You know how a Learning Management System (LMS) can empower your staff and improve your organisation, but before you sign up there are some important questions you must ask before choosing an LMS in Australia.
Used properly, an LMS delivers a tangible ROI through skills development, improved engagement and productivity. But a successful learning environment only happens when you get the most out of your learning management system. That means you need to choose wisely when deciding which system will be right for your organisation. There are important questions you must ask before choosing an LMS in Australia. Let’s take a look at a few of the most important features to look for.
Can Instructors and Administrators use it easily?
This might seem obvious but the course starts here, with the instructor and those administering the courses. If they can’t use the LMS with ease, then no one, students included, is going to have a good experience. Engagement, outcomes and productivity will all suffer. The LMS needs to be cloud-based (they’re quicker and cheaper to deploy) and it needs excellent reporting functionality (you need to know how your students are doing, and you need to filter that data with ease). An LMS in Australia needs to be intuitive for all users. If it’s not, move on to the next one.
Will it work well on Mobile?
Mobile devices are ubiquitous and a surprising number of students will be working in surprising places. But no matter where they choose to work from, they’ll want a good mobile experience, not some clunky pop-up or secondary app. The LMS you choose needs to work just as well on a laptop, tablet or phone as it does on the instructor’s desktop.
Is there a contract?
If the answer is yes, beware. It’s not often that contracts work in your favour. If you’re unhappy with the product, you may run into trouble moving away from the system. Find out if there are any ‘hidden’ set-up or additional training fees. Ask for the first year costs so you can make a proper comparison between systems.
Service and Support
This is one of the most important features. The last thing you need is silence from the supplier when you need help. Find out where the support teams are located, and what service level agreements they offer. Do they have phone support or is it all online? Will that be adequate? Beware companies based in a different time zone – when you need support, you’ll need it quickly.
Buy cheap, buy twice
If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Many LMS have an ’unbeatable’ starting price but like low-cost airlines, by the time you’ve bought all the add-ons you need, you may have spent more than you could have by going with a better, fully-integrated LMS in Australia. Avoid a system that has more features than you require, and is not flexible enough to change when you do. Fine one that meets your needs and your objectives. This will help you get the right system at the optimum price point.
