Whenever companies take into consideration buying a LMS for the first time or replacing the old one, there is an overwhelming amount of details to take into consideration.
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Providers will go the extra mile to present numerous features and make their product sound like the obvious choice. This doesn’t make it any easier on decision makers who have to figure out what features are truly important and which will make no difference whatsoever.
The selection process definitely is a lengthy one and should include representatives of all who will be involved in using the LMS. However, the first step should be figuring out which of the three main types of learning systems is most suitable to meet the business needs.
Here are some of the highlights and soft spots of each.
Proprietary LMS software is developed and also property of a company that doesn’t give users or administrators the possibility to make adjustments, alter the code that structures the software or decide what features should be included and what features are better left out. It is a closed system as far as the organisation is concerned but it comes with some advantages:
Even though the above mentioned perks sound pretty good, there are reasons organisations may chose otherwise:
Usually they are the product of innovative individuals or teams who seek to make a relevant change in the industry. The driving idea is to centre the system around the learner instead of the technology. Apart from the obvious flexibility, there are other notable advantages to choosing this version:
There are, of course, things to list on the ‘minus’ side:
This is not a system in the classic sense of the word. Rather it’s a number of combined internet-based tools, services and apps that are easily accessible to all users and can be used for learning in the corporate environment. These may even include networking sites and social media. The advantages of choosing this path for organisational learning are:
On the downside:
When choosing the right LMS, it’s not a question of which is superior to the others but of which fits best the needs (and budget) of the organisation. All stakeholders should have a say in the final choice and a debate about it can only be constructive.
The thing to keep in mind is that even though the technological advancements are incredible, no company can afford to change its LMS every other year. The choice has to be one that will be relevant for the foreseeable future.
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