LMS is designed to help an individual to develop, manage and provide online courses and programs to learn. It provides a platform for the students and instructors to learn and highlight their skills wherever and whenever they want as per their convenience.
LMS is an application that is used to administer, track, and report & deliver learning programs.
What is LMS software?
LMS covers almost all the major markets like schools, educational institutions, corporate, medical industry, etc. It becomes handy in identifying the communication gap between the instructor and the learner by checking each individual’s progress on quizzes and assessments.
Learning online becomes more fun with video tutorials, stories, and features like gamification, etc.
LMS has changed the learning perspective of every individual across the globe. It has provided a wide scope for the users to choose and learn in whichever field they want to excel, as all the information can now be shared across the globe.
Benefits of LMS software
LMS software has become an indispensable tool for many L&D departments. And it’s not surprising when you look at all the benefits it can bring you and your organization.
- Get responsive: Quickly and easily creating and rolling out online training means you can respond to new learning and development needs at pace.
- Reduce your costs: Easy-to-access online courses allow you to reduce more expensive classroom training and face-to-face mentoring and use them where they have the most impact.
- Use time more effectively: Automating your most time-consuming work, while reducing the hours employees spend away from their everyday duties for training – it’s a win-win.
- Personalize learning experiences: Providing a range of training and different routes through this blended learning creates more personalized experiences.
- Make it convenient: Enabling people to take courses at their own pace – wherever, whenever and on any device – creates a convenient learning experience.
- Create consistency at scale: Rolling out courses across locations, sectors and departments allows you to create consistent skills and knowledge on a global scale.
- Keep track and stay compliant: Reporting provides an audit trail and removes a degree of human error that could open you up to risk.
- Continuously improve: Using feedback, data and analytics to learn from each piece of training you roll out allows you to continually improve.
Best LMS Software for School in 2023
1. Blackboard Learn: The LMS for Assessment and Content Reporting/Analytics
Blackboard Learn is the LMS for assessment and content reporting/analytics. It suits K-12 schools, higher education institutes, government and military projects, and businesses. It is available in managed hosting, self-hosting, or SaaS implementations. It is also compatible with mobile devices.
During the late 1990s, many academic institutes started using Blackboard Learn. A report claims that it is being used by 28% of institutes and 37% of enrollments (Fenton, 2018), making it one of the most widely used LMS solutions.
Key Features
- Known for its content creation, better content management, student engagement, and online classroom capabilities
- Has certification administration, customizable courses, widened enterprise, and social learning features
- Portfolios and improved cloud profiles for students
- A pop-up for students to preview, safe-assign, and schedule meetings or discussions
- A string integration scheme and data management, group management, grading improvement strategies, Blackboard drive, and content editor
- Retention center, program enrollments, progressive content, and active collaboration
- A built-in calendar
- An activity stream that organizes items in terms of required attention
- Gamification functions that are available alongside an ecommerce feature
2. Canvas: The LMS for Easy Learning and Productivity
Canvas is the LMS for easy learning and productivity. It is one of the best LMS for schools as it was specially created for K-5 to higher education institutes. It can be used by schools of all types and sizes, from small classrooms to huge universities with a blended or entirely online learning setup (Software Advice, n.d.).
Canvas is the cloud-based educational innovation of the tech company Instructure. It is the product of listening to the needs and wants of users, making it a usable, flexible, adaptable, dependable, and interactive learning platform (G2, n.d.). It also offers the open-source and corporate version Bridge. Interactive learning statistics also show that this LMS accounts for 21% of institutes and 27% of enrollments.
