What is LMS?
The Learning Management System (LMS) is an essential element of e-learning. These programs help students gain a variety of skills, learn new and revisit passed materials. Teachers and parents can track the progress of their students (children) and the relevance of the program. Therefore, the structure of the LMS must be thought out to the smallest details.
It is worth mention that LMS is not a curriculum itself, but is a tool various training programs and curricula can be implemented to.
What is LMS User Interface?
The main factors for success in educational software development are content and functionality. Also, an important factor is the interface design, because it is this that determines the usability.
The LMS user interface gives a first impression and shows how the person interacts with it. Its components include welcome screens, menus, icons, search fields, and many more buttons. The connection between them should be simple and straightforward, which is called an intuitive interface.
How to navigate LMS design?
Here are some tips on how to make the LMS design management process easier:
- uniform type of graphics;
- minimum number of clicks;
- iteration during development.
Let’s look at the main success factors (for students and brands) for a well-designed LMS.
- Visualisation
Remember that visualization and visual memory are very important in the learning process in various disciplines. In addition to high-quality functionality, there should also be a memory factor that will allow students to assimilate new information faster and more reliably.
Super trendy doesn’t mean loaded with unnecessary elements. Simplicity is a key factor here. It’s also important to consider colors. Irritating bright or phosphorous tones can scare students away or lead to premature fatigue, which can reduce productivity and can negatively impact health.
- Links
They don’t have to be broken or lost. All links should lead to the desired content and there should not be too many of them. Make sure that the links are arranged in such a way that this does not lead to premature user exit. Each link should have its own direction in functionality and should not be duplicated.
- Branding
Appropriate use of logos, advertisements, and brand achievements play a key role in generating engagement and attracting new customers. Moreover, the milieu of young people and students is inclined to advise and listen to the advice of friends and peers.
Avoid overuse of commercial ads, intrusive offers, and videos that interrupt the learning process.
Is your LMS project successful?
The cost of developing an LMS depends on the complexity of the system, as well as on the experience of the designer. A / B testing would be an effective way to evaluate your LMS in general, to see does it works and how it works with students. This type of testing is used to evaluate and improve images and graphics, color schemes, presentations, titles, available courses, navigation, layouts and other design items.
Advantages for students
Learning Management System cuts online-learning time by providing the information they only need at the moment. Instead of taking long online-courses, students can simply click on the required online modules and learn the information in the shortest time, when they wish. Also, students can split individual materials and study them gradually. They can also take an assessment about their effectiveness by taking online exams or quizzes, participating in interactive games and simulations, watching workshop videos that highlight complex processes or challenges.
LMS allows you to expand e-learning courses. If you would like to add complementary online modules to your eLearning course to update information based on new trends or scientific investigations, you can simply log into the Learning Management System and make the necessary changes, and there is no change to redesign whole course. For teachers this means that they shouldn’t send an updated guide or handouts to each member of their audience every time.
Advantages for teachers
You can include links to Facebook and Twitter pages, LinkedIn groups, and online forums so that your students can connect with you and it will lead them to academic world more quickly. You can also promote your eLearning course on social media sites to attract new learners, as well as create peer-to-peer collaboration-focused eLearning exercises.
There is an advantage of free trials, exploring pricing options, and read reviews from other eLearning professionals who have experienced this software. This will enable you to create your Learning Management System in the best way as well as design successful eLearning courses.
Advantages for parents
It is difficult to manage the work schedule and find time to play an active parent’s role in the educational process of children. LMS helps teachers engage every parent, regardless of career requirements, travel, or other complicating factors.
Now there is no need for parents to physically meet with teachers in school. They can interact through the LMS conversation thread, send messages through a group page reserved for parent feedback, and even receive updates from teachers for their kids. Regardless of the parent’s circumstances, LMS can make them feel like a part of their child’s school life.
Sometimes parents are asked to check the public website for school announcements. A full-featured LMS brings it all together, so they can just log in and see school announcements, updates and resources for each class, and a single consolidated calendar showing all school, classroom activities, homework, and exams for children.
Which criteria are important when choose a particular LMS?
Before making a decision in the choice of Learning Management System software check-out this points or contact experts to consulting:
For customers:
- Customer support
- Students experience
- Software features
- Software innovation
- Customer (students, parents, teachers) reviews
For partners:
- Economic growth potential
- Students retention
- Company’s social responsibility
LMS examples
- Docebo
- Adobe Captivate Prime
- TalentLMS
- SAP Litmos
- LearnUpon LMS
There are many different Learning Management System software and apps. Check each one for the criteria mentioned above and for your own list of requirements.
Conclusion
Thus, the design of online training programs, including Learning Management System, is one of the main factors affecting the academic performance, engagement and retention of students. Developers need to carefully develop a plan for the structure of the functionality and interface, constantly test and monitor the progress or failure of a particular function, and at the same time listen to the opinions of customers – students and teachers.
Using technology and choice of the right Learning Management System based on the needs of school is the main supporting and managing school resources, leading to teachers’ and students’ success, effective learning and teaching and providing parents’ tranquility.
