Selecting a Learning Management
System
It's not just about comparing features is it?
One size does not fit all, and it really does take a lot of homework
and even more trust to make the decision. It's a little like hiring a
new employee. You know the responsibilities and tasks, you've listed the
essential and desirable criteria, and you've had the interview to see
if you really can work with this person. If one stands out from the pack
then your choice is easy. But what happens when it comes down to
a choice between two people who would both do a great job. Because that's
the bottom line, and it's the same with selecting a LMS, more than probable
they would both satisfy the criteria. How the selection is judged may
have more to do with successful implementation strategies than LMS features.
What do you think are some of the most important issues in selecting
an LMS? If you have an existing LMS do the same issues apply when reviewing
your LMS as they did when you first selected it?
- Do you have a list of tools and features with essential and desirable
criteria? Break down the features to be able to make a comparision.
For example, don't just put Discussions, list the essential
and desirable Discussion funtions (e.g. attachments, email forwarding,
archiving)
- Do you have a list of teaching and learning management requirements
(e.g tracking, document management, gradebook)
- What level of customisation is required in course design, individual
tools or overall branding?
- Do you require an integrated authoring tool?
- What level of content management functionality is required?
- Do you have different levels of criteria or functionality for various
learning modes (e.g. online, blended, self-paced)
- Will your technical infrastructure support your LMS requirements?
- Do your LMS requirements exceed budget limitations? Where is the balance?
- What are your organisation's business and educational goals for the
next 5 years? Does the LMS requirements match those goals?
- Do you have the option of installing on your own server or hosting?
- What level of integration is required (e.g. student management systems,
library, financial, content management)
- Does the LMS comply with standards enabling course material to be
exchanged with other systems (e.g. AICC, IMS, SCORM)
- How are learning objects and multimedia supported?
Of course, there are many other questions to developing a LMS Request
for Tender.
Comparison of LMS by Product Name or Feature
EduTools, an open resource created to help educators and
administrators research and evaluate a wide range of e-learning products,
services, and policies.
[use
LMS compare tool now]
Learning Management Systems in the Work Environment
Practical considerations for the selection and implementation of
an e-Learning platform.
This paper, from Element-K states ' By 2020, 60% of jobs will require
skills that only 20% of the workforce now possesses. In response, some
companies will simply lay off employees with outdated skills, then hire
new ones with the necessary skills—a process that's both expensive
and ineffective.
[download
pdf now]
Overview of Authoring Systems and LMS in UK
PeakDean Interactive Ltd, December 2002
This report (116 pages) is in two parts ; technology-based training and
LMS comparisons, including a brief discussion on criteria for selecting
a LMS.
[download
pdf now]
Assessing Learning Management Systems
"When you begin to evaluate learning management systems, you are
going to hear a lot of terms that end in “-ity”: high availability,
usability, scalability, interoperability, stability and security. Let’s
quickly examine each of these issues and why they are critical to the
function of any enterprise management system."- John Hall, (Oracle),
Chief Learning Officer Magazine, January 2003
[read
complete article]
Interesting Statistics from Bersin
& Associates
Number of LMS Companies |
140+ |
Size of LMS Market |
US$350M, growing at 26% per year
(license and services) |
Purchased Cost per User : |
|
<1000 users |
US$83 per user |
1000-10,000 users |
US$35 per user |
10,000+ |
|
Implementation Cost |
150 - 200% of purchase cost |
Maintenance Cost |
20% of purchase cost |
Market Share of largest player |
<7% |
Selecting an LMS - Seven Steps
Chris Howard, Principal Consultant, Bersin & Associates
1. Developing the Business Case
2. Defining Requirements
3. Identifying Potential Vendors
4. Creating an RFI (Request for Information)
5. Creating an RFP (Request for Proposal)
6. Conductng On-site meetings
7. Selecting the Vendor
[read
more]
Steps in Selecting and Buying LMS
1. Establish a product selection committee (technician,
educational person, management).
2. Gather detail requirements from all involved people and departments
(interviews and questionnaires).
3. Write the Request For Proposal (RFP) and Questionlist.
4. Establish "must have" and "high want" criteria
in your RFP.
5. Research and compile a list of possible products.
6. Send out the RFP and Questionlist to 5-7 vendors (3-5 big vendors,
2-3 local vendors).
7. Review and Score RFPs and Questionlists (put them in an Excelsheet).
8. Closely examine top 3-4 products with demo versions.
9. Narrow to one or two options and ask remaining questions.
10. Ask for implementation experiences (references) and contact them.
11. Try 1 or 2 products with real content in your real environment with
some real users.
12. Select the product.
13. Get a good price. Tell them their competitors and their prices.
[read
more]
How to Write an e-Learning RFP
e-LearningGuru.com (By Kevin Kruse)
A short article but with general good advice about writing a RFP (Request
For Proposal)
[read
more]
Top 10 LMS Purchasing Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)
"All LMSs are not created equal. A lot of money has been wasted
on LMSs that don't meet a company’s needs or match its business
objectives, or never go live because they don't work within the user’s
environment. The task of researching LMS products and companies is daunting,
fraught with difficult decisions and plagued with misinformation. Here's
a list of some common mistakes to avoid when purchasing an LMS."
- Dave Egan
[read
more]
The Must-Have Features of an LMS
"Discussions about the benefits of a solid learning management
system have been cropping up around water coolers and in boardroom meetings.
Many executives have heard the buzz and agree that they could use a good
LMS. But in an era of belt-tightening, they wonder which bells and whistles
they can live without." - Dave Evangelisti
[read
more]
|
