What is an LCMS?
So, what is an LCMS?
At its most basic level, an LCMS is a Learning and Content Management System. It is a secure web based software application in which a course author may publish training and learners may login with a unique account to complete training.
In today’s market, online learning is fast becoming the norm. Big business understands the cost benefit of web based training over traditional practices. Consider that a course author has the power to upload a training video and, in the same day, release it to thousands of employees. Managers can generate reports in real time to track their employees’ progress and to evaluate their training success. In contrast, consider traditional class room training. The training venue, the instructor, printed materials, and the travel costs for attendees add to the cost of training. Also, the time between learners completing their training and Manager’s receiving their results may be significant. Online learning has the potential to deliver training faster and more cost effectively than in-class training.
It’s big business rather than the education sector that continues to push LCMS technology forward. The average LCMS for the corporate market has far more bells and whistles than for the traditional education market. Beyond our basic definition, you may as well as include audit trails, certifications, ad-hoc reporting, and course bundling, automatic notifications, 3rd party integration, blended learning with instructor led training, and ecommerce capabilities. Businesses, especially those with high turnover, require efficient tools and APIs for automated account management. They also have HR Systems which may be integrated with the LCMS. Having all this functionality within a single system makes an LCMS a huge component in how businesses transfer knowledge.
The corporate market understands that an LCMS may be used for much more than employee training. The ability to publish materials with audit tracking makes a corporate LCMS a viable solution for maintaining a library of knowledge (documentation and standard operating procedures), project management documentation and tracking, employee assessments, courseware reselling, career path management, and assessments of potential new hires.
So, what is an LCMS? It’s a knowledge base; it’s a training solution; it’s how smart companies stay competitive.
