What Do Instructional Designers Need To Know About LMS’s?
So this week, I decided to look into Learning Management Systems.
First of all,
What is a Learning Management System?
Learning Management Systems (LMS’s) allow you to create, deliver, track and manage online learning.
Some features include:
- Creating, curating, sharing content and resources
- Grading assessment
- Tracking student progress
- Collaboration/communication tools
I took a couple of courses on LinkedIn Learning to familiarise myself more with LMS’s, but this is when I began to realise how broad the topic is, and how deep you can go.
So what do instructional designers need to know about LMS’s?
I diverted my efforts away from LinkedIn and decided to ask for advice from a couple of instructional design community Facebook groups I’m a part of…
Summary
It seems the extent of LMS knowledge that instructional designers are expected to have really depends on the company you work for, but regardless, you will be expected to interact with an LMS as an ID. Therefore, any knowledge or prior experience you have in this domain will be positively regarded. It’s also worth discussing with your prospective employers what they will expect of you in this area.
Even if you are unfamiliar with LMS’s, or if you run into complex issues (such as when the LMS is merged with HR systems and team member records), you can always reach out to LMS communities or Systems Teams to clarify technical problems (i.e. teamwork makes the dream work ✨).
Key Competencies Instructional Designers Should Have When Working With LMS’s
- Export with proper settings
- Assign courses
- Run reports
- Feature courses
- Troubleshoot user issues
- Link documents to courses
- Upload content
- Test in a live environment
- Know if your tracking is working properly
This experience has provided me with a much clearer and more focused starting point, and I will be using this as a reference list for improving my skills with LMS’s.
Not only did I receive really helpful advice, but also some useful links which I will share below!
Links
This website enables you to build your ID portfolio on an LMS with a $30 monthly subscription. You will have access to templates for course design documents, storyboards, training templates, etc.
Signing up at instructure will get you a FREE teacher Canvas account which includes a lot of resources to familiarise yourself with the system, as well as a Canvas certification program — as one of the more popularly used platforms, I think this would be well worth your while.
