Common Questions Around eLearning and LMS Consulting

 

eLearning is a hot topic of discussion for many. With the boost that the field has gotten thanks to the pandemic and lockdowns, every organization, school, and college is looking for a way to make the transition from offline learning training and development process to an online platform. A learning management system or more commonly known as an LMS is something that has made this transition super easy and smooth for organizations and there are so many proofs for the same. You will find so many experiences that institutes and enterprises have shared over the years with their respective LMSs and how they have been able to turn their learning quality from average to excellent in a matter of months. LMS development companies that offer technical solutions and maintenance of the product are always eager to assist people as for them it is not just a business, it is a digital revolution that they are promoting.

While a huge chunk of the education and training industry is using an LMS, there are so many enterprises that are still missing out on the perks and benefits of using an online platform to manage all the learning operations. One of the firm reasons behind this is the confusion and inability to trust the experiences of the people. Why do they not trust other states? Well, the possible reason behind this can be the unanswered questions that these enterprises hold. There are so many questions that people have in mind related to eLearning software development and LMS consulting that they do not get the answers to and obviously if you are not getting the answers, why would you invest in the technology?

If you are also an organization, an enterprise, or an institution that is afraid of making the transition just because your concerns have been unanswered, then this post is definitely going to clear the water for you, as in this blog, we will try to address some of the questions that enterprises commonly ask around eLearning and LMS solutions.

Q1 - Is eLearning Safe & More Effective?

• The very first thing that comes to an organization's mind is how effective it is and whether it is safe as there are a lot of enterprises that share sensitive data under non-disclosure and with such delicate data they are afraid to move forward with the idea of transitioning their records and data online along with their training. To clear the doubts, eLearning is absolutely safe in fact it can be considered safer than your current filing systems as with the help of safety protocols, you can actually filter out who can access your data and who can not.
  
  As far as effectiveness is concerned, eLearning has exponentially grown the learning potential of the students. While in offline classrooms and lectures, students could hardly retain 10-15% of what is taught, the retention rate has gone up to 60% for students pursuing eLearning. A lot of factors such as convenience, ease of access, and interactive content make it more attractive to the students and hence the difference is clearly visible in their performance.
  
  

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Q2 - How Implementing Gamification Helps in Getting Better Results?

• Gamification is something that makes the learning experience more and more fruitful and engaging for the user. Gamification refers to bringing game-like features and user experience to the platform which has its own perks. Many enterprises find it expensive and often wonder why having a custom leaderboard is necessary for the learners. Well, for starters, it makes your UI appear advanced and interesting. Secondly, it brings a sense of healthy competition among the learners, helping them to push their boundaries and share the best that they can.
  
  Not to mention, gamification also brings an interactive way of managing the standings and rankings of the students which gives the boost to work hard as well as gives you insights into how an employee is performing. The gamification also helps in bringing badges and levels in the learning which makes the process more and more thrilling for the learners, creating better engagement for your platform. Healthy competition is always necessary and gamification helps you achieve exactly that!

Q3 - LMS or LCMS? Which Software is Better for an Enterprise?

• Learning management systems and learning content management systems always go hand in hand. If you are an enterprise that has to deal with employee training and curate the content for the same, you may need both of them. An LMS is software that helps you manage everything, from learning stats to a learner’s capabilities, personal information, and professional growth chart. A learning management system is a great addition to your software roster if you already are working on some other softwares like a CRM or an ERP as services are available to make the transition smooth and free of headache.
  
  On the contrary, a can be considered a niche software as organizations that are solely into creating content for learners use the tool. It holds significant tools and templates to assist you with creating content for your learners. Ideally, platforms that are devoted to eLearning for the masses and have their own platforms open for all must go for an LCMS however an LMS is still the basic need for both enterprise and learning platforms. 

Q4 - Can an LMS Run on a User's Device or Will It Be Strictly Limited to Devices Provided By Organization? What Should be the Ideal Use Case?

• A lot of organizations are confused about how to give access to their learners. Whether they should allow them to use the platform as per their discretion on their personal devices or they should provide a device for them. The answer to this question can be found in an LMS consultation session by an expert as every organization has a different approach and privacy policy. If you are going to use LMS solely for learning purposes, there is no harm in providing the user access on their personal devices as it will allow them to gain more knowledge at their convenience. When people can open their laptops and access the chapters they skipped, they are more likely to finish the course better and understand things more efficiently.
  
