3.
LMS: The Foundation of Your Training discussed, an LCMS allows you to create
Initiative content, many times in a rapid development
process. This allows you to deliver content
In today's environment, your learning and quickly when it's necessary.
development department must be many things
to many people. Managing that environment An LMS can track training for you, as well. This
may have become difficult, but Learning comes in especially handy when you need to
Management Systems are making all facets of show that a certain audience has attended
training management more efficient‐and easier. training, such as regulatory courses. This is also
In this series, we are going to examine the helpful to managers who are interested in their
Learning Management System as the employees' career paths. Along those lines,
foundation of your training initiative, so let's your LMS can "store" career paths for different
look at the basics first. job groups, and assign training and activities to
those career paths. So an employee who wants
You may have seen or heard terms relating to to move from one level to another can manage
learning management, like LMS or LCMS, or the educational and development requirements
content management. To begin with, an LMS is of his or her career directly from the LMS. Plus,
a Learning Management System, while and your LMS may even be able to remind
LCMS is a Learning Content Management employees when it's time to take a class.
System. Both provide virtually the same services
with one major exception: content An LMS is not limited to online learning, either.
development. An LCMS usually has a content Keep in mind that the scheduling and
development "engine", which allows you and notifications part of your LMS can also be used
your staff to develop eLearning content in the for instructor‐led training. As long as the
system and have it available for delivery fairly schedule is inputted into the system, it will be
quickly. So what are the available features with managed. Instructors can typically pull class
Learning Management Systems? Keep in mind, rosters in advance of the class, record
we will discuss each of these features in detail attendance, and even record grades. Imagine
in this series. the money you can save on materials if
instructors can plan fairly accurately ahead of
One of the main features of an LMS is the ability time. You can also manage your facilities using
to deliver online learning interventions to your the LMS and its scheduling. For example, you
audiences, wherever they may be. The content can keep track of each training room, its
you deliver may be your own, developed features, its seating capacity, and its operation
internally, or it may be outsourced from via the LMS. If something occurs that makes a
another vendor, or even outsourced from the room unavailable, you can keep track of this in
LMS vendor. This standard delivery ensures that the LMS.
every learner is seeing the same content, being
tested on the same outcomes, and learning in So who provides LMS and LCMS services? There
the same environment. Along with this, as are numerous vendors out there, including
we've Learn.com, CapitalLMS, GeoLearning, Registrar,
3
4. Joomla, and Blackboard to name a few. Your authoring software, and then package the
choice of LMS provider is going to have much to courses into SCORM‐compliant formats.
do with how you want to use your LMS, what Although this may be a preferred way of doing
costs you're willing to pay, and what features things, an LCMS that provides content
are available. We won't discuss doing your due authoring can cut this process down in time and
diligence on LMS providers in this series, so it cost. With a content authoring tool, your edited
may be wise to put together an advisory content becomes course‐ready as it's being
committee of your organization's training created in the system. In this way, it also
personnel, executives who need to buy‐in, becomes ready to deliver upon completion. In
stakeholders, and audiences in order to come some organizations, both Instructional
up with a wish list and review vendors. The Designers and Subject Matter Experts have
worst thing you can do is pick a system that is access to content authoring. However you do it,
just not going to work for your organization and content development via and LCMS allows you
its learners. to provide rapid deployment for just‐in‐time
initiatives, plus the ability to customize and
Why is the LMS the foundation of your learning brand the content to your organization and its
initiative? As you can see, an LMS is a broad‐ various audiences.
based management tool for your learning and
development organization. In our next few Delivery of online content is also a big part of an
discussions, we will elaborate on the major LMS, and thus a major underpinning of your
features of LMS Systems and help you to learning initiatives. First, any externally licensed
determine how the system can be a major part courseware you have can typically be set up and
of your learning initiatives. delivered through your LMS. Without the LMS,
participants may access the vendor's website
LMS: Content Development, Delivery, and directly. With the LMS, they are staying "inside"
Management your organization and being funneled almost
seamlessly to the external content.
