How using a minimalist Learning Management System boosts training effectiveness
Most Learning Management Systems today are chock-full of features: content management, support for mobile learning, tests and assessments, reports and analytics, e-commerce, gamification, social learning, message boards and more. But some individual features lack actual usability and often get in the way of a fluid e-learning experience.
A feature-packed Learning Management System may clutter your system and make it harder for your employees to access content. This could, in turn, make your e-learning program less effective.
If you have been searching for an LMS for your organization, you probably made a list of features that you need, benchmarked LMSes across the internet, and are about to pick one based on user reviews and price.
While this process is not wrong by itself, it misses out on one key step — eliminating LMSes that come with too many bells and whistles that you don’t need.
Inculcate brevity in your training program by picking an LMS that thinks lean.
We have listed down a few features which you can pass when choosing an LMS:
#1 SCORM, Tin Can, xAPI compatibility
Let’s face it, outdated standards such as SCORM, AICC and even recent ones such as Tin Can and xAPI are dying a slow death. In fact, the only reason why they are still in use is that administrators have been doing so for a very long time.
The world is moving on to mobile and video-based learning, so should you. Why pay for compatibility with decade old standards?
#2 Gamification
Incorporating an LMS which supports gamification (just because everyone is doing so) may increase employee engagement and motivation. But it won’t give you the desired results unless it is perfectly aligned with your training material. Moreover, it will be another burden on the LMS admins and managers. They would have to configure the LMS to introduce the perfect amount of interaction, just enough to engage the learners and not distract them. Unless you have clarity on why and how to use the gamification features for your e-learning program — I would recommend to skip it entirely.
#3 Instructor Lead Training support
Live training poses a number of challenges, including high implementation costs and interruption of employees’ daily tasks. Moreover, if you have a distributed workforce, instructor-lead training completely loses its viability. Give this feature a pass unless you absolutely need it. Give your employees the option of asynchronous learning instead. Pick an LMS that can deliver video-based training modules straight onto your employees’ smartphones.
#4 Heavy-Duty Testing Engine
E-learning is all about one core activity: giving learners access to training content. The rest is mostly dressing on top, such as testing and surveying.
Don’t just choose a tool that is focused heavily on a testing and assessing a candidate’s performance. People cheat more often than you think. Look at the learning ecosystem instead. Try to strike a balance between the number of tests and the quantity of training content.
Building an e-learning program takes careful planning and care. There are plenty of LMSes out there to help you along the way. Just make sure the tool you choose only has the features you absolutely need.
Think smart, and keep what’s most relevant to maximize the effectiveness of your program.
