School administrators and decision-makers in Nepal (and all over the world) are attempting to understand their school’s digital infrastructure to enable a seamless transition to online learning. The first thing you need to understand is the Learning Management System (LMS).
An LMS is a software used for the automation, tracking, recording, and distribution of e-learning materials for a school. For those unfamiliar with the term LMS but wanting to learn more, this article is for you.
What is a Learning Management System (LMS)?
A Learning Management System is a shared online ecosystem that brings educators, students, and parents together. It can be a software or web-based application that enables institutions to manage and deliver educational content (lessons, courses, quizzes), and other academic activities online. Most educational institutions still depend on outdated storage, pedagogy, and management techniques that are expensive and time consuming. An LMS consolidates operations and makes them accessible all in one place.
Below is a view of an LMS depicting a course, Business Strategy. As you can see, the LMS provides options for the user to access announcements, assignments, grades, and more. Traditionally, these are only accessible by paper, but an LMS brings them online.
5 advantages of LMS
Now you have a better idea of what an LMS is and what it looks like. But what exactly does it do and what makes it worth having? An LMS has something for everyone, whether its students and their parents, teachers, or administrators. Continue on to learn more about how LMS transforms school life for the better.
Automate tedious tasks
LMS automates manual tasks such as managing staff and student data, storing course content, monitoring student progress, and so on. LMS allows schools to complete administrative tasks online without having to switch between various apps or carry them out on paper. This reduces time, energy, and burden spent carrying out repetitive tasks that the software system can do easily, more accurately, and efficiently. This benefits many learning processes. For instance, a teacher can post an assignment on the LMS, and students can access the assignment and relevant resources. When they complete the assignment, students can submit it on the LMS and teachers can distribute grades there as well.
Easy content management
Another major benefit of an LMS is that it facilitates easy access to learning content. Teachers can distribute materials such as quizzes and online exams along with reading and video materials. Digital content prepared by teachers can be stored and reused in the future without hassle. Students can access and download materials online and learn from them at their own pace. Managing content on the LMS saves the time and energy spent making and distributing materials on paper.
Saves time and money
Instructors who used to spend hours grading, collecting data, or giving assignments benefit from LMS’s automatic grading capabilities. LMS stores courses and assignments in a single database categorizing by school year, subject, and more. Schools can save on instructional materials by reusing e-learning courses and incorporating external content.
Promotes personalized learning
LMS allows students to learn at their own pace and for teachers to address their individual needs. Students can access relevant course materials and when they need them and progress accordingly. Students can take control of their own learning paths and obtain the resources they need when they need them. Similarly, teachers can address the individual needs of students and focus their attention on the students who need it most and provide them the appropriate resources.
Encourages self-paced and blended learning
Blending learning involves a combination of online and in-person learning. Integrating an LMS enables blended learning and gives students the best of both worlds. They can get affordable, accessible education online coupled with in-person group discussion sessions resulting in a more dynamic and sophisticated learning process. A good LMS assists students in self-paced learning, giving students the flexibility to pursue their own learning style.
FuseClassroom: an AI-enabled LMS platform
So you know what an LMS is and what it does to make education easier and more effective. Now it’s time to take a look at an example. Fuse Classroom is one such collaborative, innovative, AI-powered LMS platform that works to provide the missing “in-classroom” experience and has helped a number of schools in Nepal jumpstart their digital transformation. Below is a view of the Fuse Classroom homepage and apps.
Fuse Classroom has many apps, and we will just go over a few of them. The second app featured above is Live Classes which allows teachers to host and students to join online classes. Many institutions use the Zoom application to conduct online classes, and Fuse Classroom integrates with Zoom, so users don’t have to switch between apps and can access it without hassle. The integrated platform makes it easier and simpler than ever for instructors to carry out successful online classes right in the LMS. With just a click, students can join classes and instructors can launch them.
Fuse Classroom is powered by smart AI features that enhance the personalized learning experience. For instance, the Student Status Engine tracks the student performance and progress so teachers can help struggling students get back on track. Furthermore, the Activity Recommendation Engine ensures personalization by analysing student activity and suggests various resources and activities that best suit students similar to them. To foster a sense of community and communication, there are also discussion forums, question and answering apps, and a chatbot interface.
Investing in the right LMS will help educational institutions manage their school’s digital infrastructure during and after the COVID-19 crisis. Times are hard and making big decisions like this can be difficult, but we are here to help! You can schedule a call with one of Fuse Classroom’s expert Education Specialists here or head to our LMS page to start exploring your options today.
