What is a learning management suite versus a LMS?

Schools and school districts that are thinking about introducing online classes have many decisions to make.  They often begin with the choice of a learning management system to support the administrative functions of an online classroom.  But it's wiser to take a step back and decide first if a learning management system is right for you at all.  While you certainly need a computer-based tool for handling administrative tasks and offering class content, there are options available that offer you much more.  Specifically, a learning management suite like the one from IQity not only performs the same functions as a learning management system, but also offers content aligned with state standards, support for students preparing for graduation tests, an online web-casting tool, and a dynamic learning object repository.

Limitations of an LMS

Learning management systems are used to deliver corporate training as well as to deliver online classes in the K-12 and university settings.  The LMS can perform in these very different arenas because strictly speaking, it provides the framework within which the course material is offered, not the course material itself.  Regardless of whether the course is continuing education for loan officers or American history for eighth graders, instructors need to be able to tell who is enrolled in the class and how often they've logged in to work on lessons.  They need a way to give and grade quizzes.  Without a physical classroom or office hours, students need a way to let the teacher know when they have a question and get feedback on their work.  These are the kind of class activities an LMS supports.  They are the very necessary underpinning of online education.  But they don't actually convey the material students need to master.

A Suite of Services

Most of the learning management systems offered to school districts today are paired with some kind of content provider or manager.  Schools that buy and install Angel's LMS, for example, can contact any of several "partners" that Angel uses to provide content.  Blackboard's Content System is a set of tools for creating, storing, and sharing content.

The IQity Learning Management Suite offers several advantages that school districts should consider as they embark upon the journey to online education.

Content, Content, Content

IQity offers teachers several different avenues for adding class content to the LMS.  First, the IQity Learning Management Suite comes with award-winning content that is aligned with state school standards.  There is no need to recreate the wheel.  Teachers can easily find, review, and import content, including everything from reading material to interactive labs to videos.  In addition, teachers who have developed lessons of their own can easily download that material into the IQity LMS.

IQity also offers a searchable database of learning objects.  Called REACTOR, the database offers a wide variety of content: lesson plans, quizzes, charts, videos, math problems, writing assignments, and on and on.  Since teachers can add their own learning objects to the database for others to use, it will continue to grow and add value to the IQity suite.  Before any learning objects become available in REACTOR, they are reviewed by a panel of educators to make certain that they are aligned with state standards.  That means teachers can use anything they download from REACTOR with assurance.

Another option is the IQity web-casting tool that enables teachers to present lessons to their students in real time.  In addition to being able to lecture to the class live, teachers can use the online whiteboard to make notes the class can see.  A chat function enables class discussion.

Finally, the IQity Learning Management Suite offers study guides and practice tests for graduation tests, which students must pass to receive a diploma.  Based on actual graduation tests, the test helps students know what to expect and identify areas in which they need more preparation.  The study guide helps them gain the knowledge they need to pass the test.

Is a Learning Management Suite More Expensive?

Although it offers much more than a simple learning management system, the IQity Learning Management Suite is free to school districts. There is a small per-student fee for use of the content and schools that upload a lot of their own content may pay a small hosting fee.