1 Sept 2023
"Degree or skills", which one is more important? Both are equally vital, but without skills, a degree is a mere piece of paper. Besides, organisations strive to look for individuals with specific competencies and who can provide creative solutions.
Hence, continuous learning and upgrading oneself with the latest skills and knowledge is necessary. And that is where the learning management system plays a significant role, revolutionising how students gain knowledge and improving training delivery practices.
So, it is only fitting to take a look at how the LMS is transforming institutional training through better management and solutions.
Take a brief look at what factors make it the best LMS solution in India
1. Centralised Training and Educational Management
Higher educational and training institutes conduct regular and specialised courses and programmes, so they require a systematic mechanism to create and distribute reading material. Gone are those days when teachers and staff relied on the conventional ways to carry out the processes.
Digitalisation has introduced unique ways of automating the most mundane tasks. In fact, that is where LMS comes into its optimum use. It provides a centralised platform, helping to carry out the necessary functions such as:
- Institutes can create and organise different kinds of training material in multimedia format( text, videos, audio, pictorial).
- Easy training and educational material delivery to students following successful registration and enrollment.
- It ensures easy content management, allowing teachers and faculty to edit and draft the content accordingly.
- Regulates the distribution and updates of all programs and courses.
2. Increased Scalability
Institutes are bound to expand with time, and having reliable technology to accommodate gradual enrollments is one of the critical factors. Furthermore, with the help of a learning management system, institutes can ensure increased scalability.
As a result, they can carry out multiple tasks, including admission-related processes, course management, etc., without any technical difficulties. What’s more, is that they can increase their target audience.
Moreover, since online learning has become a standard educational medium, institutes have been integrating online courses. Working professionals looking to upskill themselves look for appropriate programs.
In effect, it has led to an increase in students in online programs; institutes employ the system to streamline the onboarding processes of online and regular learners. Besides, they can introduce new courses and offer more choices, helping to diversify education and eliminating physical limitations.
3. Appropriate Tools for Testing
One of the key aspects of training and education is examination, and carrying it out through the conventional pen-and-paper method is no longer the sole option. Besides, online tests have become an integral part of the academic structure.
Therefore, while looking for the best LMS software in India, one needs to check if the particular system has built-in mechanisms for implementing assessments. With such an advanced system, institutes can implement various kinds of tests as the following:
Quizzes allow teachers to ask a series of small questions, and teachers can conduct online quizzes, including true or false, MCQs, fill-in-the-blanks, matching and hotspot question options.
Starting an online discussion thread allows students to engage in information exchange and earn points towards achieving mastery of a skill or topic.
Surveys are multiple-choice questions or free-form, allowing the instructors to assess the quality of training and check learner engagement.
Debates allow learners to express their thoughts regarding a topic, so it helps develop skills such as critical analysis.
Teachers can conduct these tests during and after the training, helping assess the progress and determine the understanding levels.
4. Customisation
The shift from a teacher-centric to a student-centric approach has become one of the most commonly discussed topics in recent years. Also, NEP 2020 highlighted the need to move away from outdated educational techniques that promote passive learning.
According to the policy, teachers must assess students’ existing knowledge and figure out ways to accommodate the lesson as per their needs. Customisation of teaching and learning has become the key to providing a comprehensive educational experience.
The best LMS software in India allows teachers to:
- Customise course and program content according to students' learning and understanding levels.
- Offer personalised learning plans for students and simplify the training materials.
- Conducting appropriate activities and assessments like microlearning to understand and meet individual requirements.
5. Data-Driven Results
Are students on the right track to attain learning outcomes? Are teachers and trainers maintaining the quality of training? These are some of the questions that institute stakeholders, especially the institute leaders, want to find an answer to.
That is exactly what the LMS software provides; it provides clarity through accurate data and reports as facilitated by tracking and reporting features.
Furthermore, the reporting mechanisms help to determine the following:
- Institutes can evaluate and assess the training process.
- They can determine which class or section of students are performing well and those who are still lagging.
- It helps to measure the engagement rate of the class.
- Instructors can use the data and report to make informed decisions, helping to improve the course and program as well as the course delivery techniques.
6. Mobile Compatability
Continuous learning and upskilling in today’s age have become imperative to stay upto date with in-demand skills and knowledge. Also, technological advancement has enabled people to access information quickly and effortlessly.
7. Dedicated User Modules
A single software that has multiple users and different departments can use it without any technical glitches is the need of the hour. Hence, the LMS software is the perfect option for institutes.
It has the admin, student and teacher modules, enabling each stakeholder to access, collect and review data accordingly. All they need to do is log in to modules with valid credentials; unauthorised personnel cannot access the system.
In Conclusion ,
The best LMS software has integrated features that enable institutes to automate administrative activities and facilitate effective training. Depending on their requirement, they can choose a self-hosted or cloud-based model. The former requires institutes to download and install the software.
Also, it has greater customisation capability, whereas the latter is cloud-hosted and follows a SaaS business model, and the vendors maintain the system.
Poonam Nathani, ,
Academic Consultant