What To Look For In an LMS Software

These days, businesses need a way to manage and monitor the competence of their staff. With the number of competing companies increasing across the board, the climb to the top of the industry has become that much more difficult for every player. No business wants to fall behind the industry standard; that’s the fast track to falling out of the industry. So employee upkeep is as important as ever. But what’s the solution to ensuring staff competence that won’t force a business to break the bank in a big way? A Learning Management System.

 

With the explosion of the internet, the use of online training has percolated deep into the roots of business. It’s an affordable, convenient means of transferring knowledge and ultimately leads to better productivity and quality if implemented correctly. A good LMS software is able to give learners all the benefits of in-person training and monitoring at a fraction of the cost. In the long-term, it yields a fantastic ROI, far greater than traditional learning methods.

 

Finding a good platformcan be a bit difficult, but spending the time finding a few key features can go a long way. Look for some of the following features:

 

• No installation required, everything hosted on the cloud
• Uploading all of your material to a database, which you can then pick and choose from to make full, cohesive courses
• Affordable; compare prices advertised on the different service providers
• Simple and intuitive interface – don’t be fooled by fancy graphics and animations that slow down the software

 

If you do your due diligence looking for some of these features in the LMS software you select and implement it effectively, the training experience for your employees will go a long way towards building the brand of your business.

ELearning Gaining on Classrooms

What’s the best method of learning for a student? For many the conventional, and still mainly true, answer to that is in-class. Having a teacher in-front of a student educating the student, with the ability to interact is a tried-and-true way to learn. It’s been done for centuries and is still the way most institutions teach. But, it is no longer the only way. In this digital age, online learning has become more and more common in schools and private institutions. Whether it be a way to augment in-class training, or a full course exclusively online, the use of an eLearning software has percolated through the teaching industry.

 

It’s affordable, but still extremely effective way of teaching a student. If used properly, it in many ways can be even more effective than in-class learning. It gives students the freedom to look over notes from instructors at any time, so they can study at any time of day. It also eliminates the intimidation factor of teachers for students who are bit more shy or timid in class. Assignments and tests can be administered only and an open line of communication is still always possible. The intimacy of a classroom environment can still be achieved. As is always the case, it’s dependent on the level of commitment by the teacher.

 

Universities courses specifically use a eLearning software frequently as students can be trusted to be more diligent. Entire courses are administered online, with lecture notes available for students to view and discussion forums available for them to collaborate with their peers. It works quite well and gives students the time and means to learn on their own schedule, saving them plenty of money and fatigue. Online learning is quickly becoming a viable alternative to in-class learning.

Automated Surveying for Businesses

Since the rise of the internet, automated surveying has become very prominent online. There are several websites that are involved in market research and they often implement a program that includes quizzes for web surfers to answer. Sometimes businesses use an lms software for their employees, which include a surveying feature to collect company data.

 

In order to qualify for these surveys, one must fall in the area of need. These quizzes will ask you certain things, such as; demographics, income, family size, as well as age and employment questions. Market research companies are paid by other businesses to help them to find their targeted market.

 

These help a business to know whether or not their product or service will be successful or not when there is a product launch. A successful product launch is often generated by having the proper tools to be able to reach your prospects. It is a popular method that is used in market research. It helps not only to determine the what, where and when but also the how and why. The data that is received in this automated surveying is then collected, organized, observed and then distributed to the company that hires the market research company.

The company will save lots of money as they have found out exactly who to target in their next product launch. This will help to ensure a successful marketing campaign and therefore, ensure potential sales and profit for their business.

 

There are many companies online that utilize automated surveys to find the answers to many questions that they may have. If you want a successful product launch, whether it be via your website or integrated into your company lms software, it is a good idea to hire a company that uses surveys/quizzes to find out the answers from a wide range of people.

Self Study vs. Online Learning

Many people confuse the idea of a self-study course and online learning, but there is a pretty significant difference. A self-study course most often means a course where one is provided a set of materials to cover on their own time. This type of course has very little, to no interaction, with other students, so it can be pretty easy to put off the training, or just forget about it all together. In many cases a self-study class is taken for personal enrichment or to satisfy a work requirement.

 

Conversely, an online learning software is most often set up like a virtual classroom, meaning the computer takes the place of actually attending a brick and mortar school. An online class still runs on a schedule and in many instances includes some sort of online discussion so one can interact with other students. The online class is much easier to keep on course to complete it since it does offer a set schedule of deadlines and assignments. There are many schools that offer only online courses, and there are also traditional brick and mortar schools that offer online course in addition to classes on campus.

 

Taking a course online can be a large bonus for people who need to balance school with work, family and other obligations. In an online course one is getting the same course requirements met as if they were on campus and the online course grades will show up on a transcript exactly like their on-campus equivalents. Many students like the flexibility to add an online course to their regular on campus schedule to gain credits faster. The trick is finding the most effective online learning software to take advantage of its perks and to get the most out of the educating experience.

 

Online learning allows for far faster, more effective learning in a comfortable environment

Why eLearning is Important for Business

ELearning is important for businesses looking to operate more efficiently. Whether utilizing to train new hires or existing employees, using an eLearning software can reduce overhead costs, which ultimately flow through to the business’s bottom line.

Online training utilizes a variety of training techniques to deliver information to the end-user; online chat sessions, static web training, live teleconferences coupled with webinars and videos. Within any business, both static and dynamic learning platforms can be useful.

