LMS or Learning Management System platform is an online teaching platform used to sell courses or to apply distance learning training with employees, reducing costs and optimizing time.
An LMS system contains all the tools necessary for an instructor to be able to develop and make their content available on the internet, as well as to follow up students and issue certificates.
The first LMS platform was developed in 1998 and, since then, several others have emerged with new features to meet the needs of the market. Currently, most platforms work in the SaaS (Software as a Service) model, that is, in the cloud. The biggest benefit of this model is the elimination of the need to install and maintain a system that would be hosted on a local server. In the cloud, updates are the responsibility of the software developer himself.
Main features of an LMS platform
1. Performance control
When we talk about face-to-face assessment processes, we must take into account that there may be delay and complexity involved. This is because, in addition to having to apply the assessments, the instructor needs to correct them manually, in addition to often having to travel or using many alternative tools (email, phone, videoconferencing tools, spreadsheets, Word documents, etc).
When we talk about evaluation processes on an LMS platform, the situation is different. In it, everything is hosted in a single system and the student receives feedback right away. In addition, the instructor can centrally check performance, the percentage of correct answers and what were the errors of each user, as well as the general average of a group of people.
This ensures greater control over learning, so that it is always possible to measure the results of training in real time and, thus, have data that prove results and that allow for improvements in teaching, eventually.
2. Hosting content
On an LMS platform it is possible to host the most diverse content formats, such as:
Videos (including YouTube videos);
PDFs;
Power Points;
Questionnaires;
Spreadsheets;
Infographics;
And much more.
Thus, with this diversity of content, acquiring new knowledge is much more fun.
3. Discussion forum
Discussion is an important part of the learning process, and this is not overlooked on an LMS platform. This is because this type of platform usually includes a forum,
where you can ask questions and talk to other people who are doing the same training, which can be mediated by the instructor or manager.
4. Automatic issuance of certificates
An LMS platform is capable of issuing automatic certificates whenever a new learning is completed. Thus it is possible to know how many certificates have already been issued and what training the student has completed.