One of the most effective abilities of an LMS
relates to your online learning content. Your Some LMS vendors may also provide a content
LMS can help you not only to deliver and library of their own. Generally, content is
manage content, but also to develop it. And it generic but covers many areas, such as
typically does not matter what the source of the customer service, management,
content is; most LMS vendors provide pathways communications, and leadership. You can have
for their own content, your internally appropriate audiences access this content, as
developed content, and externally licensed well. Plus, any content you have developed
content, as well. internally, whether it is LMS‐authored or built
outside of the LMS, can be delivered to your
First, content development can be an important
audiences via their login. In this way, any
part of your learning initiative. Suppose you've
associate who has access to the LMS can log in,
decided to develop your own eLearning
take courses, bookmark, return, and sign up for
content. Without a content authoring tool,
other courses. The delivery arm of an LMS is
provided by and LMS, you'll have to develop
truly indispensable.
courses in HTML or using another content
4
5. Content management is also a major plus with a LMS: Training Management
Learning Management System. Your LMS allows
you to decide who gets access to what courses. Your LMS can manage various aspects of your
Then, you can create notifications and training life cycle as well as content. Consider
reminders to take the courses. For example, how much manual management is involved
certain groups may need certain regulatory with curriculum development and
training that has to be completed on a deadline. management, career‐pathing, certifications,
You can have the LMS send notifications at testing, and evaluation. With an LMS, once
various points throughout the timeline, without these items are in place you can allow the
bothering associates who do not need that system to manage and track all of them. Let's
particular course or program. The LMS vendor's look at each of these functions a little more
library is also part of content management. You closely.
can "open up" selected courses to selected
In relation to curricula, the LMS enables you to
groups, based o their career paths or current
build curricula based on business unit, position,
positions. Many of these vendor‐provided
or other criteria, and then place each
courses can be used as additional training,
curriculum on the system. When someone is
corrective training, or even professional
hired or moves into a position, he or she will get
development.
access to that curriculum. From there, each
Content management also includes control over learner, and his or her manager, can work on
content, even externally licensed content. For completing courses and learning interventions
example, suppose you've decided to develop that better prepare them for the job. Some
your own course in place of an externally organizations may even have multiple curricula
licensed one. When you've got the internally for one person. For example, your organization
developed course ready to go, you can "turn may require every employee to go through
off" access to the external course. This way, "basic training" in your industry or company.
everyone is going to the right course. In terms Then, you may have a curriculum that goes with
of internally developed courseware, you can that person's job or job group. Your LMS helps
easily take these courses down, edit or change you manage all of these.
them, and put them back up fairly seamlessly.
You can also create career paths in addition to
This also gives you a great ability to update
curricula. A career path can show a potential
content to keep it fresh, relevant, and
candidate the professional and educational
appropriate to its audiences. But if it isn't you
development that is needed to prepare for the
can also repurpose content efficiently.
next level. And the LMS can track and manage
Content development, delivery, and that career path, as well. For example, your
management are a large part of the training organization may have positions that require
organization's responsibilities. An LMS or LCMS further education, licensing, or internal
can make these aspects efficient, cost effective, education before a person can be considered
and quick when necessary, so an LMS provides for the job. But along with this comes the ease
a solid foundation for the content management of management for the learning organization
portion of your learning initiative. and the stakeholders. For example, if your
stakeholder decides to add a new educational
5
6. requirement or professional development item, he or she is sometimes exempted from the
you can easily add it to the career path as it course or task requirement. If this is the case
currently exists. This is another great example with your organization, you can create pre‐tests
of seamless changes that can be accomplished and let the system track and score them, just
within your LMS. like a post‐test.
Your LMS can track and manage certification Finally, your LMS can handle evaluation of
programs, as well. This is much like a curriculum training, especially the first few levels. For
but is more targeted within job groups. For example, your level one evaluations for both ILT
example, people in certain jobs may need to be and OLT can be handled via the LMS. When a
certified to carry out specific duties. Or, you participant completes a course, he or she is
may want to certify for merit increases or job automatically placed into an evaluation. But
level increases. Whatever the purpose of your what about higher level evaluations? You can
certification, you can create the certification create them on the LMS and then send
"path" on the LMS and track it. In addition, the participants a notification to go to the
employee and his or her manager can keep tabs evaluation, much like a course notification. This
of the certification process, as well. Some LMS functionality allows you to evaluate learners,
systems even issue completion certificates for supervisors, or colleagues at certain points after
courses or tasks, which is an added incentive to the training intervention.
employees and managers alike.