 

Some of the benefits of eLearning include:

• Reduced employee travel time to centralized training courses
• Training flexibility; it can be completed at any time, from any computer
• Real time training- in some cases, an issue may arise that requires immediate attention. This learning platform provides the ability to disseminate information virtually immediately.
• Continuing Education- Many businesses would like to update their employee base on new topics, research or products launched, but have challenges with execution. Or, due to the logistics involved, implement training that is greatly delayed. Online training offers the ability to train quickly and efficiently, as needed.
• Tracking- For training courses that are required across a class of employees, an online training platform enable the organization to track who has completed the education, and when. This can be of particular importance for organizations required to meet certain compliance specifications or standards.

 

Every business, regardless of type or size, can benefit from the implementation of an eLearning software for their employees. New hires can become streamlined, and ongoing training can be offered as needed to existing employees in a more efficient manner.

In-Class learning vs Online learning

Most people are in a classroom, going to school from the time they’re around 5-18 years old. After that, some choose to go to college or university for a few years to add some more education, again usually in-class. But we’ve entered a different era, a time where people’s lives revolve around what happens on the internet. People used to get their news in print, now it’s over the internet. They used to send messages via the post office, now it’s over the internet. Used to take pictures and put them in an album, now it’s posted over the internet for all their friends to see. The question now is, what part of our daily lives has the internet not percolated through to? Seemingly nothing, but an interesting debate has risen over the past several years centred around whether people should get their education over the internet, perhaps eventually leading to in-class learning going the way of the dinosaur.

 

There are those who say education should remain how it has always classically been, in a classroom sitting in front of your teacher and beside your peers. Imparting knowledge in this manner over the centuries has obviously proven to be an effective way of doing it. This method gives students a personal relationship with friends and teachers and leads to an overall sense of intimacy that eLearning clearly lacks. Students listen to a teacher who is within a few feet of them as they lecture and can then ask questions for clarity. This process is how it has always been done because the internet is an extremely modern phenomenon, but it nevertheless begs the question; Is it actually the most effective way of teaching?

 

Studies have shown that eLearning can in some cases be even more effective than in-class learning. This is of course only the case when the online program created by the teacher is engaging, structured and thorough.  When educators create online training courses, the methods of conveying knowledge are different than in a classroom setting so this needs to be taken into account since physically assisting somebody is impossible. This is generally the cause of the resistance to eLearning from those who are opposed to it. Absolutely a valid argument, but on the other hand, there are those who despise an in-class learning environment precisely due to the anxiety and pressure that having a teacher who is physically in their personal space brings. These external factors inhibit a student’s learning.

 

Clearly there is some give and take between the two methods of learning. There are benefits to both, and qualified teachers should try each method. They should create some courses that would be taught in a classroom setting, and then use that same content to create online training courses to help determine which mode is most effective. Although the consensus still seems to favour in-class learning in terms of efficiency, the gap between it and eLearning is rapidly shrinking.

How eLearning Satisfies the Needs of Businesses

Online learning satisfies the needs of businesses, simply by unlocking the jam that can occur while performing daily tasks. What that means is that in today’s world with so much happening at work and in a person’s personal life, there is often little time remaining for learning new skills. This is where eLearning comes into focus.

 

An online training platform enables professionals to gain new skill sets at their own pace, at the office or in the comfort of their own home. Companies can also select specific skill sets for employees to develop via curriculums as they create online training courses. Programs may also be required or requested of employees following new employment, or the launch of a new application or software program.

 

Elearning can incorporate videos, eLearning tutorials, as well as webinars. The method of delivery is left up to the person who is going to learn a new task. This is a great way to teach something as some people are quicker to learn through one method rather than another.

 

No matter which type of business you have, utilizing the internet to teach employees about a new assignment or task makes common sense. Both the company and the employee save both time and money as there is no need to travel. Everything can be taught within the comfort of their own home and since these lessons can be repeated if need be, it allows the person to absorb all of the information at their own pace

Good Software For Online Testing

Are you somebody who’s ever thought to yourself “Hey, I’ve got some brilliant knowledge that I want to teach” but never had the platform to do it? Countless people are born to be educators, but don’t have the time or money to means to be put in a teaching environment. Teaching as a profession in a classroom setting is a fantastic, fulfilling, full-time job where there’s a shortage of true caregivers who are genuinely interested in the prosperity of their students. There’s a whole handful of people who would have been incredible teachers, but chose a different career path be it for salary or otherwise. Nevertheless, in the new digital age that we have entered, there is now a means for those who have gotten away from their teaching instincts to still teach students in some capacity; eLearning.

Those who wish to teach and sell courses online can now do so using a good eLearning platform. These are designed to simulate an in-class learning environment using the convenience of the internet. The good platforms also include an online testing software, which is used to administer quizzes and tests so that students can be graded to determine how well they have learned the material. Educators can individually monitor and track the progress of all their students and can help those students who are having difficulty, giving the process a more personal student-teacher feeling. Teachers can also get class reports to see how students as a whole are progressing in classes. If you’re an accountant or banker or lawyer or any other profession by day, eLearning makes it possible to get that fulfilling teaching experience by night.

We’ve yet to even mention the monetary benefits of teaching online, but they are obviously plentiful. If you’ve got engaging, effective courses, there is a huge market of students looking to take these classes. A whole chunk of students who are interested in taking classes actually hate being in a classroom environment and are in turn discouraged by the idea of learning. As an online educator, you would be appealing to this segment of students and would actually be compensated quite well for your teaching. Just be sure that your material is valuable and thought-provoking. It isn’t fair to students to advertise a fulfilling course if you aren’t willing to put the time in yourself to actually make a good course.

At the end of the day, eLearning makes it possible for people to pursue their teaching dreams without the massive time-commitment of being an in-class teacher. You’d be making a difference in people’s lives whilst still maintaining your current profession if you have one. If this sounds like something interesting for you, find a good online platform that incorporates a good online testing software to test your students and get your teaching career underway. As a society, we can never have too many good teachers and if you think you’ve got what it takes, get online and prove it!