10 Characteristics of an Effective LMS

Ten characteristics of Effective Learning Management Systems

1. Integrate organizational requirements with personal learning needs – Will administrators, instructors and students all have positive user experiences?

2. Comprehensiveness – Is the system inclusive enough to serve the whole business or education community? How easily will it work with new software products that come to market?

3. Scalability – The system should be able to grow and change with the community it serves.

4. Vendor Longevity – The community must have confidence that there will be support for the system.

5. Cost Structure – Communities want to know what they are signing up for. They prefer to deal with vendors who provide transparent contracts.

6. Administrative features for many levels of an organization – Will administrators, instructors, and students be able to access and manage their records?

7. Ease of integration – How well will the system work with systems already in use?

8. Electronic commerce capability – The system should accommodate user transactions like paying fees.

9. Teaching Features – A needs assessment of the audience will ensure that the community purchases a system that will accommodate the whole range of users.

10. Technical Features – Will the community purchase tech support or hire in-house tech staff and purchase hardware?