Abbreviations used in a Learning Management System

Abbreviations used in a Learning Management System

Over the past few years, companies are using E-Learning more and more.  Technology is at an all-time high and constantly changing; nevertheless, for different generations, it can be overwhelming.  If my customers are new to a Learning Management System (LMS), then some of the abbreviations used might leave your customer a little in the dark. 

The area I find most end users struggling with is the abbreviations found within a Learning Management System (LMS) that are related to the delivery of the course; but wait do you know what “Delivery Method” means?  Delivery Method is how the course will be taught.  (Example in a classroom, or via the internet, etc.)

Let’s pretend you want to sign up for an annual Safety class.  You browse your catalog within the Learning Management System (LMS) and find the course you want to sign up for; but now you are confused on the delivery methods.  You see “WBT” and “ILT” as options, but have no clue what this means.

There are many abbreviations, used within a LMS to describe the delivery method of a course.  Let me explain a few of the most commonly used ones:

·         ILT-Instructor Lead Training-This is normally training at a specific site with a live instructor.   

·         WBT-Web based training-This is a training you will find on the internet (aka the “Web”).

·         CBT-Computer based training-This is normally a self-paced training you will find housed within your LMS.  It is probably a power point presentation that was created within a developer’s tool (Captivate or Aviation).  Upon completion of the training, you normally have knowledge checks /quizzes and a final quiz at the end.  You normally must score 80% or higher in order for the LMS to mark you “completed” the training.

·         Blended-This is a course that you might have heard of called a “Webinar”.  You would go on the internet to access the video and audible of a live instructor.  These types of trainings helps a company save on the cost of travel, because it is all done online.

Just a little side note, I have used the LMS within SAP/SuccessFactors, Saba and Peoplesoft.  The above abbreviations are pretty much the same across the board.

Conclusion

There are a lot of terms to learn within the LMS.  I hope by giving a high overview of the definitions and abbreviations you can feel a little more empowered when selecting training or explaining it to your employees or customers.  

 ~Happy Learning!!!

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The Next Step of the LMS Implementation

THE NEXT STEP OF THE LMS IMPLEMENTATION

Time and time again, customers hire a consultant for an implementation and soon after the SOW expires, they want to take care of things in house to save money;  nevertheless, as an Consultant you know this can turn into a mess, without any type of outside support.

Someone reading this blog, might say, normally when a customer signs a SOW for an LMS, it includes a learning bundle for training and they can report issues to the Vendor.  This might work for some customers.  If you are a customer that needs more one on one/face to face support, then you probably want to hire on a Technology Consultant for “The Next Step” of rolling out your LMS.

Often after an implementation is live in Production, many companies conquer their next phases.  Companies often roll out the new system to other Regions or Departments within the company.  When this is done, there are always new training involved and new issues.

In the “next phase” a customer will begin to add more or new and revise existing items.  This sometimes can affect issues from human error, resulting in accurate reporting.  When the reporting is wrong, it causes an Admin to take time away from their day to day & hope they can find resolution.  Also in the “Next Phase” there could be request for “automatic” processes.  If not set up correctly, it will affect employees not being assigned training.

At the end of the day, all of this will be additional time to the Admin’s day to day job.  A Technical Consultant, who has implemented the LMS, can help reduce cost and time by supporting a customer’s LMS team.  They are the SME and have the connections if further assistance is needed.

A Technical Consultant can support the customer with doing live webinars.  They can train the Managers and the end users.  They understand working in retail/warehouse/hospital/bank, etc., assisting the customer is priority, so they can create a weekly/monthly/quarterly schedule of trainings to help them navigate through the system.  This will give the customer lots of opportunities to pick training and save on cost of travel.

Lastly a Technical Consultant could provide a customer with open forums on a monthly basis for Managers and Admins.   At these open forums, it is an opportunity for a Manager or Admin to ask any question related to the system or express a wish list. 

Remember implementing a new LMS is never a straightforward process.  There are certainly no quick fixes.  The key is to communicate a vision and to guide an organization to strategic planning early in the project.  Those who have successfully implemented strategic plans often have great results.  Those that don’t will probably need that extra assistance from the outside.

The goal is to keep a company prospering.  There's so much to learn, and so many things can go wrong.  If a customer can do it on their own, that is great;  nevertheless, at the end of the day, the customer must weigh the, “Cost”, “Effort” and “Risk”.  If one outweighs the other, then the customer has a decision to make.   Always remember, implementing an LMS is not a destination but a journey.