LCMS 101

Learning Content Management Systems (LCMS) manage learning content through practices, processes, and technology.

Today's LCMS products greatly contribute to learning development processes and availability. They offer a wide variety of tools to develop, store, access, and manage both learning and content developers.

LCMS technology may provide a central learning object depository in combination with e-learning standards to enable reuse of content pieces. E-learning standards allow the publishing of learning on many different formats and platforms, with the flexibility to update a learning piece once and see the changes throughout all learning using it.

LCMS features can include:

• Authoring tools to develop content
• Restricted author access
• Flexible and cross-enterprise editing
• Content arrangement into logically flowing learning
• SCORM compliancy through the use of complex labels
• Access on many different formats and platforms
• User registration processes and monitoring
• User access to online content
• User feedback to monitor acceptance
• Use reporting to track user acceptance

However, technology alone does not lead to successful learning. It is the human element that any technology ultimately supports, and is only as good as the human input.

Before any learning is put into technology, it should follow the proven practices and processes that call for a systematic evaluation and close adherence to learning objectives. These processes begin with identifying the audience and their knowledge gaps, continues though the final storyboard, and translated into learning objectives.