Blog Feed

Posted on

Tips For LMS Evaluation

In Q3 of 2022, I was the lead in a project to quickly identify a replacement for the company’s existing LMS. The SaaS solution we had been using for six years was acquired by LinkedIn and the solution would no longer be available to us with a short lead time. We had to identify and begin the implementation of a totally new solution in about 3 months. To be fair, in the world of learning management, we are a small corporate learning shop – with approximately 100 courses and 300 learners. However, we were looking to grow rapidly to a catalog of 300 courses and 500 users. Still relatively small, but significant growth for the company.

Here’s the thing, there are lots of quality providers in the LMS space (some duds too). We were budget constrained, so some of the “big” names were off the table almost immediately. We were focused on a core set of specific capabilities at a cost point that fit within our budget parameters.

Some of my takeaways from this intense project follow.

High-Level Evaluation Criteria

Here are some evaluation points we focused on:

  1. Look beyond the surface: Don’t be fooled by flashy marketing or impressive visuals. A quality learning management system should offer features that go beyond aesthetics, such as efficient user navigation, strong security protocols, and solid technical support.
  2. Identify your needs: Before choosing an LMS, it’s essential to understand your organization’s needs and goals for employee development. By doing so, you can find an LMS that aligns with your learning objectives and enhances the learning experience.
  3. Check the data: A robust LMS should provide analytics and insights into learner progress, course completion rates, and assessment results. Analyzing this data can help you fine-tune your training programs and identify areas for improvement.
  4. Consider customization: A learning management system that allows you to customize and personalize the learning experience can increase learner engagement and motivation. Look for an LMS that offers features such as adaptive learning paths, personalized content recommendations, and individualized feedback.
  5. Plan for the future: When evaluating an LMS, consider the scalability and compatibility of the system with other software and tools that you use. The LMS should have the ability to grow with your organization and be adaptable to changes in the future.
  6. Assess the user experience: The user experience is crucial in any software application, and an LMS is no exception. A quality LMS should be easy to use, navigate, and access. Make sure the interface is intuitive and user-friendly, and that learners can find the information they need quickly.
  7. Look for integrations: Many organizations use various software tools to manage different aspects of their business. Look for an LMS that can integrate with other systems, such as HR software or performance management systems. This integration can help streamline your business processes and save time.
  8. Review the support options: Any software system can have issues or glitches, so it’s essential to evaluate the support options when choosing an LMS. Look for a vendor that offers reliable technical support, training resources, and online communities where you can connect with other users.
  9. Consider mobile access: With the rise of mobile devices, it’s crucial that an LMS is mobile-friendly. Look for an LMS that has a responsive design, allowing learners to access courses and content from any device.
  10. Don’t forget about compliance: Compliance is a critical aspect of any training program, especially in regulated industries. Look for an LMS that can help you stay compliant with industry regulations, such as HIPAA or OSHA. The LMS should also offer tools for tracking compliance and generating reports.

We found that by considering these high-level criteria, we were able to find a learning management system that suited our organization’s needs, helped achieve our goals, and provided an engaging learning experience for our learners.

Key Features and Capabilities

The key features you should look for in a learning management system (LMS) can vary depending on your organization’s specific needs and goals. However, here are some essential features that most organizations find useful:

  1. Content creation and management: An LMS should allow you to create, store, and manage various types of content, such as text, audio, video, and interactive content.
  2. Course delivery and management: An LMS should offer tools for delivering and managing courses, such as course calendars, scheduling, and progress tracking.
  3. User management: An LMS should allow you to manage user accounts, including user registration, enrollment, and user groups.
  4. Assessment and testing: An LMS should provide tools for creating and administering assessments and tests, such as quizzes and exams.
  5. Progress tracking and reporting: An LMS should allow you to track learners’ progress and generate reports on their performance.
  6. Mobile accessibility: An LMS should be accessible on mobile devices, enabling learners to access content and courses on the go.
  7. Gamification: An LMS should offer gamification features, such as points, badges, and leaderboards, to increase learner engagement and motivation.
  8. Integration: An LMS should be easily integrable with other systems, such as HR systems, performance management systems, or content management systems.
  9. Personalization and customization: An LMS should allow you to customize the learning experience to suit individual learners, such as offering personalized content recommendations, adaptive learning paths, or individualized feedback.
  10. Social learning and collaboration: An LMS should offer tools for social learning and collaboration, such as discussion forums, group projects, or peer-to-peer assessments.
  11. Multilingual support: An LMS should provide multilingual support to cater to learners who speak different languages.
  12. Accessibility: An LMS should be accessible to learners with disabilities, such as providing closed captions for video content, screen reader support, and other assistive technologies.
  13. Analytics and insights: An LMS should provide analytics and insights to help you measure the effectiveness of your training programs and identify areas for improvement.