  However, since the data is also of the essence for a company, and they often use Saas LMS through which they also integrate their CRM which is at risk if not properly monitored. There are times when employees often access sensitive information through their devices as they do have privacy rights and no one can stop them if it is on their personal devices hence if data sensitivity is a point of concern, then you should definitely provide them with a device through which you can monitor the activities. Also, if they will have your device with them they can still access the LMS when they see fit only now it is more secure for you.

Q5 - Who Takes Care of the Maintenance in an LMS? What Does it Cost?

• One of the most prominent questions that come up in every LMS consultation session is maintenance. People are often afraid they will have to spend a lot of money on the development process and then more on maintenance. Well, the answer to this question depends on what type of LMS you use. There are so many options available in the market, such as subscription models, on-premise LMS, Custom LMS development, bundled LMSs, and whatnot. The idea is to bring the consumer the convenience of what they see fit. When you are on a subscription, you get full coverage of the maintenance every month. You have to pay at the beginning for the software setup and features and later, you pay a small amount as the fees of usage which includes your support and maintenance for the software.
  
  On the other hand, with custom LMS development you can get over with paying for the entire software in a go and then run it as per your discretion. The company that has provided you with the solution gives you learning lessons and crash courses on how to operate the software so you do not have to hire an expert as you can turn any of your administrative officers into an admin to the software. If you go for a company like A3logics, you can actually get a complete support cover in the package of your development which is neat.
  
  

These 5 answers clear the queries of thousands of experts working in the field and help them make the most out of their decision of transitioning to an online learning platform. It is needless to say that with every crucial decision there are questions that require proper answers and that is where LMS consultation comes into place for people who feel that they are unsure just ask a professional all the questions they have in their mind else the confusion always demotivates you while making a decision. Hope the blog is helpful to you. If you need assistance you can reach out to A3logics for a free consultation. Book yours today and get the answers you need!

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How to Hire a Company That Provides the Best LMS for School? Features & More

Learning management systems have become the need of the hour. Especially for educational institutes that are trying to survive the digital transformation. After the pandemic and remote revolution that every field has gone through, people have accepted the fact that online is the ultimate future and sooner or later people will have to transform the way they function. LMS for schools and universities is the best example of this revolution. Who would have thought that institutes that required a huge infrastructure, offline presence, and a classroom environment will be transferred simply to your desktops and smartphones? However, thanks to efficient learning management systems, it is possible as well as effective. The keyword here is efficient!

You might have seen hundreds of online ads, public posts regarding the best LMS development company for your needs and while they may be right or wrong, you can clearly understand that not every company can be the best because if everyone is on top, no one is on top! Finding a quality development firm that can assist you in creating the finest LMS for school can become a tough task as not everyone in the field is capable of seeing through the potential of the company and making a choice that is valid. If you are an entrepreneur and want to know how to hire a company that can give you the best features in your LMS, make sure that you read this post till the end as in this one, we are going to discuss a few key features that you must look for in a company before handing them your development project.

You will also find a few suggestions in the end as to which company can be of assistance for your needs so stay tuned for that as well. Now, without further ado, let us begin the discussion by understanding what is the need for LMS in school and what kind of features can be of significance in your LMS.

Why Do You Need LMS for Schools? Features that Make it Worthy!

As you are already aware, eLearning has significantly taken over the realm of education. Students always look for flexibility in their studies and an organized way of managing their courses and notes. While in the offline setup, there are people to help them out physically when they are studying from a remote area, they do not have ample assistance with them and hence, software that keeps the process of learning simplified can be of great help. Not to forget, even the school management funds it typical to maintain records, discipline, and an online classroom environment without an LMS as they need to track the progress, the course completion as well as the testing and examinations. Finances and management also becomes a challenge in the online approach and thus, centralizing the operations and bringing quality assistance onboard is a must. 