Key Features
- Course content creation
- Standards-based gradebooks
- Personalized learner assessments
- Allows students to record and upload video messages and share materials
- Can customize user profiles depending on requirements and analytics through a content editor
- Offers mobile communication and mobile-ready instruction tools that can add more features to it
- Comprehensive integrations with other platforms
- Supports Facebook, Google, and Canvas mobile app (Android or iOS) integration
- Native cloud hosting
- It can be used with an already existing Student Information Systems (SIS) and other instructional materials
- Enables integrated learning results, copy-paste HTTPS browser links, Learning Tool Inoperability (LTI) integration, and Really Simple Syndication (RSS) support
3. Moodle: The LMS for Open-Source Learning and Flexibility
Moodle is the best learning management system for education when it comes to open-source learning and flexibility. It is also an affordable and modular LMS option for most secondary education students. It has powerful, safe, and secure tools that can create customizable training programs. This feature-enhanced and developer-operated LMS serves both the academic and business sectors.
Moodle users need to possess technical skills as it is not that user-friendly and does not have a 24/7 helpdesk available. On the other hand, tech-savvy users may find the tool entirely customizable and easily controllable (Dorwart, 2020). This LMS is used by 25% of institutes and 12% of enrollments.
Key Features
- A streamlined and customizable dashboard that monitors program completion and students’ progress through predictive analytics
- Simultaneous course development, fast data backup and management, contact management, activity monitoring, and a built-in calendar
- Enables online classes, administration of online quizzes and exams, interaction and collaboration through forums and wikis, and efficient handling of grades
- Collaborative resources and plans, comprehensive reporting and logs, and fast notification and alerts with consistent security updates
- A flexible design and layout, can embed external materials, and the ability to manage user’s responsibilities and permission
- It comes with multilingual functionalities, multimedia integration, progress monitoring features, and results and criteria
- Enables the use of a messaging feature to answer questions and speed up the overall communication within a community
- Options for self- and peer-assessment, a safe authentication procedure, and mass enrollments
- Has Android and iOS mobile applications
- It can be integrated with Google Apps, Microsoft Office 365, NextCloud, and more
- Can be hosted on an external or the owner’s server
- Plugins for various kinds of content and collaborative tasks
- Support for multiple tasks, a range of progress monitoring and reporting options, and excellent language support
- Offers optional hosting via MoodleCloud
4. D2L Brightspace: The LMS for Game-Based Learning and Video Assignments
D2L Brightspace is the LMS for game-based learning and video assignments. It merges the dynamic platforms, solutions, and support users need to gain the best learning experience. It also has top-notch accessibility features and handy technologies (G2, n.d.). This LMS is now being used by 13% of institutes and 15% of enrollments.
Key Features
- Time-saving and intuitive
- A convenient navigation of tools for students
- Has design and templates that instructors find easy to layout programs, make content, and assess assignments
- Enables the use of a virtual classroom, video assignments, and a digital archive
- Delivers effective programs, engaging content, quality assessments, simplified class administrations, and assignment grader for students
- A mobile-first, responsive, and flexible user interface that promises an exceptional mobile experience on any device
- A customized overall look and feel
5. ILIAS – Web-Based LMS for Education and Business
ILIAS is a learning management software system that helps educators create and deliver online courses. It provides a wide range of features and tools to assist with course creation, management, and delivery, including a drag-and-drop course builder, a rich text editor, support for multimedia content, quizzes and surveys, and a grading tool. ILIAS also offers a variety of ways for learners to interact with courses, such as forums, chat rooms, and wikis. In addition, ILIAS is highly configurable and can be customized to meet the specific needs of any organization.
Key Features:
- Course creation: ILIAS makes it easy to upload files, create folders, and add text and multimedia elements to courses. In addition, courses can be divided into sections and modules, making it easy for learners to navigate and find the content they need.
- Assessment tool: A built-in assessment tool allows instructors to create quizzes and exams, which can be either self-paced or timed.
- Gradebook: ILIAS provides a gradebook function so that instructors can track learner progress.
- Tracking tools: ILIAS has the ability to track learner progress. With ILIAS, instructors can see which students have completed which assignments and how well they have performed on quizzes and tests.
- Collaboration tools: ILIAS includes a range of collaboration tools, such as forums, chat, and Wikis, which allow learners to interact with each other and work on projects together.