By considering these features and others specific to your organization, you can find an LMS that best suits your needs and helps achieve your training and development goals.

And, if you are interested in having a look at my 200 +/- item feature/function/capability matrix, feel free to reach out.

Posted on

LXD & ID

In the field of education, there are various approaches to designing a curriculum, creating lesson plans, and delivering instruction. Two of the most commonly used approaches are learning experience design (LXD) and instructional design (ID). While both LXD and ID share some similarities, they also differ in various ways. In this article, we will compare and contrast these two approaches to education design, explore their benefits, and how they can complement each other.

Learning Experience Design (LXD) vs. Instructional Design (ID)

LXD is like the new kid on the block, all hip and trendy with its focus on creating an immersive and engaging learning experience using technology. It’s like throwing a party for your brain, complete with games, simulations, and personalized learning paths. Who says learning has to be boring, right?

Learning Experience Design (LXD) is a relatively new approach to education design, often referred to as a “human-centered” approach to education design. LXD focuses on the learner’s experience and emphasizes the use of technology to create immersive and engaging learning experiences. LXD incorporates a variety of elements, including gamification, simulations, social learning, and personalized learning paths, to create a learner-centered environment. The aim of LXD is to create an emotional connection between the learner and the learning content, which leads to a deeper and more meaningful understanding of the subject matter.

ID, on the other hand, is like the granddaddy of education design. Think of it as the blueprint for a house, where everything is planned out to the smallest detail. ID is all about creating effective, efficient, and engaging instructional materials that can be delivered to a wide audience.

Instructional Design (ID) has been around for many decades and is a more traditional approach to education design. ID focuses on the systematic design of instruction, and its primary goal is to ensure that learning outcomes are achieved. ID involves creating a detailed plan for a course or lesson, outlining the learning objectives, the delivery method, and the evaluation criteria. The focus is on creating effective, efficient, and engaging instructional materials, which can be delivered to a wide audience.

Benefits of Learning Experience Design (LXD)

One of the main benefits of LXD is that it takes into account the learner’s needs and preferences. LXD uses a variety of techniques to engage the learner, including gamification, personalization, and social learning. This results in a more engaging and interactive learning experience that can lead to better retention of the material. LXD is also highly adaptable, allowing for quick changes in the learning content to address the needs of different learners.

Benefits of Instructional Design (ID)

ID has been used for many years, and its effectiveness in creating high-quality instructional materials has been proven time and time again. ID ensures that the learning objectives are clear, the delivery method is effective, and the evaluation criteria are fair and accurate. ID is a highly structured and organized approach, which makes it easy to replicate the learning experience for different learners.

Complementary Nature of LXD and ID

While LXD and ID differ in their approaches to education design, they can complement each other. For example, LXD can be used to enhance ID, by adding gamification, social learning, and personalization to the instructional materials. These elements can make the learning experience more engaging and interactive, leading to better retention of the material. On the other hand, ID can be used to structure and organize the learning experience, ensuring that the learning objectives are clear, the delivery method is effective, and the evaluation criteria are fair and accurate. The combination of LXD and ID can lead to a highly effective and engaging learning experience.

Wrap Up

While both LXD and ID have their unique advantages, they can be used together to create a highly effective and engaging learning experience. LXD focuses on the learner’s experience, while ID ensures that the learning objectives are clear and the delivery method is effective. The combination of these two approaches can lead to a highly effective and engaging learning experience, which can lead to better retention of the material and a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

If you like this, please share.

