Easy LMS Management

If your school system is looking to implement a Learning Management System (LMS) to support online classes, there are plenty of options available on the marketplace. However, in order to choose a system that is easy to manage, let's examine some of the features of Learning Management Systems to help determine what kind of LMS would be the best fit for your needs with the least amount of extra effort stress. School districts that sign up to use a comprehensive LMS like the IQity Learning Management Suite makes offering online classes simple.

What to Look for in a Learning Management System

The first thing that you want to ensure is that your Learning Management System is intuitive to use and easy to operate. Tabs should carry clear, commonly understood labels and users should have no trouble moving from one section to another with a minimal number of mouse clicks. Students and teachers who are accustomed to using common internet tools like email and search engines should find the LMS commands familiar.

The software needs to be simple and straightforward because if you choose a Learning Management System that is too complicated or cumbersome for users, there will be a negative effect on the success of your online classes. Teachers will spend precious time trying to figure out how to provide class materials, give assessments, and communicate with students. Students will be frustrated by the difficulties of the software and will not be giving their full attention to the subject matter.

IQity's Learning Management Suite provides teachers and students with easy-to-use features, useful functionality that helps teachers manage their online classroom, and an easy-to-navigate interface.

Cost Considerations

Another major consideration is cost. There are costs for buying and installing most learning management systems as well as costs for maintaining and upgrading them. There are two major types of Learning Management Systems Ð the hosted LMS and the installed LMS.

An installed Learning Management System can be purchased from a learning management software company. Your buy their software product and then install it on your own hardware, managing and maintain the system with your own Information Technology (IT) resources. These software systems need to be upgraded as the system evolves, which would be another expense to consider when looking at budgeting for a Learning Management System.

Aside from the expense, an installed Learning Management System is not easy to manage. School IT personnel are responsible for keeping the system up and running 24 hours a day, every day, so that teachers, students and parents can access the online classroom at their convenience. If the software is difficult to navigate, school personnel must also serve as a help desk. All of this can represent a considerable investment of time and trouble, in addition to the cost of an installed LMS.

Hosted Learning Management Systems

A more cost-effective option is the use of a hosted Learning Management System. Hosted Learning Management Systems are operated, supported and maintained by a third-party hosting provider that is located outside of your school. All the school needs is an Internet connection and classroom computers.

IQity's comprehensive Learning Management Suite is a hosted service, meaning that there is nothing for school districts to install, no need for special equipment like a dedicated server, and nothing special to maintain. There is no need for additional IT staff to monitor and run the system.

IQity's comprehensive Learning Management System is ideal for both online schools and blended-learning situations in more traditional classrooms. This is because IQity is much more than a hosted Learning Management System; it also features an extensive Learning Object Repository teachers can use to find standards-aligned content for their online class. Also included are an online interactive webcasting tool and a secure messaging system.

Best of all, IQity is free to schools and school districts. To see how your school district can use IQity's e-Learning Management System, request an online demonstration guided by one of our e-learning experts.