Thanks to an LMS, all these issues of teachers and students can be resolved with the help of robust software. There are so many features that make an LMS the need of the hour and simplify the entire online learning process. Some of the highlighted features that software like an LMS offers are - 

1. Centralization of Data - Managing and running an entire school is way more hectic than it may appear. The management of the school is responsible for everything, from proper implementation of classes to managing the finances and core management of the students. Taking care that courses that students study are finished by the deadline, every student attends the class regularly, every faculty delivers proper notes and study material is a huge task; however, all this information can be easily traced with the help of an LMS. All the data is centralized and kept within the reach of the seniors in the management so that they can keep track and point out the shortcomings.
   
   

2. Gamification of Studies - Adding a pinch of competition always boosts the morale of the students. There is no doubt that when you are able to keep track of holistic development, you tend to create a better pool of knowledge. Adding small features such as class leader boards, reward points for timely submission, extra credits for topping the class, etc. make the entire experience a lot more enjoyable and exciting for the students. Such features are available in a robust LMS and can help institutes gather more attention from the students which is the golden aspect of running an educational institution. With the help of gamification, you can also introduce rewards for categories such as punctuality, tidiness, etc.
   
   

3. Multiple Author Support - Collaboration among faculties can do wonders in generating quality study material. There are many LMS systems that are currently functional and do not have the feature to bring two or more teachers together to work on creating notes and exam papers. With a perfectly developed and robust LMS, you can actually get your best teachers to work together so that they can come up with well-researched notes. Not to forget, checking the copies is also super smooth with the help of one such feature as you no longer need to rely on a single eye, you can ask multiple authors to collaborate and check the papers for errors taking the accuracy factor to the highest for your school.

Other than these 3, there are so many features such as mobile access, ease of use, flexible timings, and more. The core idea behind mentioning these 3 is to let you know how practical a well-developed LMS can be for your school.

In the next section, let us try and address exactly what kind of a company you need to get your hands on a robust LMS with all the significant features. Check out how you can hire an enterprise learning management system service provider that provides the best LMS for school.

Traits to Look for Before Hiring a Company: Checklist to Tick

Knowing how a single software can bring a lot of significant changes in the way your classroom works, feels, and interacts with the students, you surely might have got an instinct to transform your functioning online. As good as it may sound, the task of finding a company that can help you with all sorts of requirements without hurting your pockets. One of the biggest reasons that make this task a tough one is the number of options available. With a sudden boom in the LMS integration market, almost every other IT consulting service has started delivering eLearning solutions, and thus, taking the decision becomes even more difficult. So how to filter out the best company that you can hire? Well, there are certain factors that can help you with the decision-making. Check them out!

1. Prior Expertise in the Field - Before trusting any company with your project, you need to ensure that the one you choose is worth the money you spend. You must find a company that has prior experience in the field as that helps in creating a perfect outline for your requirements. You see, when you choose someone with experience, the process automatically turns smooth as you do not have to feed details to the company. They are already aware of what a user might need, which reduces your headache. Also, it is said that reaching out to an older player in the industry is always a good option.
   
   

2. The Clarity in Vision - Whenever you reach out to a service provider, you should always look for what they have to offer. You see, consultations are the best way to go about it. Discuss the idea with them and see how many inputs they can give. Whenever you are interested in a project, you think of it as your own. If the company you choose also feels invested in your idea, you are in good hands. A simple thing that can help you understand the importance of this pointer is that while you are the origin of the idea, you do not have enough knowledge about the field. Having someone who believes in your idea and can assist you technically is something that strengthens your plan.
   
   

3. Availability of Resources - While there are thousands of options available in the market, only a few of them have all the necessary resources. The experts from various fields, access to the tech stack, the luxury of time, and of course a support staff for maintenance. Make a list of all the resources you may need for the project and shortlist the available options according to the needs. This way, you already eliminate the available options which can help you reduce the confusion and make a better choice. You can also spend a bit on market research to learn what your contemporaries are using so that you can match or supersede their tech stack.
   
   

Look for these 3 factors and you will be able to make a good decision in hiring the best company for your school LMS. Finding an apt service is the biggest problem that people face because they are blindsided by too many services and options available in the market. It is time you forget about them and focus on what is best for you.

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Final Words

Factors that affect the decision can be endless however accounting for these 3 can be the best option for you. Just make sure you judge any company based on the mentioned remarks and you will be good to go. An LMS is really important for a school in both offline and online implementation. It is time to take your administration up a notch, it is time to move towards a better and centralized functioning, it's time to adopt an LMS!