Today, we will discuss how LMS affects school management, and why you need it (or not)
Nowadays, distance learning has become a new normal. Video conferencing tools and emails have turned into our best friends. Doing homework online, listening to a lecture on our smartphones, and preparing projects on our tablets — no one is surprised by this routine anymore. No wonder: starting from the winter of 2020, our life has changed a lot.
The pandemic conditions have brought a lot of new staff to education. We have learned to adapt to new circumstances and got used to online interaction. The sphere of education technology (or simply edtech) has grown a lot. One of the edtech trends we witness today is the use of LMS for school management. But what is LMS, and how to know whether your school needs it? Let’s figure this out in today’s article.
Question 1: What Is LMS?
LMS, or Learning Management System, is a system used for managing educational processes. School staff and students use LMS to manage the learning/teaching process and boost their interaction with each other.
A system, in general, is a complex unit that consists of multiple functions/sections/categories. So does school LMS. Its’ main advantage, however, lies in the fact that it can be adjusted to the needs of a particular educational institution.
Question 2: How LMS Affects School Management?
There are plenty of ways in which LMS development changes school management. The major effect of LMS is the increase in productivity. LMS gives teachers and students the tools for tracking performance. Teachers can track and analyze students’ academic progress, share their insights with parents, and trace education tendencies. Based on the analysis, teachers can introduce effective changes into the learning process, increasing the overall school’s performance.
School staff also use LMS to reduce bureaucracy. Less paperwork, less paper-shuffling — much effective results. As for students, they are no less interested in novel digital education solutions. Modern learners appreciate interactive teaching methods. Such methods allow them to express their creativity and skills. With LMS and interactive learning, you provide your students with the opportunity of self-expression.
Question 3: Why Can’t I Use Other Learning Tools Instead of LMS?
Of course, you can. Everything depends on your goals, pains, and needs. Safety measures introduced because of the pandemic make us more self-aware. We begin to value our time, resources, we start to appreciate our mental and physical health. This is where the need to be more efficient comes into play. LMS is all about efficiency.
Having one system that serves various functions, you save your resources. These resources can be spent on more important and goal-oriented tasks. Managing each aspect of the learning process separately is exceedingly tedious. But that is not all: synchronizing your data across different platforms is twice as difficult.
For sure, you can always use separate platforms for different goals. There are a variety of solutions presented on the market. You can use video conferencing tools for communication, emails for sending homework, drives for storing your school’s literature. But at some point, it is a good idea to ask yourself, “Does putting that much effort pay me back?”
Question 4: So How to Know Whether I Need LMS?
Let’s answer your question by looking at three assets: your time, effort, and money.
- Time: Your school needs LMS if your learning materials are spread out over various cloud-based tools, drives, and devices.
You see no order in these systems, and it frequently happens that your teachers or students lose some important data and miss updates.
If, however, your system works well, and you face no such problems — invest the saved time in organizing extra-school activities, for example.
- Effort: You need LMS if your teachers send all learning materials manually via email or other tools.
Students spend hours looking for the needed literature, some of them can’t open the file, others say that the sent files are damaged. They have less motivation to study. The ineffectiveness of the learning process irritates them.
If all the mentioned doesn’t describe your case — you can sleep tight. The teacher-student cooperation at your school is on a decent level.
- Money: Develop LMS if you feel inspired by the digitalization trend and understand the need to modernize your learning process.
Developing a teaching management platform, creating learning tools for students, building and managing online libraries — all these things will cost more money if done separately. The best way is to feed two birds with one scone and create complex and multifunctional software.
Yet, if you already have all these solutions implemented at your school — there is no urgent need to look for an extra edtech solution.
Wrap Up
Don’t rush into the decision to build a new LMS for your school. The first step should be to think deeply about whether your educational institution needs it. If the answer is yes, the second step is to develop the action plan that will allow you to build a well-performing and attractive solution.
For sure, making such a decision is a real challenge. Setting the right goals and expectations for LMS is an even bigger challenge. To move in the right direction, I recommend contacting an education software development company.
Together with Business Analysts, software professionals will help you decide whether you need LMS. They will share their professional view on your school’s needs and the means for growth. Together, you will decide whether it is the right time for your organization to modernize, or there are some other areas that need improvement.
So, are you wondering if LMS can boost your school’s performance?
Let the KeenEthics team review your case and share our conclusions with you. We won’t let you make the wrong decision and lose your money. And if you are interested in our other articles, check out our blog — we are always happy to greet new Keen readers!
Article written by Anzhelika Danielkievich
Author’s Bio:
I am a Content Writer at KeenEthics. Working in the marketing team, I keep pace with trends and news to give our readers only relevant and up-to-date information. My articles reflect our competence in what we do, and it is the main motivation for me to move further.