How To Choose Learning Management Software

An increasing number of school districts are offering online classes in some form. Some are using blended learning, which incorporates an online component into the traditional classroom. Others are offering entire classes on line. A few are developing completely online schools within the district's purview. Whatever your plans for distance learning, you will need to obtain LMS software. What is it, and how do you choose? One smart option is to choose a comprehensive educational platform like the IQity Learning Management Suite.

LMS stands for Learning Management System. This is the software that helps you administer online classes. LMS software lets you enroll students in their classes. It provides the teacher with a list of students enrolled in the class and lets her make assignments to them. The LMS software lets her see how much time each student spends working on those assignments and check their understanding with assessments. For students, the LMS software gives them access to the material they need to study and provides a way to take tests and see grades.

LMS Software Varies in Features

All LMS software is not created equal. Most Learning Management Systems will perform the basic tasks described above. In other words, the LMS software is task-oriented; it provides a way for educators and students to perform the tasks associated with the class.

The IQity Learning Management Suite does these things and much more. It provides several additional 21st century learning tools that help connect students and teachers for more effective learning. For example, IQity includes a webcasting tool that allows the teacher to address the class in real time. Students can see the teacher and hear her speak, creating a much more personal connection than would otherwise be possible. The online whiteboard simulates a chalkboard in a traditional classroom, but is much more functional, because students can use it to respond to questions and to do group projects.

IQity also goes beyond supporting classroom tasks to offer educational content. In Reactor, IQity's Learning Object Repository, teachers can easily find standards-aligned content they can import for use in their classrooms. Whether they need a lesson plan, a lab assignment, a video, or test questions, teachers can turn to Reactor to simplify class preparation.

LMS Software Differs in Price

It is not easy to compare the price of LMS software because different products are priced in different ways. Some vendors charge a license fee based on the number of students and teachers who will be using the LMS software. This can become very expensive. A large school district can easily pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to use LMS software that charges a per-user license fee.

Another option is "open source" LMS software. Open source means the software code is freely available so users can adapt the software for their own use. Some educators mistakenly think that because the code is available free, using the LMS software is free. That can turn out to be an expensive mistake. If you want to adapt the software, you will need to pay a programmer, pay your own IT staff to do it, or allow teachers to spend time that could be better used on classroom activities.

Whether you customize open source LMS software or use it unaltered, you have to host it on your own computers or pay a vendor that provides hosting services. Keep in mind that when you host LMS software in your own computers, you are responsible for making sure students have access at any time, day or night. That can mean increasing your IT staffing levels.

Cost considerations are simplified with IQity because the IQity Learning Management Suite is free to schools and school districts. Schools pay only for standards-aligned content they choose to use, much as they pay for textbooks in a bricks-and-mortar classroom. IQity hosts the system, so all users need to do is log on.

A Comprehensive LMS Software Solution

IQity offers a comprehensive educational solution in a cost-effective, easy to use package. To see how your school can benefit from IQity, ask for an online demonstration led by one of our elearning experts.