Learning management System

Being new to all of the terms, I goggled LMS. Wikipedia defines LMS as is software for delivering, tracking and managing training/education. LMSs range from systems for managing training/educational records to software for distributing courses over the Internet and offering features for online collaboration. In many instances, corporate training departments purchase LMSs to automate record-keeping as well as the registration of employees for classroom and online courses.
I found in my searching the BlackBoard is a LMS offered by the Dell corporation. WOW! Something that I could visibly see.

This is Dell description of BlackBoard on Dell.com. "Blackboard is software for delivering, tracking and managing training/education. LMSs range from systems for managing training/educational records to software for distributing courses over the Internet and offering features for online collaboration. In many instances, corporate training departments purchase LMSs to automate record-keeping as well as the registration of employees for classroom and online courses".

LMS allow educational organization the ability to modified and republish single courses to various audiences while maintaining different versions and history. The objects stored in the centralized repository can be made available to course developer and content experts throughout and organization for potential reuse and re purpose. The eliminates duplicate development effort and allow for the rapid assemble of customized content which is very cost-effective.


I do not know all the capabilities of Blackboard due to limited usages, but I find it to be okay. I really do not have anything to compare it to. It has met all of my educational needs.

According to Renee Greene of ehow.com, here are some to the cons with LMS.Learning does not happen in a vacuum,~~ according to Godfrey Parkin, a specialist in online strategy and marketing innovation. "...an LMS, as available today, is not a universal solution for a corporation's e-learning problems. In fact, an LMS is often the albatross around the neck of progress in technology-enhanced learning." He believes that the vendors of these software systems remove control from end-users--the instructors and learners. In an exaggerated effort to "do it all," LMS appears to cause more confusion than it resolves. Centralized learning, Parkin says, limit options in that they are more focused on tools and the warm bodies who use them than the needs of the instructor to maintain flexibility in his teaching methods.
I agree.
All though there are some cons, the positives of LMS are tremendous. According to an article that I found on a website called NetDimension, these just to few of the pros to using a LMS and their product which is Enterprise Knowledge Platform (EKP).

A learning management system is now used not only to implement an organization's learning development but also to measure and report on training delivery, ensure employee compliance, automate reporting and tracking, as well as deliver assessment and testing.

Whether your organization is starting a departmental pilot or rolling-out a global installation, NetDimensions' Enterprise Knowledge Platform (EKP) learning management system, is secure, reliable, easy to use and quick to implement.
EKP enables you to manage:

* Performance appraisals
* Training programs
* License and certification requirements
* Competencies
* Compliance initiatives
* Succession planning

NetDimensions' learning management system will help you:

* Improve the efficiency of compliance programs.
* Increase knowledge retention and make learning more efficient.
* Measure the effectiveness of training.
* Identify skills and competencies.
* Decrease operational and travel costs.



EKP is a powerful, multilingual learning management system that manages the entire training and development process from delivering and tracking to testing and reporting.
EKP is optimized for:

* Reporting & Tracking
* Assessments, compliance procedures and licensing
* Managing employee competencies and performance
* Centralizing global knowledge
* Transforming the learning process
* Managing information – Integrate & Disseminate
* Enhancing the front-end learning experience (EKP Portal Toolkit)
* e-Commerce Management

EKP Features List:

* Automated reporting and tracking
* Standardized procedures
* Centralized global knowledge into one system
* Increased organizational interaction and exchange of knowledge
* Tracked regulatory compliance
* Access, monitor, review and update materials anytime, anywhere 24/7
* Integrated management of your entire training process
* Supports 30+ languages