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Learning Management System ( LMS )

A LMS is a software package that enables the management and delivery of online content
to learners. Most LMSs are web-based to facilitate "anytime, any place, any pace" access to
learning content and administration.

Typically an LMS allows for learner registration, delivery of learning activities, and learner
assessment in an online environment. More comprehensive LMSs often include tools such as
competency management, skills-gap analysis, succession planning, professional certifications,
and resource allocation (venues, rooms, textbooks, instructors, etc.).

LMSs are based on a variety of development platforms, from Java EE based architectures
to Microsoft .NET, and usually employ the use of a robust database back-end. While most
systems are commercially developed and frequently have non free software|free licences or
restrict access to their source code, free and open-source models do exist. Other than the
most simple, basic functionality, all LMSs cater to, and focus on different educational,
administrative, and deployment requirements.

Open source and Web-based LMS software solutions are growing fast in the education and
business world. Learning management systems vs. learning content management systems
(LCMS).In addition to managing the administrative functions of online learning, some systems
also provide tools to deliver and manage instructor-led synchronous and asynchronous online
training based on learning object methodology. These systems are called Learning content
management systems or LCMSs. An LCMS provides tools for authoring and re-using or re-
purposing content (mutated learning objects) MLO as well as virtual spaces for learner
interaction (such as discussion forums and live chat rooms). Despite this distinction, the terms
LMS is often used to refer to both an LMS and an LCMS, although the LCMS is a further
development of the LMS. Due to this conformity issue, the acronym Clcims is now widely used
to create a uniform phonetic way of referencing any learning system software based on
advanced learning technology methodology.

In essence, an LMS is a high-level, strategic solution for planning, delivering, and managing
most learning events within an organization, including online, virtual classroom, and
instructor-led courses. The primary solution is replacing isolated and fragmented learning
programs with a systematic means of assessing and raising competency and performance
levels throughout a learning enterprise. For example, an LMS can simplify global certification
efforts, enable entities to align learning initiatives with strategic goals, and provide a viable
means of enterprise-level skills management. The focus of an LMS is to manage learners,
keeping track of their progress and performance across all types of training activities. It
performs heavy-duty administrative tasks, such as reporting to intructors, HR and other ERP
systems but isn’t generally used to create course content.

In contrast, the focus of an LCMS is on learning content. It gives authors, instructional


designers, and subject matter experts the means to create and re-use e-learning content
more efficiently. The primary business problem an LCMS solves is to create just enough
content just in time to meet the needs of individual learners or groups of learners. Rather than
developing entire courses and adapting them to multiple audiences, instructional designers
create reusable content chunks or learning objects and make them available to course
developers and content experts throughout the organization. This eliminates duplicate
development efforts and allows for the rapid assembly of customized content.

Characteristics
As previously mentioned, LMSs can cater to different educational, administrative, and
deployment requirements. While an LMS for corporate learning, for example, may share many
characteristics with an LMS, or Virtual learning environment, used by educational institutions,
they each meet unique needs. The Virtual learning environment used by universities and
colleges allow instructors to manage their courses and exchange information with students for
a course that in most cases will last several weeks and will meet several times during those
weeks. In the corporate setting a course may be much shorter, completed in single instructor-
led or online session.

The characteristics shared by both types of LMSs include:

• Manage users, roles, courses, instructors, and facilities and generate reports
• Course calendar
• Learner messaging and notifications
• Assessment/testing capable of handling student pre/post testing
• Display scores and transcripts
• Grading of coursework and roster processing, including waitlisting
• Web-based or blended course delivery
• Characteristics more specific to corporate learning, which sometimes includes
franchisees or other business partners, include:

Autoenrollment (enrolling learners in courses when required according to predefined criteria,


such as job title or work location)
Manager enrollment and approval
Boolean definitions for prerequisites or equivalencies
Integration with performance tracking and management systems
Planning tools to identify skill gaps at departmental and individual level
Curriculum, required and elective training requirements at an individual and organizational
level
Grouping learners according to demographic units (geographic region, product line, business
size, etc.)
Assign corporate and partner employees to more than one job title at more than one
demographic unit

Learning Management Industry


In the relatively new LMS market, commercial vendors for corporate and education
applications range from new entrants to those that entered the market in the nineties. In
addition to commercial packages, many open source solutions are available.

In 2005, LMSs represented a fragmented $500 million market (CLO magazine[1]). The six
largest LMS product companies constitute approximately 43% of the market. In addition to the
remaining smaller LMS product vendors, training outsourcing firms, enterprise resource
planning vendors, and consulting firms all compete for part of the learning management
market.

LMS buyers are less satisfied than a year ago. According to 2005 and 2006 surveys by the
American Society for Training and Development (ASTD)[2], respondents that were very
unsatisfied with an LMS purchase doubled and those that were very satisfied decreased by
25%. The number that were very satisfied or satisfied edged over 50%. (About 30% were
somewhat satisfied.) Nearly one quarter of respondents intended to purchase a new LMS or
outsource their LMS functionality over the next 12 months.

Channel learning is underserved. For many buyers channel learning is not their number one
priority, according to a survey by TrainingOutsourcing.com[3]. Often there is a disconnect
when the HR department oversees training and development initiatives, where the focus is
consolidating LMS systems inside traditional corporate boundaries. Software technology
companies are at the front end of this curve, placing higher priority on channel training

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