Next, we will examine tracking and reporting via
Testing is another training management the learning management system.
function for the LMS. Imagine how much time
your learning and development organization LMS: Tracking, Notifications, and Reporting
spends on recreating, scoring, and recording
Your Learning Management System can be used
tests. With the LMS, you can input tests for
as a valuable tracking tool, not just for the
both OLT and ILT interventions and let the
training and development department but also
system score and record the score. You can set
for employees, managers, and even executives.
minimum passing scores that will tell the
Most LMS systems provide you with tracking
participant whether he or she is allowed to re‐
features, but some also include notification and
test. The testing engine of an LMS ensures the
reporting features, so that nothing is lost in the
follow‐through of knowledge consistency, that
shuffle of a large training initiative or a push to
each person is being tested on exactly the same
complete required training within a certain time
outcomes. In ILT testing, the instructor can
period. Let's look at some ways you can employ
easily place participants on computers in the
these features.
classroom.
On the tracking side, your LMS is first a tool for
But testing goes beyond OLT and ILT. You can
learners. Once they know how to use the
also create pre‐testing or test‐out options using
system, a learner can log in, determine where
the LMS. For example, some corporate
he or she is on a career path, an assigned
universities offer "test outs" for certain levels of
curriculum, or a certification program, and
knowledge and experience, much like a college
make adjustments for completion. In this way,
CLEP test. If a learner is able to pass a pre‐test,
the LMS data serves as a self‐management tool
6
7. for careers and development. But the employee custom build a report based on your own
can also maintain the tracking data to be used selected criteria. From the training
as a record when he or she is up for a administration side, you or your LMS
performance appraisal, merit increase, or administrator can pull reports that detail course
promotion. In addition, if your organization completions, grades, or pass‐fails, for any of
employs required training programs on a your training initiatives, including special
regular basis, the employee can also use this programs like compliance or new products.
record to prove that he or she has completed Administrative reporting that you may find
required training. From this standpoint, the LMS helpful can include course attendance, course
and its data is a retention tool. After all, an evaluations, location evaluations, and number
employee who can manage his or her own of completions per course. This data provides
development may be more likely to stay with an you with immediate information on how a
organization. particular course, whether online or instructor‐
led, is being evaluated, as well as how well it is
When you input career paths or curricula into being attended. The conclusions you draw from
the system, you can assign timeframes or your reporting may help save the organization
completion dates. For example, the curriculum money on programs that are not quite on target
for a level one employee may say that he or she at a given time.
needs to complete a certain core of courses
within the first 120 days after employment or Your organization's managers can pull reports
promotion into the position. Your LMS can track for their employees, as well. Typically they can
this and send an appropriate notification to that use the same interface you use to pull reports,
employee, reminding him or her via email that so that you're all using the same selection
there is a deliverable coming up. Plus, you can criteria. A manager can pull a report on how
link the employee directly to the login with this individuals or employee groups are progressing
notification, making it easy for him or her to on career paths, curricula, or required training.
complete the intervention or mark it as finished If they have the tools to do it, managers can
in a timely manner. proactively manage training deadlines,
especially for regulatory or required training,
On the other side of the notification feature, which is another good reason why the LMS is so
the LMS can remind managers of important important. On the other hand, managers can
deliverables or dates, as well. Suppose your use reports just as employees can when it
organization must have certain regulatory or comes to performance appraisal, promotions,
product training completed within a certain coaching, disciplinary actions, and even human
amount of time each year. The LMS can send a resources issues.
