Technology has brought a revolution in teaching and learning. Lectures no longer have to be held in the classroom thanks to the digital tools available for both students and instructors. What is more, students now have access to an unlimited number of resources and textbooks straight from their computers or mobile devices. Thanks to learning management software both parties can gather important information on their progress, strengths and weaknesses. Based on that, the platform can adjust the learning approach to individual students and make the entire process more enjoyable and effortless.
In 2019, the global eLearning market was worth around $101 billion while the learning management system market generated $18 billion. By 2026, the total eLearning market is forecasted to reach over $370 billion. eLearning increased learning retention rates by 25%-60% and it takes approximately 40% to 60% less time to complete a corporate eLearning compared to traditional learning.
Nearly 98% of companies declared to incorporate online learning into their corporate education. Is your business one of them? Are you looking for the right solution? In this post, I will tell you how to choose the best LMS in 2022.
Table of Contents
What is LMS software?
LMS is an online learning management system that can be used to create digital classrooms or to train employees. LMS offers features like skill tracking, course and content management, analytics with detailed statistics and gamification. Those systems can also be equipped with notifications, live chats to connect learners with instructors or allow test creation and file sharing. What is more, by choosing a custom-made solution companies are able to adjust the software according to their requirements and its main purpose. However, not everybody wants to build their own LMS as there is a lot of ready-made software available, which obviously has its pros and cons.
Pros and cons of ready-made LMS
Pros:
- less expensive than building your own solution
- no need to worry about updates, improvements etc
- battle-tested by other users
- faster implementation
- some LMS are tailor-made for specific industries
Cons:
- no customization
- may lack some features while you need to pay for those you will not use
- adding new users may increase the costs
- you have to adapt to any changes
When to choose a ready-made LMS?
A ready-made LMS is a great option for companies with a smaller budget and less specific needs. It is also a perfect choice for those on a time crunch as an out-of-a-box solution will take less time to get it up and running with a fraction of staff resources.
What is a custom LMS?
When choosing the best LMS apart from ready-made solutions we can also distinguish so-called custom LMS. Custom Learning Management Systems means users buy the software and install it on their server. Such a solution gives you the power to develop and deploy online training to address the specific issues of your company.
Custom LMS allows full customization as far as the look or feel of the LMS goes, as well as extra capabilities, integrations and functionalities.
Pros and cons of a custom LMS
Pros:
- fully customizable
- you have control over upgrades and updates
- no need to rely on external providers
- you only pay for what you need
- no compromises necessary
Cons:
- a more financial commitment
- it may be necessary to train or hire new people
- you need to improve and manage it
- you are responsible for fixing problems
Which learning management solution is right for your needs?
There is no universal answer to that question as it will depend on variables, for example, time frame, budget and IT capabilities. However, a ready-made LMS is still the most frequently chosen software, in comparison to its custom counterparts.
In Selleo, we believe it is possible to connect parts of the off-shelf LMS and custom software and we have created many platforms like that. Having such a hybrid product will give you benefits like:
1. Cost-effectiveness
You get an application with pre-defined base features like course creation, authentication, roles or gradients.
2. Customization
First, you will get a working product with base components, which can be later expanded to better suit your needs.
3. Hosting
As your development team, we will handle hosting and deploying your application. The back-end developers will take care of performance issues, reliability and security.
4. Improved functionality
Skilled developers will choose specific elements and features to be added to your system in order to make it intuitive and user-friendly.
5. Branding
The application can be customized with brand colours, logo at the very beginning to increase aesthetics and gain credibility. Good branding is crucial for brand recognition. You can read more about it on our blog How To Build A Branding For Your Mobile App.
6. Fast implementation
A SaaS LMS combined with a custom LMS is super fast to implement since it is pre-built. within a few weeks, you will have a fully functional eLearning solution that you can use to train employees.
7. Less time-consuming
Our developers will decrease the waiting time by quickly implementing new functionalities or adjusting the existing ones.
8. Up-to-date
It is important to stay fresh and up-to-date. That is why, your application should be frequently updated with new styles, features etc.
9. Scalability
You are able to upscale or downscale your existing system when necessary and our backend developers will help you do so.
10. Addressing issues
If an issue occurs, our development team is always prepared to solve it.
11. Front-end support
Our front-end developers are able to add new functionalities, modify styles and fix bugs within your product. They are experts in what they do. By working with us you
get access to high quality and effective solutions. Our developers are innovative and use the latest technologies.
12. Back-end development
The backend engineers will help you with hostings, APIs, SSLs and will handle the security matters for you.
13. Graphic team
A fully-fledged graphic team will handle the design as well as UX/UI. They are handling this process in 6 easy steps. The most important aspect of the collaboration is mutual understanding combined with extensive market research. Our graphic team creates mockups in order to help you understand the vision, which is later turned into a working application.
14. QA
The QA team will cover functionality tests to increase the usability, reliability and availability of the app. Quality Assurance is an important process that determines whether the service follows a set of requirements. It aims to improve work processes and efficiency while boosting credibility and customer confidence. QA identifies potential flaws and maximizes the quality of the product. At Selleo, we are convinced that QA is a crucial part of any successful project.
If you want to get more information about Quality Assurance, read our post Why Do We Need Quality Assurance Engineers.
A custom-made learning management system will be optimized for your needs in order to create an online training platform perfect for you. Everything can be changed and adapted at any time.
Wrapping up
Choosing the right solution is not an easy task and there are a lot of things that have to be taken into consideration. Like I mentioned above, time and budget will play the biggest role. We believe a custom LMS solution combined with some custom capabilities will not only be cost-effective and scalable but also fast to implement, constantly up-to-date and best suited for your requirements.
If you would like to build a custom learning management platform, contact our fully-fledged team of developers to schedule a call.
