Introduction
Is your association looking for the right learning management system (LMS) to enhance your continuing education program? To find the right LMS to meet your learners’ needs you’ll need to evaluate your specific requirements so you can make an informed decision when choosing the right technology.
Your association can complete an LMS needs assessment to discover your unique technological needs, ensuring you pick the best system. Read our blog to learn more about an LMS needs assessment and how to complete one for your association.
What is an LMS needs assessment?
An LMS needs assessment helps your organization take a strategic approach in identifying the best LMS that meets your needs. Completing an LMS needs assessment will help you make an educated decision in choosing the right software for your continuing education program.
Why should associations complete an LMS needs assessment?
LMS needs assessments are a vital tool for associations. Your association should complete an LMS needs assessment to discover the best learning management system to meet your learners’ needs and elevate your continuing education program.
How to find the right LMS for your continuing education program
Now that you understand the purpose of an LMS needs assessment, here are five things your organization will want to consider when completing a needs assessment:
1. Learner needs
As you determine the best LMS for your continuing education program, it’s crucial to understand the needs of your learners. Your LMS should cater to the diverse needs of your audience, whether they are medical professionals seeking certification, current employees looking for skills development, or Gen Z learners continuing their education.
Consider these features to meet your diverse learner needs:
- Accessibility
Ensure your LMS supports learners with disabilities by being compliant with accessibility standards. - User experience
Your LMS interface should be intuitive and easy to navigate, reducing the learning curve for your learners. - Support
Look for features like tutorials, help centers, and live support to assist your learners.
2. Content types
Your LMS should support a wide range of content types to deliver a rich and engaging learning experience. Different learners may prefer different formats, so flexibility is key.
Evaluate your LMS for:
- Multimedia support
Ensure your next LMS can handle a variety of multimedia content to engage diverse learners. - Course creation tools
Look for built-in tools that allow you to create diverse content without needing third-party software. - SCORM compliance
SCORM compliance ensures your LMS can handle standardized e-learning content and share it across different systems.
3. Reporting
Effective reporting is essential for tracking progress, assessing performance, and making data-driven decisions.
When evaluating your next LMS’ reporting capabilities, ask these important questions:
- Customization
Can you tailor reports to fit your specific metrics and goals? - Real-time data
Does the LMS provide real-time analytics and dashboards for immediate insights? - Export options
Can reports be easily exported in various formats for further analysis and sharing?
4. Interactivity tools
Seamless communication between learners, instructors, and administrators is vital for a successful continuing education program. Your LMS should facilitate this with robust interactivity tools, such as:
- Discussion forums
Enable peer-to-peer interaction, community building, and speaker interaction with group chat functionality. - Assessment tools
Enhance learner outcomes with surveys, assessments, checkpoints, and robust quizzing options. - Engagement tools
Drive learner engagement with functionality like real-time polling, Q&A, check-ins, videos, and more.
5. Technical requirements
The technical capabilities and infrastructure of your next LMS are crucial for ensuring smooth operation and integration with your existing systems.
Consider these important factors:
- Security
Ensure your LMS has strong security measures to protect sensitive data. - Integration
Your LMS should seamlessly integrate with the other tools and systems you use, such as your AMS, CRM, and other systems. - Scalability
Choose an LMS that can grow with your association, accommodating an increasing number of learners and expanding functionality as needed.
What to do after completing your LMS needs assessment
After your association has completed its LMS needs assessment, you’ll likely have a long list of technology requirements for your next system. To gain further clarity on what you want out of your next LMS, it’s beneficial to formulate two requirement statements: a functional requirement statement and a non-functional requirement statement.
- A functional requirement statement helps you describe the behavior of your LMS system as it relates to your needed system functionality.
- A non-functional requirement statement helps you determine a specific performance characteristic of your LMS.
After you complete these statements, you might consider trying to make your requirements quantifiable, ensuring your needs are clearly measurable.