When planning a training program, trainers naturally focus on brainstorming topics, choosing appropriate formats, and creating captivating content. Still, one crucial aspect sometimes doesn’t receive the attention it deserves.
Content is king (or queen!), but how you deliver it matters just as much. If you haven’t planned in advance how learners will access the course and engage with the material, or how you’ll track their progress, your efforts could miss the mark.
According to Training Magazine, 89% of U.S. companies use learning management systems (LMSs) to deliver online courses, and that’s a clear trend. It’s surprising that 11% of companies are still missing out on these platforms. In this article, we’ll explore traditional delivery methods and evaluate why they can be ineffective in the learning process.
Key Challenges of Traditional Training Delivery
Even with online courses ready to go, some companies continue to depend on traditional, frankly outdated delivery methods like sharing courses through cloud storage (like Dropbox, Google Drive or Sharepoint), uploading them to a public website, or even distributing them via email or chat. While these methods may appear simple initially, here are the key reasons why they consistently fall short.
Administrative burden.
Sending learning materials without any automation and training management tools can cause headaches for instructors and administrators. They spend too much time managing tasks like sending materials, updating content, and ensuring everyone has the latest version, rather than focusing on important duties.
Without centralized control, maintaining security and consistency can become challenging as well, especially with more learners. Having to resend courses via email for every new hire can only add to the burden.
No tracking and reporting.
One of the biggest problems with sending out training the old-fashioned way is that you have no idea how successful it is. Did the learners complete the training? Are they struggling with specific modules?
Without a system to automatically track completion, progress, scores or how much time someone spends learning, you’re left in the dark and can’t gather valuable insights to improve your training materials or tailor them to specific learner needs. Trying to monitor training manually isn’t an option — it not only takes tons of time but can also lead to mistakes.
Slow feedback loop.
Sending courses without automated tracking can be a real hassle when it comes to communication and feedback. Learners’ questions or requests for help might get lost in the trainer’s inbox, leading to delays in response.
This delay can slow down learners’ progress and make them feel unsupported. Plus, without quick feedback, instructors can’t tell what’s working well and what needs improvement.
3 Reasons to Switch to an LMS for eLearning
But let’s shift our focus to the 89% of companies who deliver online learning via an LMS and have left the challenges we mentioned above far behind. If you aren’t one of them yet, check out the key benefits these platforms provide for both administrators and learners and decide how important they are to you.
Smart training management.
An LMS serves as a central hub for all your training materials, courses and instructions, ensuring everything is organized, accessible and well-structured. Administrators can manage all content in a single place and easily keep courses up to date. Some platforms come with mobile apps that provide learners with 24/7 access to training — anytime and anywhere.
Training automation is another great advantage of these platforms. Many LMSs allow you to enroll and re-enroll users automatically, based on specific criteria or groups of learners, ensuring everyone receives the appropriate training. For example, you can auto-assign an onboarding course each time a new member is added to the interns group.
Some platforms automatically send out notifications of new courses or events and reminders about deadlines or other important dates, keeping learners engaged and on track with their learning journey. This can reduce some of the work you need to do for daily training routines.
Detailed training analytics.
Unlike traditional training methods that don’t rely on automation or tracking, where you’re left guessing about effectiveness or spending days checking courses yourself, an LMS offers detailed analytics for real-time, data-driven insights.
Some platforms provide various pre-built reports and let you create custom ones to track training from different perspectives. You can see an overview of a whole department’s performance or focus on individual employee progress. Track completion rates, time spent on each course, quiz attempts and more — all with just a few clicks.
Using an LMS, you can also identify which materials engage learners and which ones need improvement. These insights are valuable for refining training programs, personalizing learning and ensuring successful outcomes.
Better learner engagement.
An LMS can help learners stay engaged with interactive experiences rather than passive ones. Many platforms include gamification features, such as awarding points for course completion, issuing digital badges or creating leaderboards. For instance, learners could earn badges like “Best Negotiator” for completing a sales techniques course.
All these features make learning more enjoyable and encourage active participation, a sense of belonging, and friendly competition among learners.
You can also automatically provide certificates of completion to not only boost engagement but also meet compliance needs for certain training programs.
Final Thoughts
These are just some of the main reasons why an LMS is essential for anyone starting online training or offering eLearning courses. LMSs also come with strong security features to safeguard your training materials from unauthorized access or copying. As your organization expands, with an LMS, you can effortlessly meet your increasing training demands without any hassle.
Find out everything you need to know about LMSs before making a purchase decision. Learn about different types of platforms, essential features, and pricing models, and get step-by-step instructions on launching your first online training.
