Top ten

Ten Characteristics of an Effective Learning Management System

In my mind the characteristics for a LMS can fall into 3 different categories depending on 3 different perspectives: the students, instructors and the administrator.

User
1. Fundamentally all new technology tools must be user friendly. If the user is going to be able to take advantage of all the features available they have to be able to find them and know what to do with them.
2. The LMS needs to have many multimedia and interactive features so that the user can have access to the material in a variety of forms.

Instructor
3. As an instructor one of the main considerations is how easy it is to establish a course. If the system has many features and tools but if it takes the instructor hours to implement them they may not be used.
4. That being said, the LMS does need to support a variety of features. They need to support media files of all types. Instructors need the ability to share files and screens.
5. With instruction in mind, instructors need a variety of administrative features such as testing capabilities and reports.
6. Part of good instruction is the ability to adjust, therefore the LMS needs to have enough flexibility to adjust to the student’s personal learning needs.

Company/University/Administrator

7. The concerns of the employer tend to be quite different from those who actually use the LMS. First and foremost the LMS has to be cost effective.
8. They need to look for longevity. Having software support in the long term is key for the continuation of instruction as well as keeping the investment cost effective.
9. They need to look for compatibility with other organizing software they may have to avoid overlap, confusion, and technical issues.
10. Finally, technical management is key. The LMS needs to provide ongoing support to keep the program running smoothly.

Jennifer Ellis