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Selecting a Learning Management System A Learning Management System (LMS) is the backbone tool or application that automates the administration and tracking of online, self-study, traditional classroom-based and other learning events. It should be designed to manage material from multiple publishers and content providers. At a minimum an LMS should facilitate learning registration and enrollment, contain course catalogs, track associate training histories, provide reports for managers and training administrators, and integrate with HR systems and other resources. (Nawn, J., 2002). Other ‘nice to have’ functions include online assessments, personalized curriculum to each job or position, dissemination of course materials, and the capability to import and assemble course content for reuse in other courses. There are a myriad of LMS vendors on the market touting their system as the best available and urging companies to make quick decisions without going through a full evaluation and selection criteria. It is not only critical, but imperative that any organization looking to acquire or switch to a new LMS, take the necessary steps to ensure that requirements are met, and that expectations of system reliability is verified. This paper will attempt to walk the reader through the high level process of selecting and implementing an LMS. This process includes gathering requirements, reviewing key steps to follow throughout the process, and finally defining a high level implementation plan. Systems Analysts have the tough job of interpreting the users’ true business requirements compared to a wish list in the sky. The analyst must ensure that all user groups or departments are represented during the requirements gathering interview to be certain that all requirements are expressed and the ‘voice of the customer’ is heard (Niles, K. 2002). The business requirement document should be a comprehensive list that details very clearly in layman terms the functionality that is needed in the system. Where possible, examples of how the requirement will be used should be listed to ensure clarity for both the analyst and the vendor. Listed below are sample requirements that are common among organizations seeking to invest in an LMS. Requirement Importance 1. Ability to track a course offering and store data elements such as: • Objectives, audience, Course Title, and automatic generated course number • Course delivery method (Instructor Led, Web Based, etc.) • Prerequisite requirement, length, credit hours High 2. Ability to schedule classes based on the course offering and in different cities or locations. The class schedule should facilitate: • Wait and interest lists • Cancellation policies and automatic charges • Class enrollment limits • Resource allocations to ensure that instructors or classrooms are not overbooked • Enforce prerequisites are met • Have the option to require manager approval, and automatic routing to the manager for approval • Notification to the enrollment coordinator of classes that should be cancelled due to low enrollment High 3. Ability for students to register via the WEB as well as providing the ability for enrollment coordinators to access the application from the desktop. The registration process should include: • Batch registrations for groups of departments • Seamless student cancellation • Automatic registration or cancellation notification via email to both student and manager • Priority placement in a class based on department • View training history of upcoming and past classes High 4. Ability for instructors to print rosters and manage classes. Also instructors should be able to view their current schedule and past activity. High 5. Support for blended learning that offers a mixed curriculum that combines classroom and virtual courses easily. Medium 6. Integration with HR systems (PeopleSoft) to synchronize employees personal work information. High 7. Administration - Enable administrators to manage user registrations and profiles, define roles, set curricula, chart certification paths, assign tutors, author courses, manage content, and administer internal budgets, user payments, etc.
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