6. EdApp – Mobile-First LMS
EdApp is a powerful tool for supporting online learning programs of all types. The system provides a central repository for course content, as well as tools for creating and administering courses, tracking student progress, and assessing student performance. The EdApp system is designed to be used by instructors, students, and administrators alike, and it offers a range of features to support each user type.
Key Features:
- Instructor tools: For instructors, the system provides a course builder tool for creating custom courses, as well as a grade book and assignment manager.
- Student tools: For students, the system offers a variety of features to promote engagement and collaboration, including discussion forums, chat rooms, and virtual classrooms.
- Administrative tools: For administrators, the system provides tools for managing users, tracking usage statistics, and generating reports.
7. Chamilo – Promotes Access to Education and Knowledge
Chamilo LMS is a free, open-source learning management system. It is used to create and deliver online courses and training. It is also used to manage face-to-face classes. Chamilo LMS has all the features of a modern LMS. These include creating and managing learners, instructors, courses, content, assessments, and grades. Chamilo LMS also supports ecommerce, allowing you to sell courses and products through the platform. Chamilo LMS is SCORM compliant and can be used with any SCORM compliant content. Chamilo LMS is available in over 50 languages. It has a large community of users and developers who contribute to the project.
Key Features:
- A flexible and user-friendly interface: Chamilo’s interface is designed to be both user-friendly and highly customizable. Users can easily change the look and feel of the interface to match their individual preferences.
- A wide range of course creation tools: Chamilo offers a wide range of features to help users create and deliver effective online courses. These features include course authoring tools, quizzes and surveys, discussion forums, file sharing, and much more.
- A strong commitment to security: Chamilo takes security seriously and offers a number of built-in security features to help protect users’ data. These features include support for SSL encryption, password protection, and role-based access control.
- An active community: Chamilo has an active community of users that contribute plugins, themes, and add-ons to extend the app’s functionality.
8. Thinkific – Suits Online Course Sellers
Thinkific is an ideal platform for organizations that want to offer online courses and training. Its live lessons and cohorts feature allows them to offer interactive and engaging content. Likewise, its assessments and certificates ensure that organizations can track progress and give learners the ability to show off their achievements. Thinkific features a drag & drop website builder that makes it easy to create a beautiful online presence for your organization, while its ecommerce features make it simple to market and sell your courses. And because every business is different, the software offers flexibility when it comes to structuring your courses.
Key Features:
- Course Builder: The course builder tool makes it easy to create and organize your course content. You can add text, images, video, and audio to create engaging lessons.
- Student Management: Thinkific provides robust student management features, including the ability to track progress and completion rates, send automatic reminders, and offer discounts and coupons.
- Quizzes and Exams: Adding quizzes and exams to your course helps to ensure that students are completing the material and retaining the information. Thinkific makes it easy to create and grade quizzes.
- Payment Processing: Thinkific offers integrated payment processing so you can easily accept payments for your courses. You can also offer discounts and coupons to encourage sign-ups.
- Analytics and Reporting: Thinkific’s analytics tools help you track student engagement and performance so you can gauge the success of your courses. You can also generate reports to share with stakeholders.
9. ZoomLearn – Freemium for Corporate and Educational Training
Launched in 2020, ZoomLearn is a cloud-based learning management system (LMS) designed to help businesses and organizations train their employees and partners effectively. ZoomLearn offers a range of features to support this, including domain management, course management, role management, and a ZoomLearn forum. These tools allow administrators to create and manage training courses, assign roles to users, track progress, and communicate with learners. ZoomLearn also includes an audience administrator tool for managing groups of users, as well as a content administrator tool for creating and managing training content. Training providers can use ZoomLearn to deliver training courses to their clients and partners.
Key Features:
- A library of high-quality educational resources: ZoomLearn offers a library of resources that includes articles, videos, and infographics on a variety of topics.
- A personalized learning experience: ZoomLearn allows students to customize their learning experience by choosing the resources that they want to use.
- A community of learners: ZoomLearn provides a community for learners where they can ask questions, get help from peers, and share their own resources.
