Due to the global pandemic, the use of LMS platforms has strongly increased. It is necessary to consider that the radical changes we are witnessing will continue in the years to come. Here are some reflections regarding the opportunities connected to the world of distance learning doesn’t have to be missed.
LMS PLATFORMS: WHAT ARE THEM?
The learning management system platforms, or LMS platforms, are an integrated system of interactive services to support and manage online learning or training. These are software, usually distributed in SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) mode, which deal with the interactive use of content, user management and analysis of statistics.
The LMS platforms provide a complete learning experience where learners can enrol, attend courses, verify the knowledge acquired and receive a certificate of participation.
BENEFITS OF E-LEARNING
The word “e-learning” was coined by Elliott Maisie in 1999. In recent years e-learning has made great strides mainly thanks to 4 factors:
- internet. Billions of users are connected to the largest and most important network in the world. The spread of this technology at affordable prices allows the use of educational content practically all over the world
- multimedia. The development of information technology makes it possible to integrate images, videos and interactive graphics allowing for much more engaging and effective learning low-cost device. Today it is possible to buy computers and tablets at low prices
- better LMS. The best LMS platforms are no longer based on local installations, but on cloud systems capable of providing services to many users simultaneously
Today, e-learning is not a niche tool, rather an opportunity for organisations, companies and consortia to increase the level of knowledge of their members or collaborators. The 4 aspects that make it advantageous compared to traditional learning are:
- lower costs. There is no need to print hard copy and the same course can be easily updated and reused over and over again
- time saving. The LMS platforms allow to easy manage updates and learners can take advantage of the training when they need it. In this way, time is optimised for other activities without forgoing the continuous training
- better performance and productivity. Thanks to LMS platforms, asynchronous training learners can attend courses following their own learning curve
- monitoring the results. The courses can provide immediate feedback on the knowledge acquired. This enables promoter institutions to be sure that their classes of learners have really acquired the course knowledge
HOW TO CHOOSE A GOOD LMS PLATFORM
The market offers a plethora of companies and e-learning solutions to choose from, but in some cases a high-sounding brand does not correspond to a quality service.
A good LMS platform must:
- provide a solid learning experience
- be customisable
- have an interface designed to provide the best UX
- run smoothly on both desktop and mobile devices
- support the use and sharing of PowerPoint, PDF, VIDEO, SCORM, etc.
- manage attendance monitoring
- have an interface designed to provide the best UX
SYNCHRONOUS AND ASYNCHRONOUS TRAINING
The technical characteristics of the LMS platforms must meet the needs of the learners. Although the ultimate goal remains learning, there are significant differences, for example, between learning a programming language and attending a professional refresher course.
Synchronous training virtually reproduces a class of learners led by a teacher. Since this is a virtual classroom, obviously, it is not necessary for everyone to be in the same place and this allows to manage large numbers of learners at the same time. This type of training is reflected above all in the field of school and university teaching. Teachers have the possibility to share slides, PowerPoint presentations, pdf, videos. In this circumstance, a good LMS platform should include the possibility of creating customised courses, quickly loading new activities, allowing the use of comments, etc.
SCORM
SCORM is an acronym for Shareable Content Object Reference Model and it is a standard for sharing e-learning content.
In e-learning, courses are structured using basic units called learning objects, each of them must have specific characteristics to be compatible with the SCORM standard.
These requirements are fundamental because in this way it is possible to exchange information between the learning object and the platform using specific APIs. Teachers can trace the learner’s educational path and know who passed the tests and how learning is proceeding.
This information is also essential to certify the attendance of courses by learners and to issue them with the certificate of participation. For this reason, LMS platforms that support this standard should be chosen.
THE IMPORTANCE OF IN-COMPANY TRAINING
In-company training is a real investment that increases not only the skills of the individual, but also of the entire work group. Parallel to the development of further professional skills in human resources is accompanied by a growth of the company as a whole.
Companies that focus on training are increasing because, in an increasingly competitive and complex world, knowledge and constant updating, the improvement of soft skills and transversal skills make the difference and increase the quality of work.
Training therefore does not only concern the more technical aspects, but also allows for the improvement of relations between colleagues, reduces the attention-seeking behaviour of individuals and builds a more peaceful and respectful workplace for everyone’s needs.
E-learning, which offers both synchronous and asynchronous training, is the most preferred learning approach by companies because it reduces costs and allows optimal management of staff time.
E-LEARNING AND DIGITAL DIVIDE
Italy has an infrastructure deficit with regard to the spread of broadband compared to many other European countries. This topic is certainly not new and we know that one of the brakes on companies’ technological innovation is also due to this problem.
With the need to use distance learning in schools, the digital divide has also become a topical issue for families. The lack of access to the network excludes not only from the digital society, but involves a much deeper exclusion.
It is good to remember that the digital divide is not only infrastructural, but is also due to poor digital literacy. Digital skills today are not just technical skills to be acquired, but are increasingly the prerequisite for full participation in political, social and economic life.
The development of e-learning could give that decisive push, not only to implement important structural interventions, but also to spread and increase the level of digital literacy.
LMS IN THE POST-COVID SCENARIO
What will happen in universities after the end of the pandemic? Will they return entirely to the traditional mode of teaching? These are the questions many are asking more than a year after the pandemic broke out.
Some researchers argue that universities and various public or private institutions should not abandon online learning after the pandemic. Why? In some cases, virtual learning could increase (and improve) interactions between students and professors and among students themselves and reduce distractions, with the possibility of reviewing the lecture at a later stage and thus achieving greater flexibility. Both online and more traditional education have their advantages and disadvantages and, for this reason, it would be good to invest in a hybrid approach that would allow everyone to access quality and more inclusive education.
In addition, an interesting article in the Harvard Business Review shows how some universities are using new technologies to reduce costs for students, among other advantages. The changes brought about by distance learning are not only limited to teaching, but also to the digitisation of AI-based university services.
Higher education, between digital and traditional modes, will be transformed into a lifelong learning pathway where the link between universities and companies is strengthened and where students will be constantly trained through different learning modes by leveraging the opportunities offered by the digital transformation of teaching.
CONCLUSION
The pandemic has turned patchy trials into a structural necessity. This issue should not be underestimated: LMS platforms have made it possible to continue school teaching training in the business world and.
Today the priority is to return to “normality”, but the experiences gained in the field of e-learning are not lost. The school and education of the future will increasingly use hybrid forms of learning to create personalised and flexible training paths.
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