How LMS Software Improves Education in Digital Classrooms?

21 March 2024

Hybrid or online classes have moved beyond the status of alternative ways of learning, establishing themselves as a significant educational medium. However, conducting a typical e-learning classroom session is conducive to technical glitches without proper tools and set-up.

In fact, that is where institutes and teachers find the optimum use of LMS, which is one of the most in-demand solutions to implement digital education. But with so many solutions available, what makes LMS so special? The answer lies in the modern and high-tech features that facilitate comprehensive learning.

Hence, it is only fitting to take a look at how the software improves education in digital classrooms:

1. Better Accessibility to Learning Materials

Carrying a bag full of books and textbooks as per the scheduled routine of the day is mandatory and will never go out of practice. Besides, physical books will always be relevant, especially for individuals who prefer the traditional way.

However, consider a scenario wherein students have forgotten to bring the books or cannot buy them. That is when digitalized learning materials become an appropriate substitute for providing accurate references and information.

Also, carrying books is not always feasible, which is why PDFs, ebooks, and online supplementary resources are ideal options. The primary reason is that teachers can share them with students easily through the LMS portal.

Students can get access to the study materials from anywhere and anytime, even if they fail to attend the classes. Additionally, teachers can update the learning material according to the needs and progress of the class.

2. Variety of Learning Resources

Smartphones and tablets have multipurpose usage, wherein teachers can use them as a significant tool for learning. Furthermore, they can create and share a variety of learning resources through the Learning Management System, and students can access them conveniently.

In fact, incorporating multimedia in teaching and learning has become the latest trend, which adds value to students' learning experiences.

For example, some of the learning resources are as follows:

• Recorded lectures
• Video explainers
• Animation-type videos

Video-based learning is excellent for providing in-depth explanations of various topics and subjects. Also, while recorded lectures could be long, the latter two range between 7 and 15 minutes.

• Podcasts
• Interviews

Students who are auditory learners prefer to hear and observe key points and facts and retain information longer. Therefore, podcasts and interviews are great sources of learning for them.

3. Adaptive Learning

The success of the education system relies on the success of all students and not just a select few; however, that is hardly the case. Disproportionate student progress and unfulfilled student learning outcomes signify ineffective methodologies.

Institutes can make a difference by shifting from teacher-centric to student-centric approaches with the help of tools like the LMS. Therefore, incorporating adaptive learning is the best strategy, enabling teachers to focus on individual students.

Formative Assessments

Conducting formative assessments is imperative for determining ongoing progress and checking students’s prior knowledge.

Customised Learning Activities

Teachers can implement Bloom’s Taxonomy with the help of the software and create customised learning plans according to individual comprehension levels. As a result, students will learn at their own pace, master a skill, and strive to understand a particular concept.

4. Student-Teacher Communication

How many students raise their hands in the class to answer a question? How many learners participate in group discussions? While some might be confident enough to engage in classroom activities, others experience hesitation.

Furthermore, fear of embarrassment and nervousness prevent students from interacting with the teacher. The problem intensifies when they fail to express their doubts despite undergoing several issues, which only adds to their problem.

Teachers can lessen the communication gap through the LMS software that provide several mediums like chat programmes, message boards, etc. Teachers can have a one-on-one virtual session with students, providing them with a chance to clear their doubts.

Also, students can pose questions on the discussion board, which will help stimulate conversations and meaningful dialogue. Consequently, it will help facilitate smooth communication between students and teachers. Also, shy and introverted students can express their doubts anonymously.

5. Real-Time Feedback

Students often have to wait until the results of exams to get constructive feedback on their academic performance. The software has assessment tools, which enable teachers to develop tests, assignments, and homework.

When students complete the tasks and submit them within a stipulated time, the software helps to evaluate and score them immediately. Teachers can send real-time feedback on the basis of students’s academic performance.

Additionally, they can highlight their strong areas and identify the areas where each student struggles the most. Hence, they get timely guidance and support from teachers in terms of taking steps to make improvements.

6. Gamification of Learning

When textbook-oriented and passive learning are at the core of teaching approaches, monotony and boredom become customary. Irrespective of e-learning or traditional educational systems, teachers must strive to create a dynamic learning environment.

Including gaming elements within the learning system with the help of the software helps to increase students’s interest and motivation. For instance, teachers can gamify the learning in the following ways:

• Incorporate leaderboards and reward schemes, allowing students to win points after completing a particular task.
• Add visually appealing designs to the activities.
• Add gamified quizzes.
• Create a healthy competition wherein students will get points after completing an activity.

7. Analytics and Progress Tracking

With so many students in the class, it is challenging for a teacher to determine individual progress through manual approaches. On the contrary, they can evaluate and assess how each student has been doing through LMS solutions.

The software collects and maintains information on student activities and behaviour, including assessment results, grades, etc. Also, it reflects the time that students take to complete an activity.

Teachers can obtain analytical data on students’ overall performance and attendance reports to track their development. Moreover, they can observe the trends and patterns of how students respond to particular methodologies.

As a result, they can make data-driven decisions to improve the teaching and learning process. Simultaneously, they can plan the instructional approaches as per the students’ learning needs.

Which Essential LMS Features Elevate Digital Classrooms?

Content creation and management

Content creation or writing ability is one of the significant features that allows users (teachers or administrators) to create learning materials. They can design, develop, and manage dynamic and interesting educational resources.

Also, configurable templates, multimedia support, and drag-and-drop editors are key to creating and managing content.

Course Administration

A robust LMS comes with course and programme administration capabilities, which help to draft and streamline courses, modules, lessons, and programs. More importantly, users can upload a variety of information, including multimedia content. They can organise and share the materials accordingly among all stakeholders.

Student Data Management

The software is highly scalable, which makes it ideal for institutes to store and manage vast amounts of student-related information. Institutes can integrate the software with existing systems and streamline the registration process.

Communication Tools

The availability of various features like discussion boards, virtual classrooms, and messaging applications is vital for communication. In fact, it is important because it helps to facilitate group projects, assignments, and real-time communication.

Assessment and reporting

Online assessment tools come with advanced LMS software, enabling teachers to draft various kinds of formative assessments. Apart from having templates to create different questionnaires, it also has customisable grading criteria.

Compatibility

A learning management system with integration capability is the need of the hour, as it allows institutes to incorporate the system with other programs. Therefore, it must have built-in features that allow smooth integration.