LMS 1-Oh-1…
A Learning Management System (LMS) is at its core a̶n̶ ̶a̶p̶p̶l̶i̶c̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶ ̶a̶u̶t̶o̶m̶a̶t̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶d̶o̶c̶u̶m̶e̶n̶t̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶a̶d̶m̶i̶n̶i̶s̶t̶r̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶l̶e̶a̶r̶n̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶r̶e̶s̶o̶u̶r̶c̶e̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶a̶ ̶w̶i̶d̶e̶-̶a̶u̶d̶i̶e̶n̶c̶e̶ a record book, an over glorified one but useful nevertheless.
To elaborate, if I go back to my high school and ask them for my academic records, they’re likely to go through their student records, cross-check my results in their books and then print out a sheet of paper with my academic transcripts. And this is what an LMS does.
Don’t get me wrong, I know that an LMS can do so much more than keep records of learner activities but by defining it as such at the onset, it becomes easy to outline what an LMS can and cannot do.
An LMS is
1. A record keeper
✅ It can hold user information
✅ It can track results and scores
2. A content storehouse
✅ It can store various file types (documents, videos, audio files and others)
3. A delivery system
✅ It delivers files to users
Notice how I have listed the bare features of what makes up an LMS and have made no reference to ‘learning’ at all. Because that’s the truth — an LMS is not and should not be synonymous with online learning.
A file available to a user on an LMS does not constitute online learning.
An LMS is not
1. Online Learning
Online or digital learning is characterized by its learning design/curriculum; not by the infrastructure that houses it.
2. A Learning Expert
While the LMS does have features to create learning paths for users and assign content to them, it does not possess any innate abilities to determine how the learners should be grouped and what content should be assigned to them.
This can only be done by the learning designers who have planned the online learning experience for their learners.
3. A Social Environment
While an LMS can boast of features like discussion forums, instant messaging and gamification elements (leader board, scores), it cannot guarantee a social learning environment. It is only when these features have been incorporated into a learning design, that a social experience can be created for the learners.
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While there are numerous advantages of having an LMS — the reach to a wider audience and the ease of access to name a few; it becomes very important to recognize the capabilities of the LMS so that we can set the right expectations for its use.
A state-of-the-art oven does not guarantee a delicious cake! 🍰
This article is a part of a series called LMS Essentials. The next one talks about evaluating an LMS.
