Learning Management Systems market is boundless and finding the LMS that corresponds with the available budget and requirements is not an easy task to fulfill. According to eLearning industry specialists Cloud LMSs are the wave of the future, however, it is not a panacea. There are cases when a hosted LMS cannot become a solution because of security reasons, availability of sufficient internal resources to manage the LMS or a highly customized solution is required. What to do then? The answer is to install LMS on premise.
LMS on premise or the so-called installed one is stored on client’s servers and becomes client’s property after the purchase. In comparison with the hosted solutions it is much more customizable, secure and its functionality can be extended by means of third-party plugins integration. It is necessary to mention that it may require more time and resources to deploy, however it is more likely to pay off in a long-term period.
There are many useful software for schools, however LMS softwares are a must. The on-premise Learning Management Systems can be divided into 2 groups:
- Learning Management Systems, developed for Content Management Systems (CMS) (JoomlaLMS for Joomla!, LearnDash for WordPress, Opigno for Drupal, SharePoint LMS for SharePoint)
- Learning Management Systems that are installed on a web server (Moodle, ATutor).
Learning Management Systems that are developed for CMS are characterized by extended functionality and smooth CMS+LMS integration. Usually, such eLearning solutions are recommended if you are completely satisfied with your current website and are not planning to move to any other platform in the nearest future. By means of integrating third-party extensions and plugins you can add any feature to your eLearning website thus making it suitable for any of your needs.
Let’s check some examples and whether they correspond with popular features requested.
Joomla LMS
A Learning Management System for Joomla! The LMS has been on the market since 2006 and has recently been redesigned to match the current technology and usability trends.
- Demo Site For Joomla LMS – Joomla LMS Demo
- Price starts from 299$.
- Mobile compatibility – Yes. JoomlaLMS is fully responsive.
- eCommerce integration – Yes. The Vendor offers integration with a variety of payment methods, different types of native subscriptions, invoices and coupons issue, payment statistics.
- Social learning is presented by means of chat discussions, students’ blogging, commenting and feedback. JomSocial/CommunityBuilder plugin can be integrated.
- Content reusability – Yes, thanks to SCORM and AICC compliance.
- Gamification – A teacher can create their own system of grades.
- Analytics – Learner progress, course completion and materials access reports.
- Support is included.
- Used for teaching, training and selling courses online. Examples are Nurse Oncology Education program, BodyMind Institute, Ticken touch-typing courses etc.
Learn Dash
A Learning Management System for WordPress.
- Demo Site For Learn Dash – Learn Dash Demo
- Price starts from 99$.
- Mobile compatibility – Yes. The LMS is mobile responsive.
- eCommerce integration – Yes. One-time payments, subscriptions and shopping card are supported.
- Social learning – Yes. BuddyPress WordPress plugin can be integrated.
- Content reusability – Yes, thanks to SCORM and Tin Can API compliance.
- Gamification – Yes. Custom points and badges for course activities can be awarded.
- Analytics – Yes. A system of reports is available. Additional external analytics plugins can be added.
- Support is included.
- Used by University of Florida, University of Iowa, Utah State University etc.
Opigno
A Learning Management System based on Drupal. Can be both installed and hosted.
- Demo Site for Opingo – Opingo Demo
- Price – free and paid.
- Mobile compatibility – Yes.
- eCommerce integration – Yes. An eCommerce module and time-based subscriptions are offered.
- Social learning is presented by means of forums, chat and messaging. There is no integration with social media platforms.
- Content reusability – Yes. Thanks to SCORM and AICC compliance.
- Gamification – Yes. Opigno is integrated with Mozilla open badges.
- Analytics – Yes. A system of reports is available.
- Support can be included.
- Used for educational and training purposes. Examples are ICL Education Group, CaterTrax.
SharePoint LMS
SharePoint LMS is a Learning Management system based on SharePoint and is primarily used for the intranet purposes.
- Price on request.
- Mobile compatibility – Yes.
- eCommerce integration – Yes.
- Social learning is presented by means of blogs, communities, discussion boards. There is no social media platforms integration.
- Content reusability – Yes, the LMS meets SCORM and AICC compliance requirements.
- Gamification – not found.
- Analytics – Yes. There are course effectiveness reports, course program tracking and custom reports.
- Support is included.
- Demo can be requested.
- Used for corporate training.
PHP Based Free Learning Management Systems
Learning Management Systems developed for LAMP platforms include both LMS and CMS features. Usually these eLearning platforms are chosen when there is no website, it is outdated or there are no LMS for your current website platform available.
The most popular examples are Moodle and ATutor.
ATutor
ATutor is a free Learning Content Management System. Requires PHP, MySQL and a web server like Apache or Microsoft IIs to run.
- Demo Site for ATutor – ATutor Demo
- Price – Free.
- Mobile compatibility – No, however the themes adapt to various screen resolutions.
- eCommerce integration – Not found.
- Social learning is presented by means of a network of contacts and interest groups.
- Content reusability – Yes, the LMS is SCORM and IMS compliant.
- Gamification – Not found.
- Analytics – Yes. Reports are available.
- Support is not included. Support forum is available.
- Used at academic market mainly.
Moodle
Moodle is the most popular free Learning Management System developed for the LAMP platform (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP).
- Demo Site for Moodle – Moodle Demo
- Price – free.
- Mobile compatibility – Yes. There is Moodle Mobile.
- eCommerce integration – Yes. There are external plugins for eCommerce purposes.
- Social learning –Blogs, forum, chat, wikis as well as external plugins are available.
- Content reusability – Yes. Thanks to SCORM, AICC, IMS, Tin Can API compliance.
- Gamification – Yes. Moodle is compatible with Mozilla open badges.
- Analytics – Yes. A system of reports is available.
- Support is not included. There is a knowledge center available.
- Used for educational purposes. Examples are Australia National University, London School of Economics.
As we can see, there are many Learning Management Systems to choose from when hosted LMS cannot be employed.
If there are other installed platforms you are using please share in the comments below.
The article is written by Ilona Hetsevich. Ilona is Marketing and Partnership Development Manager and an eLearning geek with a history of collaboration with leading manufacturing companies.
She is inspired to create a shift in the approach to how trainers can deliver knowledge over the web.