Modern learning management systems (LMS) offer companies a huge variety of different functions for their platforms. But which ones should you really look out for when making your selection? In this article, you will learn about the 5 most important functions that every corporate LMS must offer as a basis for successful online training.
The choice of eLearning tools and learning management systems (LMS) is huge, and the variety of functions is overwhelming for those responsible in companies. Comparisons show just how diverse the offering is: on the comparison platform Capterra alone, around 50 different functions are listed for learning platforms: from A for API to C for Certification.
Today, learning platforms offer a huge selection of different functions // Source: Capterra
However, more functions are not always better – and not all functions are really essential for successful corporate e-learning.
Are more functions in a corporate LMS always better?
Tool providers constantly compete with each other on the number of functions. However, "more" is not always "better". An LMS platform with many functions, of which you only need a few in everyday life, can even be problematic for companies: many (unnecessary) functions make an LMS unnecessarily complicated for course creators and your company's learning employees.
If you are looking for an LMS for your company, the question should not be "How many functions does the learning platform have?" – instead, ask yourself "Which functions are really necessary?". The ideal corporate LMS offers a balance between functions and usability. Before you look into the different LMS providers, you should create a list of requirements. You should involve all stakeholders in this: employees, IT, and the future course creators.
In addition to individual requirements, there are also some functions that every corporate LMS platform should have. Together, the following 5 functions provide a stable basis for effective online training in companies:
5 Basic Functions for Every Corporate LMS
1. Authoring tool for custom content
The focus of most LMS, as the name suggests, is on managing courses and participants. However, the basis of all e-learning is often forgotten: the content. When making the "Make or Buy" decision, in many cases it is worth creating learning content for employee training yourself so that it perfectly matches the learners and the learning goal. A good corporate LMS must therefore also offer opportunities to create your own content. Here, there is a smooth transition between LMS and LCMS (Learning Content Management Systems).
When choosing an LMS for your company, make sure that content can be created in common formats. This includes, for example, images, videos, and presentations. The LMS does not necessarily have to include a complex authoring tool. What's important is that course creators can quickly create and change their own content.
2. Comment function
Especially in e-learning, where employees do not sit together in a training room, exchanging ideas with one another is often difficult. Yet, social learning is an important success factor for sustainable learning: learning together, with each other, and from each other increases the learning effect!
To ensure that communication is possible on a learning platform, the LMS must definitely offer corresponding functions for your company. Comment functions, similar to social media platforms, are common: employees can ask questions under learning units, share their own experiences, or start discussion rounds with other learners.
With a simple comment function, employees can also exchange ideas in the online course. // Source: blink.it
3. Quiz function
In classic employee training, it is not just the learning content itself that is used: self-assessments, knowledge questions, exams, and feedback forms are an integral part of the process for most training sessions. A corporate LMS must also offer these important elements: they not only help to consolidate new knowledge and gather feedback. Quizzes make e-learning varied, interactive, and enable transparency and measurable results.
Therefore, a learning platform should offer a function for creating quizzes. Make sure that different quiz types are possible in e-learning: surveys, intermediate tests, and exams should definitely be possible. Especially for compliance courses, the LMS should also be able to issue customized certificates after completed exams, in order to make learning success visible in the company "in black and white".
4. Reporting function
Which employees are actively participating? Who is falling behind in the learning material? What is the group's learning status? – These questions can usually be easily answered in classic face-to-face training. On a learning platform, however, it can be difficult for instructors to keep track of all employees across the various measures.
An LMS must support this with corresponding functions. Here, too, you should weigh options based on company goals: are large dashboards with countless reports and statistics necessary? As a basis, make sure it is easy for course instructors to see which employees are actively participating in the course and which content has been completed.
A simple report quickly shows where individual employees stand in the learning process. // Source: blink.it
5. Mobile learning
A major benefit of e-learning in companies is the high level of flexibility: employees do not have to leave their workplaces to undergo further training. Ideally, they can learn anytime and anywhere. However, this advantage is lost if the LMS is only available on a few internal company devices. The magic word is: Mobile Learning!
To utilize full flexibility, the corporate LMS must be fully compatible with different device types and also be available outside of the company network. When selecting an LMS, make sure that the learning platform works on desktops, tablets, and smartphones. The content must be fully responsive. This allows employees to learn anytime and anywhere – and perfectly integrate further education into their everyday lives.
Summary: Basic Functions of Every Corporate LMS
An LMS for corporate training should definitely offer these functions:
Authoring functions that allow course creators to flexibly create and edit their own learning content using common media.
Comment function that allows learners to exchange ideas directly with each other and with course instructors, and actively contribute to the course.
Quiz function for interactive content that supports the learning process, such as knowledge tests, feedback forms, and final exams.
Reporting function so that the activity of the learners in the course and the current learning progress are visible to the course instructors at all times.
Mobile function to make learning content flexibly available regardless of time and device.
Conclusion
A good corporate LMS combines the necessary functions for digital training with simple usability for course creators and employees.
Authoring functions, communication options, quizzes, reports, and mobile learning form a solid basis for many areas of application. Which additional functions are required depends on the individual requirements of the company.
Therefore, it is worth creating a clear list of requirements before choosing an LMS and involving all future user groups. When choosing functions, the rule is: As much as necessary, as little as possible.
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
What functions should a corporate LMS have?
Important basic functions include options for creating your own learning content, comment functions for communication, quizzes and exams, reports on learning progress, and usability on mobile devices.
Are more LMS functions automatically better?
No. Too many functions that are not needed can make usability unnecessarily complicated. The crucial factor is that the functions match the learning goals, areas of application, and user requirements.
Why should an LMS offer an authoring function?
With an authoring function, companies can create their own learning content and quickly update existing content. A complex authoring tool does not necessarily have to be integrated, as long as common media can be used flexibly.
Why are reporting functions important in an LMS?
Reports help course instructors keep track of activities and learning progress. For example, it is possible to see which employees have already completed content and where action is still needed in the learning process.
