Top 10 Characteristics of an LMS

1. LMS must garner student value by making the content relevant to the job at hand.
2. LMS must encompass all the facets needed for the type and size of an institution.
3. LMS must be scalable or adaptable to the needs of the institution.
4. A LMS is best when backed by a dedicated company, with dedicated technical support.
5. LMS need to have administrative features that meet the needs of institutions such as universities, which can be large enough to have multiple departments, degrees, certificates, courses within a program.
6. A LMS should integrate well within the established infrastructure of institution.
7. Although a needs assessment could determine the instructional features needed in a LMS, generally speaking, it should encompass some of the following instructional features:

  • user friendliness (for students, teachers, and administrators)
  • integrate well with course materials
  • allows for media-rich files
  • support sharing of screen, files, and applications
  • generate tests and results from tests
  • 8. Tech support in the way of the LMS company is desirable for both students, teachers, and administrators. In-house tech support could involve the following:

  • compatibility with existing server
  • compatibility with existing browsers
  • ease of deployment
  • ease of administration

    9. LMS creates the ability to reuses and standardize content; SCORM would be an example of a uniform model.
    10. Institutions can gather information about their users to be used for instructional purposes.