What is LMS? Features and Benefits of Learning Management System (LMS)

A learning management system or “LMS” is an edTech tool designed & developed to provide e-learning services to students in an educational institution.

LMS has been in the education industry for quite a period.

But ever since the concept of digitization bloomed in the education industry – the learning management systems (LMS) has become the most in-demand edTech tool. Before I hop on to the purpose of LMS, I would like to add a quote by John Holt, an eminent author, and educator. He described the process of teaching-learning beautifully -

“Learning is not the product of teaching. Learning is the product of the activity of learners.”

And that’s exactly why educational institutions are in search of learning management software which is–

• Engaging

• Intuitive

• Interactive

The reason is - it would help students get comfortable with the digital shift in education & actively participate in the virtual classroom activities.

The purpose of LMS is not confined to providing smooth online teaching-learning education to students but to empower the students as well as teachers. Empowerment in terms of – creating a value-based online platform that maximizes the growth of all stakeholders, and helps students to achieve success by developing skills.

However, there is a plethora of learning management systems in the market. As an educator, you need to choose the right LMS for your institution. Presenting you a simple guide that would help you understand what is a LMS, what are its advantages, what features of LMS you need to look after, and much more!

Let’s get started.

Why Implement LMS?

Encircling my previous point, the primary reason to implement LMS software is to make the teaching-learning journey more valuable & skill-centric. In addition to this, if we speak about the benefits it brings to the table in terms of mapping student progress is something that every educator desires.

To make my point easy-to-understand, let me put the advantages of learning management system (LMS) this way -

LMS For Teachers:

The LMS software offers efficient e-learning course management, content designing & uploading facility, online examination conduction, multiple formats of exams – descriptive & MCQs, instant feedback mechanism, and much more.

LMS For Students:

Students who use a learning management system get “24*7” access to e-content & e-learning classes, online assignments, chat provision with teachers, and much more.

As per a recent report –

“The rate of global implementation of the LMS software is expected to be 24% CAGR & by the year 2023, it is expected to cross $22.4 billion.”

As an educator or faculty, I am sure you would want the best for your students, faculty, and ultimately the institution. So, join the bandwagon of growth by implementing LMS software.

What are the Benefits of Learning Management System (LMS)?

There is a multitude of benefits and advantages you would get after implementing LMS software. Let’s understand the benefits of LMS in detail.

#1: Engaging Virtual Classroom Sessions

The first and foremost benefit of LMS is that it creates an engaging e-space where students can learn at their own pace. Unlike the conventional teaching-learning system, there’s no chalkboard education. As a teacher, you get the freedom to design the syllabus & content that would help students bring the best to the table. The LMS allows you to break the old educational barriers and conduct virtual classroom sessions by sharing the stuff via video lessons, PPTs, audio, etc. There are absolutely no restrictions in teaching & learning.

#2: Skills & Knowledge Building

When the boundaries of four walls are eradicated, it’s natural for students to develop skills along with academic knowledge. I won’t give credit to just the teaching methodology, but also to the way of evaluation.

Yes, with the LMS software, you can evaluate the understanding levels of students to a great extent. If your LMS software is configured as per Bloom’s Taxonomy, you would be able to precisely map their learning journey.

#3: Personalized Teacher-Student Communication

As a faculty, you must stay in touch with students, especially when you are conducting online classes.

What happens is – due to the new technological network setup, it may become tough for you to monitor every student in the class. This is why, when you have an LMS system that has a personalized communication chat option, you would be able to contact the students at any given instant.

Likewise, the students would be able to connect to you in case of any help or query.

#4: Tracking Faculty & Students Progress

I have already discussed how the learning management system tracks students’ progress with the help of online assessments, exams, and skill mapping. However, when it comes to you – as a faculty – the LMS software does the same!

Here’s how –

It takes care of your performance in terms of the number of students that regularly attend your classes, students who have scored good in subjects you teach, feedback of the teaching methods from students, and finally the student learning outcomes.

So, with an LMS, you can kill two birds with a stone!

Map students’ journey as well as your own.

#5: Blueprint for Continuous Improvement

There are different types of learning management systems available in the market. However, when your goal is to continuously improve your practices and improve outcomes, you need to have the LMS with AI-based dashboards.

An AI-powered dashboard would help you generate insightful reports such as -

All-in-all, you get to see the complete ins-and-outs of the online teaching-learning sessions and get a chance to improvise wherever possible.

#6: Cost-effective ERP Platform

Speaking of the advantages of the learning management system, you must know that most of the LMS in the market are cost-effective. I mean there are various types of learning management system vendors; you need to go for the one that offers you the best features at cost-effective prices.

But, in general, the LMS software is affordable.

Who Uses a Learning Management System (LMS)?

A learning management system is used by students and faculty members with restricted login based on their position and role in the institute’s administration.

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Types of Learning Management System (LMS)

There are various types of learning management systems:

• Installed LMS- It is installed on the institute’s server and managed by their IT team
• Web-Based LMS- It is based on the internet offering subscription-based models to users
• SaaS LMS- This is hosted by the LMS vendor and can be used as per need
• Hosted LMS- This involves implementing hardware to host the LMS
• Free LMS- The LMS comes free of cost and offers basic and generic features to users
• Commercial LMS- It involves a setup cost based on the type of LMS installed

How does a Learning Management System (LMS) Work?

• A learning management system helps the teachers to deliver lectures and upload study materials online to the students studying remotely
• The system helps students to upload assignments, and download tasks, syllabus, and notes
• It helps the teachers in giving study materials and downloading student’s assignments
• The software encourages collaborative learning among the students
• The study materials are always available online and students can download them anytime
• The lectures are recorded and can be watched by students at any time

Use Cases of Learning Management System Software

Top use cases of learning management system include