LMS breakdown - Media Reviews - learning management system

T+D, Oct, 2002 by Michael Feldman

Customer service and satisfaction

Based on our direct experience and user input collected via a Web-based survey of GeoLearning users, the learning curve for this LMS seems smooth. The users we contacted have had a favorable experience with the system; the same is true of client learning coordinators. Keep in mind that our survey isn't statistically valid and users were referred to us by the vendor. Our control on any possible bias is our own experience with the system. For more details on customer reactions, see the full report at

www.tmreview.com.

Compatibility

One final area to judge the utility and cost-effectiveness of an LMS is its ability to incorporate a variety of media and file formats and to "talk" to other enterprise software systems. Most companies have a great deal of time, expertise, and money invested in legacy training materials (manuals, texts, videos, and courses). The ability to absorb such material can be a crucial factor in a purchasing decision. The GeoLearning LMS scores high, with an ability to use almost every format available.

GeoLearning Center is compliant with the two major standards for online courseware, AICC and SCORM. It can also play content that isn't compliant. Under current courseware standards, plug-and-play content is rare. For more information on standards and the GeoLearning products, www.geolearning.com.

TMR's full report also has a quick guide to the competing standards and a full list of GeoLearning's compatibility with e-learning products and file formats.

Pricing

LMSs are by definition enterprise systems: software that serves an entire organization. They're complex systems that operate around the clock and are a major, long-term investment. Pricing for the GeoLearning Center LMS and several add-on components is shown in the full report under "Basic Vendor Information."

All prices are annual leases and include application service provider (ASP) hosting services, maintenance, and 24-hour, seven-days-a-week technical support. The actual pricing of add-on modules can be substantially discounted depending on the customer's LMS investment.

Recommendation

An organization's first decision about an LMS is whether to make a substantial commitment to e-learning. The next is whether to forgo the LMS installation and instead pursue an ASP. Aside from all of the other pros and cons, the early stage of e-learning may argue for the ASP path as a prudent way to deal with uncertainty. With few exceptions, organizations don't have a clear or complete vision yet of how e-learning can help them. An ASP can be a starting point with less risk than a full installation.

On the other hand, the ASP choice means you're buying a service, not a product. You're crucially dependent on an outside party for an important function. Although the training world is rife with horror stories about LMS installations run amok, you end up in control of the system. If you take the ASP route for an LMS, we strongly recommend that you ask for a client list from any vendor you're serious about and contact several about the vendor's reliability and responsiveness. Because it's privately held, GeoLearning's finances aren't disclosed, and potential customers have no direct way to measure its financial strength. The company doesn't figure prominently in analysts' discussions of dominant players in the LMS market. But private companies, which don't have to live and die on quarterly results, can avoid some of the traps of fast-growth strategies.