The 4 pillars of successful LMS software

What makes a learning program successful? While there are a variety of factors that contribute to this, it first and foremost begins with successful LMS software.

Effective learning begins with successful LMS software

Successful LMS software, or LMS SaaS (software as a service), provides you with the necessary tools to build an effective learning program. Essentially, it sets you up for success to build an e-learning program that will allow you to achieve your desired learning outcomes. In other words, how can you create a successful program if you don’t have the necessary tools to do so?

LMS software primed for success has key pillars that lay the right foundation for a fruitful learning program. Each pillar is equal in importance to the other. And without these pillars, you risk having a lopsided or ineffective learning program. 

4 Pillars of Successful LMS Software

Whether you’re searching for an LMS or already have one, these four pillars will let you know if an LMS is setting you up for success to create a productive learning program that will help you achieve your learning objectives.

Create courses

Any learning management system (LMS) built for success will allow you to create courses within its platform. Since courses are the mainstay of learning and development, it’s not surprising then why it’s the first pillar of importance in creating a successful program. 

This may seem like a no-brainer, but there are LMSs out there that don’t allow you to create courses. Instead, they serve as a shell platform that only houses courses. That means you have to build courses in another platform, and then, transfer them into the LMS. 

Using two or even three platforms to create and house courses can be extremely time-consuming and costly. By working with LMS software that has course creation capabilities, you can streamline your workflow and decrease labor hours – as well as frustration. 

As an administrator, most of your time will be spent creating and adjusting courses. So you’ll want an LMS that allows you to do that effectively and efficiently.

Engage learners 

You may spend hundreds of hours creating courses that are educational and convey what you want, but if they aren’t engaging, they will likely fall on deaf ears. As with anything, the more interesting and engaging something is the better chance it has to capture and hold a person’s interest. 

This is all the more true when it comes to learning, where it’s estimated that learners retain 5 to 10% of what they hear in a lecture. Add to that, remote and virtual learners are even more susceptible to disengagement, and it becomes even more important. 

When it comes to engagement, gamification and interactive tools are the best things instructors can use to increase it. Gamification alone has been proven to increase learner engagement by 50% or more.

Engaged learners not only retain more information but also have significantly higher course completion rates, better post-learning application of concepts, and greater employee satisfaction. 

Successful LMS software will make engaging learners a top priority by providing a robust suite of gamification and interactive elements. Things like quizzes, fill-in-the-blank questions, branching scenarios, and image hotspots are great because they involve learners in the learning process, resulting in better memory retention and attention span. 

Likewise, features such as virtual classrooms, whiteboards, leaderboards, and community forums are great interactive tools for engaging learners. Tools like virtual classrooms and whiteboards allow learners to observe demonstrations while leaderboards and community forums provide a space for them to connect with one another – all of which are challenging in a virtual environment.

When it comes to creating a successful learning program, engaging learners is a must. LMS software with robust engagement tools will ensure you have a program that creates impact and your time, money, and energy aren’t wasted.

Track and report

No learning management program is complete without data analytics. You can have the most highly-engaging courses, but without data to track and monitor your efforts, you are essentially flying blind with your program. 
Data analytics tools and reporting capabilities allow you to take the guesswork out of learning. With data and reporting tools, you can see if individual learners have completed training and how they are performing overall. And you can use this information to provide tailored support to boost skills or comprehension, which can result in hiring dollars saved and better employee retention.

You can also identify weak areas in your materials and larger training program. Depending on the LMS software, you can use data to identify the most common areas where people disengage with materials or have trouble understanding concepts. And you can use these insights to strengthen your learning program and make workforce-wide changes and improvements.

LMS software built for success will include tracking and reporting abilities in at least some capacity. Oftentimes, administrators think these features are negotiable when, in fact, being able to track and report learner data and outcomes is a crucial pillar in building a solid learning and development program.

Data and analytics reporting creates a constant feedback loop between you and your learners as well as your organization at large. Without these tools, you risk creating an echo chamber where pinpointing and correcting problems will be difficult.

You also risk creating an unbalanced learning program, possibly placing more emphasis on certain areas that don’t need it while neglecting the ones that do. LMS software with tracking and reporting capabilities sets you up for success to make the right business decisions that boost your bottom line.

Security and compliance

Of all the pillars, security and compliance are usually the most overlooked. But they are equally important. Organizations generally either assume an LMS is secure and that they don’t have any compliance issues to worry about, or they might not even think about it.

Security and compliance are crucial components of LMS software. Without a secured platform, you are exposing your business and learners to serious risk. Data and security breaches do happen, and it’s important to know if your LMS is equipped against them. You don’t want any vulnerabilities that can damage your business and reputation.

When it comes to learning management systems, the only sure way to tell if one is secure is by asking if it has a SOC 2 certification. A SOC 2 certification is the gold standard in assuring an LMS’s security, reliability, and data protection.

If you’re considering an LMS, make sure it has at least a SOC 2 Type 1 certification. But aim for one that has a SOC 2 Type 2 certification. A SOC 2 Type 2 evaluation takes place over a longer period than a SOC 2 Type 1 audit and is more stringent, ensuring the highest levels of security and reliability.

It may sound like an exaggeration, but without a SOC 2 certification, you’re really rolling the dice when it comes to security.

Additionally, you’ll want to assess any LMS software for compliance regulations. If you host learners within the European Union (EU) or California, you’ll need a GDPR-compliant and CCPA-compliant LMS respectively. If you have learners in these regions with a non-compliant LMS, you could be held liable.

And if your organization is subject to certain compliance regulations like HIPAA, for instance, an LMS can make it easier for you to meet these standards. However, only LMS software with robust enough tools will make that a success.

Think through any compliance regulations your organization might be subject to and ask what tools they have available to help you meet regulations.

A successful learning or training program first begins with LMS software that includes the right pillars for success. If an LMS has all four of these pillars, then you have a solid base from which to grow an effective and balanced program.

Tovuti is the best LMS software to make learning fun, easy, and data-driven

Tovuti is a top LMS software that makes training and education programs manageable, trackable, and data-driven. By leveraging Tovuti’s LMS, you alleviate administrative burden and make learning fun and easy for users.

With Tovuti’s LMS, administrators can easily create engaging courses, distribute multimedia learning materials, provide feedback, host collaborative learning sessions, use granular data insights to improve their program effectiveness, and more – all from one platform.

And with the most robust gamified and interactive features on the market, including over 40 plug-and-play gamified features, leaderboards, and virtual classrooms, learners are sure to retain more information and have fun doing it!