Turning your big idea into an efficient LMS platform: how to develop Learning Management System from scratch

The Covid-19 pandemic has made us realize that we need to adjust to new learning conditions. Since 2020 educators and learners have been paving the way in the education sector, mastering modern-day eLearning trends such as augmented reality, gamification, different digital products, as well as implementing Learning Management Systems ( LMS) .

Speaking about the last one, LMS is an intelligent and modern solution, which helps with the creation, distribution, and managing the delivery of educational content. Think about LMS as a key technology to make education fast, productive, and what is important – trackable. It is not a big challenge to build an LMS from scratch if you have a fundamental understanding of how it works.

So let’s start from the beginning!

What does LMS stand for?

To get the full picture of LMS’s opportunities, it is important to figure out what each element can give you.

L-learning. With the right learning management system, you can create online courses and store training materials in one place. The main purpose here is to build an intuitive learning platform, which makes the education process as simple and straightforward as possible.

M-management. LMS is much more than just a bunch of files and learning materials, it is a well-structured system where you manage every stage of the education process. In addition, you can add new users, divide them into groups, assign tasks, track their progress or help with other relevant issues.

S-system. Better to say a computer system. It means that you don’t depend on any physical aspects of the education process, like location or time zones. You can train students from anywhere at any time, have access to the stored data, or set up an online appointment.

What is more, there is an opportunity to choose various learning management systems based on their deployment model. Self-hosted LMS means that the company using LMS also owns and controls the hosting server, whether on-premise or elsewhere. Such a system is located and maintained on your cloud server or can be hosted on a private cloud. LMS can be also cloud-based which implies the system to be situated on the internet and can be accessed by logging into a web portal and doesn’t require you to install specific hardware or software in order to access and use it. A cloud-based LMS is much more scalable as compared to an installed version.

How to develop a profitable LMS?

Every business begins with the idea so before creating a product, think about your target audience, their preferences, and always try to make your LMS specialized for the target group. Then ask yourself: how can I build a sustainable business around my value? Do I need a development team? What software development methodology is better to use, and what are the core activities of the software development process?

The development process of LMS includes two main stages – business and technical stages of the development flow. It is important not to neglect either of them, because the business phase has a direct impact on the technical, and vice versa.

Another important aspect that will help you create a picture of what the right Learning Management System looks like is the key characteristic of LMS. Now, let’s discuss them in more detail.

 What features an advanced LMS should include?

1. Artificial Intelligent (AI)

Artificial Intelligence has managed to receive a lot of attention, and it will continue to be one of the most popular trends in the technology space for many years. What is the primary role of AI in the Learning Management System? The main task would be to personalize the learning experience for each student. AI will provide relevant course suggestions and personalized methods of learning based on the learner’s data.

1. User-friendly interface

Remember, that the main goal of every LMS is to make the learning experience as simple and intuitive as possible. A user-friendly interface means that users inside the system will be easily navigated through the content and learning materials. Use colors that will grab the user’s attention and keep them focused. The appearance of your LMS is as important as the system itself.

1. Course and content management

A good LMS involves the possibility to create courses, assign them to the online students, upload necessary materials, categorize courses, change settings or learning plans, and it’s all in one place so that your administrators don’t spend unnecessary time finding paper documents or write something manually.

1. Automated notifications and invitations

Controlling the whole educational process manually can be rather challenging. That is why auto-alerts and notifications are the necessity of good LMS. Sending invitations to the classes or notifying learners about the next deadline – your LMS is now responsible for all these tasks.

1. Integrations

One more thing that saves your time is a secure integration with a third-party system. It allows you to transfer data or reports between applications. For example, if you sell courses you definitely need a safe system for custom purchases and payments.

Also Read: Rapid Application Development (RAD) Model: What are the benefits?

Where can LMS be implemented?

Let’s take a look at what is such a system used for. Learning Management System can be used both for business and educational purposes.

Within a business, you can implement employee onboarding, job training or custom education, leadership development. With a proper Learning Management System, your business can get a massive ROI. Let’s imagine your sales team pick up new skills and now close more deals in less time. As a result, you see a direct return on investment in eLearning education.  LMS provides businesses valuable metrics that help measure productivity or progress level. You can track the most viewed courses or active ones; receive reports about user activity and their learning plans.

The use of LMS in education increased the engagement level of students and enabled teachers to deliver more personalized lessons. Flexible and creative learning materials enhance the student experience and improve performance. Students can track their progress and become more self-driven. The list can go on and on…

Are you ready to rock the market with a custom LMS?

The Learning Management System is expected to reach $25.7 billion from 2020 by 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR), as reported by Research And Markets. Artificial Intelligent, mobile-optimized LMS, big data usage as well as gamification inside the learning process are going to be the key points of the sustainable LMS. It is a beginning of a new era in the business and education world, so don’t miss a chance to make your business heard.