LMS Implementation Tips That Will Lead to Successful eLearning

The eLearning industry is booming. Tons of free and paid resources are available for companies of all shapes and sizes. Thus, learning new skills, growing your business, and training your employees has never been easier.

Using free online eLearning tools is convenient. However, if you have the budget, paying for more specific employee training services will take your business to new heights. Still, outsourcing can only take you so far. The next step is implementing your learning management system. This article will give you the LMS implementation tips you need.

What is an LMS?

An LMS, or Learning Management System, allows employers to document, track, administer, and deliver training courses for their employees. As a result, they have significantly impacted filling in knowledge and skill gaps previously problematic to detect, thanks to LMSs' abilities to track, analyze, and output data related to user interaction in virtually any training course.

Implementing an LMS helps grow your business' learning culture and allows you to identify training needs. Although mainly focused on online learning delivery, you can also use an LMS to provide synchronous and asynchronous course content to learners. Instructors can also benefit from using an LMS as a classroom management tool.

Steps Towards Implementing an LMS

Now that you know the value that implementing an LMS can bring to the growth of your business, let's see what steps you'll need to take to include and deploy a Learning Management System successfully.

From a Business Perspective

Define Objectives

At the heart of any successful employee training program lies the objectives. Starting without having clear goals is like steering a ship in the fog with your navigation tools turned off. You'll most likely fail to reach your destination and perhaps even crash into an impassable obstacle. On the other hand, setting clear goals for your business and solid learning objectives for employees will give you a clear idea about the type of LMS you need.

Form an Implementation Team

You know the direction you need to go in. Now you need the team to help you do it. If you already have some of these people on the payroll, great! If not, it's time to start looking. Your LMS implementation team will consist of:

A team leader will oversee the whole process and make sure to use the best LMS practices
An eLearning specialist will make sure the content transfer from other platforms or content creation processes aligns with your learning objectives.
A Project Manager (PM) makes sure everything stays on track and meets the deadline.
A Learning and Development Admin that ensures the LMS stays in line with your business' organizational goals.
An IT Expert that handles all integrations and makes sure everything works as expected.

Create a Plan and Set Your Deadlines

The next step is meeting with the team to create an LMS implementation plan, so everyone is on the same page and doing things in the correct order. Next, talk to your IT contact or LMS vendor to figure out how much time the implementation process will take start-to-finish, and what milestones your team needs to reach, and by when.

Migrate Data

Start migrating content from other platforms into your new LMS. For example, you might want to keep some courses and archive others, and also check the file compatibility between the old eLearning platforms and the new LMS.

Test Run

Send your LMS out on a stroll! Let a small group of employees test the functionality, interactivity, and user experience, and gather as much feedback as you can. Doing so will help you identify any errors and correct them before the official launch.

Launch Your LMS

Now you are ready to launch your new LMS. Still, the journey doesn't end here. Remember, the number one LMS best practice is having a continuous growth mindset.

Data Collection and Analytics

Keep improving your LMS by paying attention to the data and feedback gathered from learners.

From an Employee Perspective

Train Your Employees

Regardless of how tech-savvy they might be, employees will need to learn how to use the new LMS. You can create small, microlearning-type modules to teach learners how to interact with the Learning Management System in the most efficient ways. You can also hire an instructor to walk them through the LMS platform functionality.

Create a Learning Culture

It's essential to keep employees in the inner circle by nurturing the Learning and Development culture at their workplace, which is where the design, or user experience, of the LMS comes in. Make sure the visuals are attractive but not distracting.

Keep Communication Open

Forums, social media groups, and discussion boards are tools to keep everyone interacting. Make sure employees have different ways to communicate with each other about the LMS and course content. Also, on top of the data collected straight from your LMS, this will provide another easy way for your employees to give direct feedback about their learning experience.

Encourage an Engaging Environment

One way to make learning exciting and keep learners engaged is by using gamification. Introducing game design elements, like leaderboards and badges, into the LMS will bring the fun factor into the learning experience.

Empower Employees

Professional growth is essential. But, employees feel empowered when given the option for personal gain. Therefore, ensure you add learning modules that speak to the student's growth desires and needs.

Ask for Feedback

An excellent feedback loop is the foundation of a successful business. Employees need to feel like they can share their woes, and you need to communicate your expectations to them.

Conclusion

There you have it, the top LMS implementation tips as seen from the eyes of the employer as well as the employee. To learn more about LMS best practices or to get assistance for your team developments, get in touch or request a quote today!

Please note this article was updated by our team on 05/04/2021.