and has proven useful for various purposes. The incorporation of AI chatbots or AI responsive systems in an LMS can make them more preferred by all types of users.
- Data analysis and regular reposting: Be it an office or an educational institution, data recording and analysis is important. What is even more important is producing regular reports based on the data for making changes or improvements.
- Automation: automation of various tasks is the main aim of a learning management system. This helps the employees in focussing on the more important tasks and leaving the tedious jobs to the system.
In a corporate set-up, business, office, or government organisation, an LMS or learning management system can be used for a wide range of purposes like onboarding of new employees, training and retention of employees, training partners, members and customers, enabling sales teams and so on. These systems are the one-stop destination for the management of employee data, getting access to required information regarding the company for internal members as well as external members, training the different types of users and other purposes that are handled by the management and administrative departments. Different types of profiles can be created based on the role of the user and limited access can also be provided.
When discussing learning management systems, we have at various places mentioned about training. This means these systems can be supportive in teaching and learning as well. This is where the learning management systems make their way into the educational institutions. In the last two years, online education has been the way of continuing teaching and learning when schools and colleges were shut down due to the pandemic. Online classes have been supported by apps and websites for different types of activities.
While teaching and learning can take place using different apps and websites, the other departments of an educational institution, that ensure smooth functioning of classes need a platform for their work to take place online. A Learning Managment System can be used by the school or college authorities, management and administration to manage the students and teachers data, profiles and online IDs meant for online education. These systems are also used by the teachers to create the course material and save it online for the students. The data collected also allows teachers to track and monitor the students progress and offer lessons for improvement in the future.