Sound Idea Digital

LMS Features for Colleges – Part 1

As eLearning continues to grow we start to see new trends in the demand for learning management systems. With a large distinction in corporate and training companies, unique system features are becoming more and more apparent per industry. In this article we will focus specifically on Colleges and their unique and essential LMS features.

Learner Self-registration

Colleges are catered for adult learning, which means they don’t always follow a rigid schedule. This means students may sign up throughout the year, and should have a means of doing so in their own capacity. We recommend keeping the self-registration as simple as possible, by splitting the students registration over multiple steps allowing them to register and get going without needing to fill in tons of forms. Keep in mind the additional student information can easily be acquired once the student has registered, without the need to overwhelm them with forms.

LMS Payment Gateway Integration

It is no secret that Colleges exchange payment for training, which makes an integrated payment gateway essential. We recommend you add a degree of human control over the payment process, as fully automated payments can cause additional issues for customers.

LMS Anti-Cheat Protocols

Colleges usually provide more specialised training, which means there needs to be gradual assessments throughout their training to ensure competency. The system should be able to facilitate this process in a manner that prevents the students from cheating or copying each other. We recommend creating large assessment question pools and having them randomised. There are many other features that can also assist, like limited logins whereby a user cannot login with the same account on more than one browser window, or limiting the downloading of course material.

POE Module

Advanced training requires more involved learning principles and techniques. This includes adhering to concepts like Bloom’s Taxonomy, which involves gradually increasing the students understanding of a topic. One way of doing so is challenging the students comprehension of a topic, by means of long form or essay like submissions. This means the LMS must facilitate the users submission of documents and forms. We recommend adding additional governance to this process to ensure there are no issues with incompatible file formats or badly scanned documents.

In part 2 of this article we will explore more essential LMS features for colleges, such as blended learning, webinar functionality and discussion forums.

Looking for an advanced LMS for your College? Get in touch with our team today!

We are a full-service Web development and Content Production Agency in Gauteng specialising in Video Production, Animation, eLearning Content Development, Learning Management Systems, and Content Production. Contact us for a quote. | Info@soundidea.co.za | www.soundidea.co.za | +27 82 491 5824 |