Learning management system software is used by both employees as well as schools and educational institutes to automate and manage the administration, documentation, delivery, testing, tracking and reporting of training and learning. These online portals allow you to create and manage training materials and educational content, set curricula, deliver courses online, provide a space for discussion and collaboration, as well as to test and report on learning progress.
Educational institutes, agencies, training companies and businesses of all sizes can benefit from learning management systems software. Many organizations use these systems to create online courses that can be accessed from any device, whether that is a laptop, tablet or smartphone. Rich media can be uploaded and shared, including videos and images. These apps can also be used to sell courses online.
For employers and HR staff these tools can be used to administer training to new and existing staff members. Training content can be easily created and shared across numerous channels. Training sessions and events can be scheduled and course enrollment can be managed using these applications.
Content development and management is a key functionality of any LMS software. Your LMS can usually be integrated with other data systems to gather information and use this in the creation of content. Documents can be created based on pre-set templates which can be customized and branded to meet your organizations needs.
Educational institutes, training bodies and companies alike can use LMS software to set curricula based on specific goals, requirements, specialization and area of focus. Courses can be assigned and unassigned to employees or students based on predefined criteria. You can establish certification paths and ensure teachers and trainers follow guidelines and meet industry requirements. Progress can be tracked across each stage and reports can be used to show compliance with regulatory standards.
Learning management software can be used to test proficiency and to report on progress. You can automate the creation and administration of testing material based on your library of content. This can include ongoing assessments as well as current level/ placement tests.
Communication among teachers, trainers, students and staff can be improved using the collaboration and feedback features of LMS software. These might include discussion groups, forums, instant messaging, live chat, social media platforms, groups and communities. User profiles, status updates and live feeds can further foster communication among learners and trainers.
The analytics and reporting tools of LMS software can be used to give better insight into the effectiveness of your learning procedures and identify learner difficulties. Data can also be used to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your team. Real.time monitoring can help you track how much of your material is being consumed and when.
GetApp's quarterly ranking showcases the top 25 Learning Management System (LMS) apps based in the cloud. Each app is scored using five factors, worth 20 points each, for a total possible score out of 100. These factors include user reviews, integrations, mobile app availability, media presence, and security. Each app's score is independent of commercial interests and existing relationships that GetApp has with app vendors.
Scroll down for more details about how we calculate scores.
GetApp's Category Leader ranking is for business owners and decision makers looking for a comprehensive list of the leading cloud-based software products in the industry.
The ranking serves as a point of reference highlighting key factors that small businesses should look at when assessing a piece of software. These factors include user perception (reviews), compatibility (integrations and mobile compatibility), market presence (media presence), and security features (security).
An app's score is calculated using five unique data points, each scored out of 20, giving a total score out of 100. The ranking and scoring methodology ensure complete impartiality and independence from any relationships that GetApp has with app vendors.
Review scores are calculated using reviews collected from GetApp and its sister sites, Software Advice and Capterra. Scores are calculated based on the total number, average rating, and recency of reviews.
The number of reviews and average user rating are scaled against the category average. A weighting is then applied to reward recency of user reviews: reviews written in the last 6 months score up to 10 points, those written between 6 and 12 months ago score up to 6 points, and those more than 12 months old score up to 4 points. These numbers are added together to give a total maximum score of 20.
Integration scores factor in a number of variables. Up to 16 points are awarded based on the number of integrations an app has; the first 10 points are awarded based on the number of integrations relative to the category average, while 4 points are awarded based on the number of integrations relative to the leaders in the category. An additional 5 points is awarded for an integration with Zapier, a widely used software integration platform, while an extra point is given for having an open API. The total possible score for integrations is 20 points.
Mobile scores are calculated based on the availability of an iOS and Android app. 5 points are awarded for the presence of each app, with an additional 10 points being awarded for the number and average rating of reviews in both the App Store and Google Play. These review scores are calculated and scaled against the competition for a maximum of 5 points per platform and an overall maximum score of 20.
If there isn't a native iOS or Android app, the product's website is assessed using Google's PageSpeed Insights to measure mobile usability. The score is returned out of 100, then scaled to a score out of 5 for a maximum of 5 points.
Media presence is calculated using the number of Twitter followers and Facebook fans that an app has. The number of fans and followers are added together, and each app is scored based on this overall number, compared with others in the category. The first 15 points are awarded for the combined number of followers and fans scaled against the category average, while the final 5 points are awarded for the combined number of followers and fans scaled against the top leaders in the category. These two scores are added together for a total out of 20 points.
Security scoring is calculated using answers from a vendor-completed survey. The questions in the survey are based on the Cloud Security Alliance self-assessment form as part of the Security, Trust & Assurance Registry. With 15 questions, each answer is assigned a point value based on vendor response, with additional points given for security certifications, for a maximum possible score of 20.
In the event of a tie, each data point is weighted for importance, with security taking precedent, followed by reviews, integrations, mobile apps, and media presence, respectively.
*All data points combining calculations for both ratings and reviews are calculated using a Bayesian estimate, which is a weighted average that includes the number of reviews and the rating of an app, benchmarked against others in the category.