- A commitment to privacy: ZoomLearn is committed to protecting the privacy of its users and does not sell user data or allow advertising on the platform.
10. Mindflash: The LMS for Introducing Initial Courses, Blended and Worldwide Training, and More
Mindflash is the best LMS for introducing initial courses, blended and worldwide training, various content requirements, and overall solutions for huge programs. It provides an easy, intuitive learning experience to students studying anywhere in the world. This LMS can also be used by businesses implementing work-from-home arrangements (Software Testing Help, 2021).
Key Features
- Dynamic courses
- Provides Perfect Conversion Features that enable new course content development or importation
- Features for quizzes, reports and dashboards, Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) and Application Programming Interface (API), and so on
11. Sakai – Open-Source LMS Developed by Schools
Sakai is a modern learning management system (LMS) that enables educators to create and deliver engaging online courses. It is used by colleges and universities around the world, including MIT and Stanford. Sakai offers a wide range of features, including a gradebook, discussion forums, and quizzes. It is also highly customizable, allowing instructors to tailor the platform to their specific needs. In addition, Sakai integrates with many third-party applications, such as Google Drive and Microsoft Office 365.
Key Features:
- Course sites: With Sakai, instructors can create course sites where they can post syllabi, lecture notes, assignments, and other teaching materials. Students can use course sites to access course materials and submit work.
- Discussion forums: Discussion forums provide a space for students and instructors to discuss course content and ask questions. Sakai also offers a variety of other communication tools, such as chat and video conferencing.
- Online quizzes and surveys: Instructors can use Sakai to create online quizzes and surveys. This feature can be used for assessment or simply to gauge student understanding of the material.
- Gradebook: The gradebook tool allows instructors to keep track of student progress and grades. This information can be accessed by both students and instructors.
12. Google Classroom: The LMS for Course Creation
Google Classroom is deemed as the LMS for course creation. Its edge is merging its powerful educational management systems with exemplary communication tools. This innovation lets educators reach out to students and parents.
Google Classroom is part of Google Apps for Education. It is the best LMS for schools immersed in the Google space (Gewirtz, 2020). However, it only suits the academic settings.
Key Features
- Provides access from computers, tablets, and smartphones
- Enables the use of Google Docs to work on assignments, convey YouTube videos, and upload files from Google Drive; can provide feedback through comments on files
- Tracks and assigns online work connected with blended learning
- Can make virtual classrooms to share instructional materials that can be downloaded or viewed
- Can make virtual assignments to monitor student performance
- Customizable permissions when sharing screens and locking everything down
- Can supplement digital learning through other Google apps, like Calendar, Gmail, Google Docs, Google Slides, and Google Drive
- Students could also push their grades to the SIS if they sign up for a beta program and have a related system.
13. Edmodo: The LMS for Collaboration
Being the biggest learning platform for K-12 learners, teachers, and administrators, Edmodo is hailed as the LMS for collaboration (Software Testing Help, 2021). It is committed to enhancing both the teaching and learning experience of its users. This LMS has 87 million members.
Key Features
- A free administrator account that activates and fastens the learning courses
- Award badges for students who get high scores
- A community network for improved learning and communication among students, parents, and administrators
- It can be personalized depending on the requirements of each student
- Can assign tasks and homework, schedule tests, and monitor student progress
- Easy to use with other in-person courses
- Classifiable and sellable content
- Can obtain necessary details from students and parents
- Tracks and assigns online work connected with blended learning
- Offers Android, Windows, and iOS apps
- An online helpdesk for queries and concerns
14. Quizlet: The LMS for Language Learning
The intuitive and easy-to-use Quizlet is the LMS for language learning. It is widely used by language tutors and students for note-taking, memorization, and studying purposes. While its scope is limited to making flashcards and quizzes, Quizlet is being used by half of all US secondary school students (Fenton, 2018).
