Infographic: The State of the LMS

A recent report by Learning Management System researcher Software Advice has helped paint a picture of the current landscape of the world’s LMS usage, helping us understand not only the way in which the system is used, but also the perception of problems that LMS providers need to solve. The results make for fascinating reading, click through to see our infographic:

Firstly, the good news: 99% of people believe that LMSs have improved the efficiency and organisation of content. Couple that with 96% of people believing that employee retention increases with the use of an LMS and that 97% of people believe their job performance increases using LMS-training and it’s easy to see that people using these systems are pleased with the outcomes.

What needs to be addressed, however, are the concerns that have led to 8% of users finding that their LMS isn’t customisable enough. This is a far more common problem than it ought to be, especially given that open-source solutions such as Totara exist, allowing the user unlimited control. Open-source allows the administrator to see the backend of the system and potentially change anything they need to, allowing them to tailor-fit their systems to their company’s needs. Compared to competing proprietary systems, it offers better value for money (often a key reason for switching to LMS-based solutions over traditional methods).

This is a minor issue compared to the fact that only 27% of users use features such as social learning, and only around 10% have gamification-based goals in their systems. These are key features that are most likely being overlooked by users simply due to a lack of knowledge on how to properly implement them. These methods of learning have been proven to help users retain information with much greater accuracy, and by leaving them “in the box” there’s a genuine loss of value on every system that’s been acquired. It’s up to LMS-providers such as Webanywhere to help show managers the value of implementing these systems and how to get them into the workplace.

Problems aside, the future of the LMS is looking bright. 98% of companies are predicted to be using e-learning courses and videos as part of their training programs in 2015, with 50% introducing gamification or simulations into their programs. In fact, 50% of all classes in 2019 are predicted to be completely online, which demonstrates just how important a solid LMS foundation is going to be.

The state of the LMS is looking strong, but its not a landscape without any issues. Software Advice’s research is invaluable in helping us understand the future of LMSs, and their findings show us that our work as an LMS-provider is far from done. There’s still plenty to teach people about learning, and Webanywhere will be leading the way in helping everyone improve their LMSs.

Source: https://www.softwareadvice.com/hr/userview/lms-report-2015/