notification to managers to remind them of the
deadline, and the managers can then determine If the LMS data is property inputted upon its
if their employees have completed the training. inception, the tracking, notification, and
reporting features can serve as valuable tools
Reporting is another important feature for the for everyone in the organization. Next, let's look
LMS‐and for anyone who uses it, including at how your LMS can benefit your external
training and development. Many LMS systems customers.
have "point and click" reporting, that allows you
7
8. LMS: External Customer Service packaging and selling industry‐related training
to other organizations? For example, if your
A Learning Management System can be a customer service program is an evaluated and
valuable tool for not only your internal proven success, you could "generalize" the
customers, but also your external customers. courses, develop them for LMS delivery, and sell
Consider with whom your organization does the package to organizations that provide the
business. Do you have clients or customers who same level and style customer service as you
purchase your products or services, such as do. If you have an LCMS, you can develop and
machines, software, or business processes? Do deliver packaged courses that are ready to
you have suppliers, vendors, or contractors who deploy via the client's LMS. Or, just as your
need to be aware of how your organization externally licensed vendors create training and
does business? What about partner deliver it through your LMS, you can do the
organizations? Do you share business or process same thing.
with other organizations? All of these questions
can help you determine who your external If you use the LMS to deliver training to
customers are‐and how you can employ your customers and clients, could you also use it to
LMS to help them. deliver to prospective clients? A short online
piece about your company, its products, and its
First, let's look at one of the more obvious LMS culture could be something that is delivered to
features when it comes to external customers: prospects after their first contact. Your
training delivery. Suppose you have new marketing department can develop something
process initiatives, new products, or upgrades that goes a little further than the information
to existing products, like software. You can use on the company website‐and the LMS can
your LMS to link customers directly to your deliver it. This is an added touch that can "train"
training via notifications. In fact, why not set up prospects on what to expect.
curricula or course "cores" for your clients? This
could be an excellent sales tool: consider the If your organization uses contractors, vendors,
impact when the sales team can say, "and or suppliers, the LMS can take a role in their
here's your customized training plan for our training, as well. Perhaps a contractor or vendor
products". If your courses and data are set up needs to take a short course on the terms of
correctly, your customers can manage their their contracts, non‐disclosure agreements, or
training just like you do via your LMS. And non‐compete contracts. Or maybe it could be
remember that you can also schedule training something as simple as the invoicing and
that may not be delivered via the LMS, such as payment process. The idea here is that you can
Webinars or classroom training, via your LMS. deliver training via the LMS to this population
Some organizations look at their customers as segment and ensure that they are all getting the
simply another learner group within the same information. Your organization's suppliers
organization's existing family. Why not carry can fall into the same field‐a short online course
this into the training and development function can educate key people on your organization
using an LMS? and its supply chain processes. The supplier can
record completion and also have a quick
If you have a top‐notch training and reference for future use.
development function, why not consider
8
9. Another external area could be partner multiple training rooms in more than one
organizations. For example, airlines "code location, the scheduling "arm" of an LMS can
share" with each other, an arrangement where change the way you manage training and
they share flight routes and passengers. If your development. The LMS can most likely hold
organization partners with others in this way, information about each of the training rooms,
you could use your LMS to deliver training to its equipment, its seating capacity, and even its
them, as well. Again, it's a great way to get classroom style, i.e. technical or soft skills /
everyone on the same playing field. seminar. Anyone in the organization that has
access to this feature can see the training room
The good thing about using your LMS for availability and plan accordingly.
external customers is that you can control how
much access and the types of access these The other piece of scheduling involves
audiences have. If you just need to deliver a managing instructors and facilitators, and this
ten‐minute training program to vendors, this is can sometimes be the worst part of the
the only access they will have. But if you want management function. The LMS will probably
to allow customer managers to pull reports to allow you to set up instructor profiles that show
see who has completed training, you can also who is qualified in what areas. From these
grant that type of access. profiles, you or your administrator can plug
instructors in to the classroom schedule as it
If your organization has audiences that fall into develops‐or as it changes, which is usually a
any of these categories, your LMS can have a given. The instructors can record their
direct impact on your interaction with them. attendance and grades, and this by default
Next, we will look at scheduling and facilities creates a record that the instructor has taught
management via your LMS. the class. From this data, you can pull reports
LMS: Scheduling and Facilities on instructor usage to see which ones are in the
classrooms, for what lengths of time, and as a
Management
percentage of their time. You can use this
information to manage instructor scheduling
When you bring your Learning Management
and have the same information at your
System online, you can say goodbye to hand‐
fingertips when and if scheduling and
written schedule books and inputting class lists
availability changes.