Key Features
- Perfect for memorizing and practicing new vocabularies
- Can make, share, and search for study sets from other users
- Offers a selection of study modes
- Tracks and assigns online work connected with blended learning
15. Schoology: The LMS for K-12 and Third-Party Integrations
Schoology is the LMS for K-12 and third-party integration. It specializes in curriculum administration, course teaching, and materials sharing and collaboration. It makes the most extensive blended classroom solution by equipping teachers with customizable learning roles and improving the overall results for students (G2, n.d.).
Schoology is part of PowerSchool Unified Classroom™. It has been backing up all instructional mediums such as online programs and blended learning settings for almost a decade now. This LMS has 20 million users all over 50 US states
Key Features
- Content and lessons creation, scheduling of tests and quizzes, and fast assignment creation through content development tools and a rich text editor
- A database where course content and assignments can be uploaded
- Progress assessment by viewing student profiles
- A color-coded workload threshold indicating if a student is overloaded
- The parents can see students’ performance.
- Powerful communication and collaboration, alongside data, analytics, and customized learning
- Interoperability and assessment administration, alongside asynchronous learning
- Visual simplicity or complexity of lessons through HTML and CSS tools
- Web-based and native Android, iOS, and Kindle apps that let students and teachers work together and learn anywhere they may be
- Sophisticated features that can be used with already existing platforms
- Third-party software integration, grading scale functionality, recording, new analytics, and reporting
- SCORM compliance, testing, and assessments, automated grading schemes, curriculum administration, among others
16. NEO LMS: The Award-Winning LMS
San Francisco-based CYPHER LEARNING introduced the world-renowned NEO LMS in 2009. CYPHER’s specialty is in providing LMS solutions to organizations throughout the globe. About 20,000 organizations and millions of users use this award-winning platform.
Key Features
- A full-presented gradebook, content creation, visually appealing lesson designs, and more
- It can be customized with a logo, color codes, images, and portal panels
- Can make courses and assess students through various types of assignments
- Supports learning based on competency
- Offers automation, gamification, and flexible learning functionalities
- Features can be enabled or disabled to cater to the needs of the students.
- Offers mobile apps for Android, iOS, and Windows
- An intuitive layout that engages users, aids in effective instruction and learning, ensures a quick execution, and minimizes costs and fees
FAQs
Where is LMS used?
You will find one or the other connection of LMS in the respective industry which you are looking for. Any individual who adopts online learning uses an LMS.
LMS is used by:
- Almost all Corporate and organizations.
- All Educational institutions (Schools &Universities).
- Many government companies.
- Private tuition and institutions.
What purpose does LMS solve?
LMS solves all the major learning issues of each individual as mentioned below.
- Employee Training can be found in each and every industry whether it may be software, educational, corporate or government. We need to train the employees as per our needs which LMS can do easily. It automates most of the tasks. Tracks the progress of individuals, due to which, a lot of time and money is saved by the organizations.
- In LMS, we can create learning programs, courses, tutorials and post them so that anyone can enhance their skill set with those materials. These come in handy when an employee may leave the company or retire so that the knowledge stays safe.
- We can educate the common public by creating awareness programs and tutorials on anything that may be useful.
What is the Process of LMS?
LMS is a platform that is open for individuals and professionals to learn and display their skills.
Students can opt for learning programs while professionals can deliver learning courses. It provides the flexibility to its users to learn from anywhere. It shares discussion forums on a public note. The users can learn the topic that they want easily and the cost is very less comparatively.
Benefits of Learning Management Software
- LMS provides an all-in-one platform for learning and upgrading the skill set.
- It provides tons of online courses, which gives the user an option to choose as per their choice.
- It helps in tracking individual development progress.
- It reduces the learning cost and time of travel and space arrangements.
How much money does the LMS cost?
Usually, in most of the sites, US$1 to US$10 is charged per student per course.
What is the best LMS for Education?
• The Best Learning Management Systems of 2022.
• MATRIX LMS.
• TalentLMS.
• Absorb.
• iSpring.
• Docebo.
• D2L Brightspace LMS.
• Blackboard Learn LMS