What makes a good Learning Management System?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Creating a custom system can be a daunting task, and without the right planning, a simple project can turn into a big headache. Having helped a number of schools design and build custom systems, here are the four things I recommend considering when designing or adopting a Learning Management System.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
4 Learning Management System Design Tips For Better eLearning<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Focus on data\u2013for both instructors and students <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019re obsessed with data these days, and for good reason: it\u2019s relatively easy to get if you know what you\u2019re looking for. While you won\u2019t be able to identify everything that\u2019s useful upfront, take a step back, and evaluate what you\u2019d hope to learn. Come up with a list of the information you need and a list of things you\u2019d like to have. For example, do you need to know the average test score for students in History? What about attendance rates during the month of December?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Knowing what you\u2019re looking for upfront helps you determine what specific information you\u2019ll need to capture from your users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Design for usability\u2013make it \u2018pleasurable\u2019 to use<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once you know what you need users to tell you, you should make it easy for them to do so. Design each component of your LMS with usability in mind. Create a hierarchy of actions you need users to take, ranking them in order from essential to nonessential, and use prominent buttons, obvious links, and clean copy to direct people to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, take advantage of what\u2019s out there. Things like social logins, video streaming, shared calendars, message boards, and forms are all commonplace on the web, and users know immediately what to do with them. Take inspiration from Google, Facebook, Microsoft Word, and others to learn the common themes of web interfaces and copy them. Your users will thank you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For a great reference on designing easy-to-use interfaces, I recommend Stephen Krug\u2019s book \u201cDon\u2019t Make Me Think.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n