More: Subject Matter Experts & Content Creation

Posted on

Using Instructional Design to Create High-Quality eLearning Content

(Or – The Importance of Applying Instructional Design Methodology to Create Business-Focused Learning Content)

If done well, eLearning can be one of the most effective ways to train and support employees, managers, and executives in a corporate environment.  With the digital tools and cloud-based Learning Management System (LMS) platforms available today, training content can be created and distributed on an enterprise-wide scale.  This means that organizations no longer need to rely solely on often difficult-to-coordinate instructor-led training sessions that may only accommodate a few attendees at a time.  Instructor-led training can also be hampered by scheduling conflicts and disparate time zones making it challenging to get instructors and learners together at the same time.

Enterprise-available eLearning training content can be repeatably used by learners without the need to pull trainers – who are often key resources within the organization -away from their primary roles.  Learners have flexibility because they can access eLearning content when it fits into their schedule, and more importantly, when the content is most relevant to the task they are performing.

Developing business-focused eLearning content is ever-evolving, and if not done well can miss the mark on hitting training objectives and also fail to fully engage learners.

This is where the principles of instructional design and an instructional design methodology come into the picture.

At its core, instructional design is defined as the practice of creating instructional experiences to help facilitate learning in its most effective form (1).  Design, in this sense, is more than a process.  It’s a framework of thinking and application that can be embedded in all training interactions and learning content.  This includes applying an instructional design model when creating eLearning content.

When an organization invests in eLearning without instructional design principles as a foundation, it can end up spending a lot of money and time on creating ineffective content that does not meet learning objectives and does not engage the learner.  Training via any type of delivery format, including eLearning, is only as powerful as learners actually implementing the lessons learned in their work.

It Starts with Strategy – An Instructional Design Model

A strategy is synonymous with a plan of action or a method for performing a task.  There are many respected and widely used instructional design models.  These models and methodologies provide a framework to develop a cohesive training strategy and targeted training content.  All good instructional design models focus on the following activities:

  • Setting clear goals
  • Defining detailed learner objectives focused on results
  • Determining skills and knowledge required to achieve the goals and objectives
  • Researching and creating content
  • Determining instructional strategies and delivery format
  • Conducting learner assessments and determining training effectiveness

A well-planned instructional design strategy can help mitigate one of the key issues related to eLearning: the lack of interpersonal interaction between  learner and teacher.  An effective instructional design strategy can help you captivate your online learners by leveraging engaging elements like – practice exercises, interactivity, video, simulations, and case studies.

There’s No One-Size-Fits-All

With instructional design, there is no one-size-fits-all.  Many valid approaches and methodologies can reach the same objective, which will inspire creativity and innovation in your training content.  Content delivery options include case studies, scenario-based learning, learning exploration and discovery (LEAD), and the list goes on.  Content delivery options often map well to specific learning topics.  For example, guided learning works well with induction training and product training, whereas case studies line up well with safety training, quality training, and compliance training.  Of course, you can step outside of these suggestions, which can lead to innovative training results.

But to be clear – I’m not saying that eLearning and digital learning delivery platforms can always replace getting instructors and learners in the same room.  Some training is best delivered in an instructor-led format.  Applying an instructional design methodology will ensure that you identify instances where person-to-person instructor/learner interaction is the best way to meet your learning objectives and achieve your desired training outcomes.  In my knowledge management practice, we regularly use instructor-led training as part of the design process for eLearning content.  We find that instructor-led training can help validate and hone the training content and learning objectives before developing eLearning content.

Before you jump into fun and creative activities like building training content using a good instructional design model, it is important to take into consideration factors like audience profiles, learning environments, and constraints of time and cost.  Any good ID model will accommodate such things.  Once you do the background work, you can focus on the creative aspects of instructional design to develop effective and engaging eLearning programs.  And let’s be honest: it’s the creative stuff we all want to get our hands into.

What is your instructional design methodology?

Happy learning!
Jeff



(1)  Kurt, S. “Instructional Design Models and Theories,” in Educational Technology, December 9, 2015. Retrieved from educationaltechnology.net/instructional-design-models-and-theories

Posted on

An Intro to SaaS Architecture

As technology continues to shape our world, more and more businesses are turning to Software as a Service (SaaS) applications to manage their operations. But what exactly is a SaaS application, and how does it work?

At its core, a SaaS application is simply a software application that runs on the internet, rather than on a user’s computer. This means that users can access the application from anywhere with an internet connection, using a web browser or a dedicated app.