in Outlook and Excel. Your LMS manages
scheduling and facilities, and provides Facilities management is another area of
information and data that is easily accessible, effectiveness for a Learning Management
just like reporting and tracking. Let's look at System. If your organization is one of those with
how you can use the LMS to become efficient in multiple locations and rooms, you may
scheduling and facilities management. frequently use those rooms for other events or
meetings in addition to training. If you filter this
First, consider scheduling on the highest level,
schedule through training and development,
that is, scheduling classroom training. If your
either the administrator or other department
organization only uses a couple of rooms in one
admins can have access to room availability
location, this may not seem like a great leap
immediately. The LMS can also track who is
forward. But if your organization manages
using what rooms and for what purposes, which
9
10. can be helpful if another area is using training LMS: The LMS as Social Media
rooms on a regular basis. As most of us know,
new initiatives come around whether we are Social media is a big part of our lives, and it is
ready or not, so if you have one that is the future of learning and development. The
classroom based, you can plan facilities easily Internet and social media allow people to blog,
and from one computer, instead of using tweet, collaborate, post video and content,
multiple methods. discuss, and even rate experiences. Training and
development should be ready to embrace these
Some Learning Management Systems may also things and use them constructively as part of
have a notes or comments feature in relation to the learning framework. In fact, you may start
facilities, which would allow for more efficient to see a newer term in relation to Learning
facilities management. For example, an Management Systems: SLMS, or Social Learning
instructor can leave a note about computer Management System.
stations that aren't working or the fact that the
LCD projector needs a replacement bulb. If you Depending on your vendor, new media features
or your LMS administrator keep tabs of this, may be part of your LMS. Or, you may choose to
you'll be able to schedule maintenance as it's create applications internally and apply them as
reported, instead of changing classrooms or part of the LMS. Some organizations may even
facilities at the last minute. make the learning open source, that is, part of
Facebook or Twitter. However you incorporate
You can use the reporting feature in facilities social media, you should first and foremost
management, as well. For example, you may be create a culture that supports social media. In
able to determine that a particular facility is not other words, get buy‐in on the use of social
being used. From there, you can either schedule media from stakeholders and audiences. And if
it or recommend its removal. When you you use it, find a way to both monitor
consider the abilities of the LMS from this angle, information and measure its effectiveness.
you can also imagine how you may be able to Let's discuss some social media interactions
save organizational funds through effective that you can incorporate into your Social
facilities use. Learning Management System.
There is one important thing to remember Discussion threads are a good way to encourage
when you are looking at scheduling and learners to share experiences both before and
reporting: the information and data that the after training. For example, an instructor can
LMS produces is only as good as what data goes post a question or topic that is related to the
into it. So when you or your administrator are course outcomes, and have learners discuss it
inputting data, be sure that it is the latest and based on what they've encountered on the job
most accurate information available. since the training. Alternatively, the discussion
can begin before the program, allowing a
Next, we will look at the LMS as a new media
measurement of where participants are before
tool.
the training starts. Be sure that the instructor
moderates the discussion to ensure that any
information imparted by the participants is
accurate.
10
12. Finaancial Training Solution (FTS), the instructor-
ns e -led division of CapitalW Wave Inc,
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Blennded learning is the p philosophy o which th company was found
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For further informa
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e
Finan
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Bryant Nielson, Direc
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http
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apitalWave
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http://wwww.FinancialTrainingS
Solutions.c
com
http://
/www.Your rTrainingEdge.com
Tele US: +1 (917) 477-3
T 3221
Te UK: + 44 (20) 3356 9
ele 4 9935
bryant.nie
elson@financialtrainings
solutions.com
m
12
