The best LMS (Learning Management Software) systems in 2020 are revolutionising how businesses train their staff. The systems automate employee training tasks to optimise their skillset for increased performance and high-end results. Corporate LMS software is available for internal use to train staff and for external use for customer training.
Read on to find out about the Australian eLearning market, the benefits and disadvantages of LMS software and the four top LMS systems available in Australia.
An overview of the Australian eLearning market
Research and Markets, an online research agency, expects the worldwide eLearning market to reach $325 billion by 2025. In Australia, the eLearning sector is expanding at an accelerated rate. About 5,000 Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) deliver training and vocational education services to the Australian market. Agencies such as the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) and the Australian eLearning Association (AeLA) ensure quality standard compliance and supervise corporate eLearning delivery and development.
Australia’s government supports the national market’s need for skilled and productive professionals through authorities such as the AISC (Australian Industry and Skills Committee). Also, the growing use of smartphones in Australia, expected to reach 74.44 per cent by 2022, promotes the widespread accessibility of eLearning training from anywhere and anytime.
The Benefits and Challenges of LMS Software
The Australian market has an increased potential for the growth of training management software solutions. You’ll find three types of LMS software available on the market including traditional, open-sourced and cloud-based.
Open-Source LMS
Open source refers to programs that have a source code which is available for free use by other users or developers. Some users or companies also use open-source programs as a framework to build their own platform. Because of this, open-source LMS programs are popular in Australia.
Although these programs are low-cost and flexible, they don’t cover custom enterprise needs. Businesses that have multiple requirements, therefore, should bear in mind that there may be additional costs. In this case, an open-source LMS may not be the most cost-effective solution.
Cloud-Based LMS
Cloud-based solutions are available immediately and they’re simple to install. Developers regularly release updates, which improve the programs’ performance and quality. The systems are web-based and support online training across any desktop or mobile devices. Administrators and employees enjoy increased flexibility in their training sessions.
3 Best LMS in Australia 2020
Every organisation has a specific learning environment and a training plan. Some enterprises adopt a formal strategy with a determined number of hours for training each employee, while others have a more informal approach.
Choosing the right training management software for your company will optimise your staff’s training and deliver unrivalled results. Here’s a list of the four best LMS systems in Australia in 2020. At the end of this article, you’ll find the detailed methodology of how we’ve selected these solutions.
Listed in order of overall rating:
1.
Rating: 4.6/5
Ease of use: 4.6/5
Customer service: 4.5/5
Free version: Available
TalentLMS is an award-winning cloud-based training management software made to deliver engaging training to your employees. The platform is rated highly by users for its ease of use, which makes it an ideal choice for amateur and professional trainers. The system supports a variety of multimedia content to drive your employees’ potential.
Features include:
- Availability in 30 languages
- File sharing for internal and external communication
- Gamification tools including point scoring, leader-boards and badges
- White labelling for own branding, assessment creation tools
- Grading tools and course authoring
- Video conferencing and premium content delivery.
TalentLMS is available on desktop and mobile devices.
2.
Rating: 4.5/5
Ease of use: 4.3/5
Customer service: 4.3/5
Free version: Available
Canvas is a high-performance cloud-based training management software designed for small businesses and public administrations. It includes sophisticated course-creation tools, a modern interface and supports a variety of third-party integrations.
Features include:
- Assignment engines
- Authoring tools
- Reusable files
- Scheduling live events
- Course uploading tools
- Course discussions
- Attendance tracking
- Automated and self-enrollment
- Gamification features: Comprising of badges, levels, rewards and points.
The platform also includes a learning repository called the Canvas Commons for its community to share modules, classes and assessments, and resources. Its network is for face-to-face, online and blended courses and the library of apps make the LMS system a fully capable educational program.
Canvas LMS supports asynchronous and synchronous learning. The software is available across desktop and mobile devices. It’s compatible with Linux, Windows, and Mac operating systems.
3.
Rating: 4.2/5
Ease of Use: 4/5
Customer Service: 4/5
Free Version: Available
Moodle is a free online open-source Learning Management System, which offers educators worldwide a scalable and customisable training platform. It’s designed for small businesses and teams. The software allows trainers to create and upgrade modular features as needed. It supports peer assessment workshops, forums, and real-time messaging. The software is available on mobile devices.
Features include:
- Creating and managing categories
- Assigning courses to categories
- Activity grading (such as manual grading)
- Different grading scales
- Gradebook comments
- Audit trail
- Single-sign-on registration
- Self-registration with administrator confirmation
- Assignments creation engine
- Built-in authoring tool
- Survey and test engines
- Personalised views
- Automated enrolment
- Manual and self-enrolment.
With eLearning being a mainstream training solution used by most businesses worldwide, the LMS sector is growing exponentially. Australia presents an ideal environment for the growth of LMS solutions thanks to governmental support and market needs.
*Methodology:
- We reviewed GetApp Australia’s directories of Learning Management Systems, which produced a list of 260 software apps (research conducted 1st June 2020).
- Out of these products, we narrowed the list to those that had an overall rating of 4/5 stars. This reduced the list to 220 apps.
- Many users are in lockdown, and won’t have access to face-to-face IT support. We set criteria whereby the tools must have at least 4/5 star ratings for ease of use, features and customer service.
- We then cut the list to include only the most reviewed apps and analysed the written reviews. This action took the list down to 6 tools (with 300 real-user reviews.)
- The tools had an established market in Australia.
- Finally, we evaluated the number of monthly searches being carried out for each tool. To assess this, we use keyword research software to narrow the list.
- This produced the final three tools in the list.