But the technology behind a SaaS application is much more complex than that. To understand how it works, we need to dive deeper into the layers of technology that make up a modern SaaS application.

At the top of the stack is the User Interface layer. This is the part of the application that users see and interact with. It’s responsible for presenting information and allowing users to perform tasks, such as creating and editing data. The UI layer is typically created using tools like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and popular frontend frameworks like React or Angular.

Beneath the UI layer is the Application layer. This is where the “brain” of the application lives, handling business logic and data processing. The application layer is typically built using server-side programming languages like Python or Ruby, and popular frameworks like Django or Ruby on Rails.

The Data Access layer is next, handling interactions with the SaaS application’s database or other persistent data storage. This layer often involves tools like SQLalchemy or ActiveRecord to handle queries, data validation, and data transformations.

The Infrastructure layer manages the underlying computing resources needed to run the SaaS application, such as servers, storage, and network infrastructure. This layer often uses cloud-based services like Amazon Web Services or Microsoft Azure, along with Infrastructure as Code tools like Terraform or CloudFormation.

The Integration layer connects the SaaS application to other systems or services, such as payment gateways or messaging platforms. This layer often involves the use of APIs or message queues to exchange data between systems.

Finally, the Security layer is responsible for protecting the SaaS application from various security threats, such as unauthorized access, data breaches, and denial-of-service attacks. This layer often involves the use of firewalls, intrusion detection/prevention systems, and other security monitoring tools.

Together, these layers make up a modern SaaS application. While the technology can be complex, the benefits of using a SaaS application are clear. By running in the cloud, SaaS applications are highly accessible, flexible, and scalable. They allow businesses to focus on their core operations, while leaving the technology to the experts. Whether you’re managing finances, customer data, or project management, chances are there’s a SaaS application out there that can help.

As SaaS applications become more prevalent, it’s important for businesses and consumers to understand how they work and how they can be used effectively. With the ability to access software from anywhere, on any device, SaaS applications have revolutionized the way we work and interact with technology.

But like any technology, SaaS applications can come with their own set of challenges. Security and data privacy are major concerns for businesses, especially when sensitive data is being stored and processed online. It’s important for businesses to carefully evaluate the security practices of any SaaS application they use, and to implement their own security measures as needed.

Another challenge is vendor lock-in, where businesses become dependent on a single SaaS provider and find it difficult or costly to switch to a different platform. This can be mitigated by choosing SaaS applications that support open standards and data portability, or by using multi-cloud strategies to spread workloads across multiple providers.

Despite these challenges, SaaS applications are rapidly becoming a cornerstone of modern business operations. With their accessibility, flexibility, and scalability, they’re allowing businesses of all sizes to compete on a level playing field. As the technology behind SaaS applications continues to evolve, we can expect to see even more innovative uses and applications in the years to come.

The future of SaaS is exciting, with new technologies and innovations emerging all the time. One trend that is already gaining momentum is the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning in SaaS applications. By analyzing large amounts of data, these applications can make predictions and offer insights that were previously impossible.

Another trend is the use of microservices, which allow SaaS applications to be broken down into smaller, more manageable components. This makes it easier to develop and maintain applications and allows for greater flexibility and scalability.

The most prevalent programming languages and tools used to create and maintain each layer of a modern SaaS application vary depending on the application’s specific requirements, but some popular choices include:

  • User Interface Layer: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript; React, Angular, and Vue.
  • Application Layer: Java, Python, Ruby; Spring Boot, Django, Rails.
  • Data Access Layer: SQL; Hibernate, ActiveRecord.
  • Infrastructure Layer: Terraform, CloudFormation.
  • Integration Layer: REST APIs, message queues, event-driven architectures.
  • Security Layer: firewalls, IDPS, security monitoring solutions.

As the SaaS market continues to grow, we can also expect to see more niche applications catering to specific industries or use cases. For example, there are already SaaS applications that focus on healthcare, legal services, and real estate. As the technology becomes more sophisticated and the market more crowded, we can expect to see even more specialized applications emerging.

For businesses and consumers, the future of SaaS means greater access to technology, more efficient operations, and the ability to focus on what really matters. Whether you’re a small business looking to streamline your operations or a consumer looking for the latest productivity tool, SaaS applications are changing the way we work and live.