Learning Management System (LMS)
Assessing RKSI LMS
1. What is Learning Management System?
LMS (Learning Management System) A software system, that allows the development and delivery of educational courses using the Internet as a delivery system. – as defined by UCLA. A learning management system provides the platform for the enterprise online learning environment by enabling the management, delivery and tracking of blended learning (i.e., online and traditional classroom) for employees, stakeholders and customers. A robust LMS should integrate with other departments, such as human resources, accounting and e-commerce, so administrative and supervisory tasks can be streamlined and automated and the overall cost and impact of education can be tracked and quantified.
Furthermore, an LMS should support a collaborative learning community, offering multiple modes of learning from self-paced coursework (Web-based seminars and classes, downloadable, CD-ROM and video content) to scheduled classes (live instruction in classroom settings or online) to group learning (online forums and chats). In its ability to integrate, organize and standardize learning across broad organizational requirements, the LMS model has been compared favorably to enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions, which convert a company back-office into a seamlessly functioning whole.
2. Evaluating a Learning Management System
When you begin to evaluate learning management systems, you are going to hear a lot of terms that end in “-ity”: high availability, usability, scalability, interoperability, stability and security. Let’s quickly examine each of these issues and why they are critical to the function of any enterprise management system.
- High availability
The LMS must be robust enough to serve the diverse needs of thousands of learners, administrators, content builders and instructors simultaneously. - Scalability
The infrastructure should be able to expand or scale to meet future growth, both in terms of the volume of instruction and the size of the student body. - Usability
To support a host of automated and personalized services, such as self-paced and role-specific learning, the access, delivery and presentation of material must be easy-to-use and highly intuitive like surfing on the Web or shopping on Amazon.com. - Interoperability
To support content from different sources and multiple vendors hardware/software solutions, the LMS should be based on open industry standards for Web deployments (XML, SOAP or AQ) and support the major learning standards (AICC, SCORM, IMS and IEEE). - Stability
The LMS infrastructure can reliably and effectively manage a large enterprise implementation running 24×7. - Security
As with any outward-facing collaborative solution, the LMS can selectively limit and control access to online content, resources and back-end functions, both internally and externally, for its diverse user community
Optimally, an LMS will consolidate mixed-media training initiatives, automate the selection and administration of courses, assemble and deliver learning content, measure learning effectiveness and integrate with other enterprise applications.
3. RKSI Specialities
In summary, the specialities of RKSI learning management system are:
- Section 508 compliant
- Consolidate training initiatives on a scalable, low-cost Web-based platform
- EEO Management Training
- Assemble and deliver learning content rapidly in multiple languages.
- Measure the effectiveness of training initiatives.
- Mix classroom and online learning.
- Integrate with other enterprise application solutions.
- Centralize and automate administration.
- Use self-service and self-guided services as much as possible.
- Support portability and standards: Industry CBT (Computer-Based Training) Committee ( AICC), IMS and Sharable Content Object Reference Model ( SCORM).
- Personalize content and enable knowledge re-use.