Keeping up with LMS Jargon: A Beginner's Guide

Did you know that the LMS industry is on a dream run to reach a whopping USD 28.1 billion in worth by 2025? What’s more impressive is the industry will reach about USD 70 billion by 2023.

It means that every business is actively adopting LMS platforms to accelerate learning and development (L&D) efforts to upskill employees and improve performance. The growing importance of LMS means that you often need to talk about it to your management, employees, and other stakeholders. 

That can pose several challenges since the terminology associated with an LMS platform can also evolve.

Hence, as a learning manager, you need to be prepared to answer a lot of questions from all corners. What’s SCORM? What’s instructor-led training? What’s SaaS LMS? And many more.

In this blog post, we will break down LMS terms, phrases, and jargon you need to know so that you can teach it to everyone else in your business.

Let’s get into the details.

What Is an LMS?

An LMS is a software solution for businesses to create, manage, and maintain e-learning courses for employee training and upskilling efforts and assess their effectiveness. It offers comprehensive learning experiences to employees and allows businesses to measure it against diverse parameters ranging from completion rate, abandonment rate, success rate, etc.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world, e-learning was seen as inefficient by everyone. And then the pandemic hit the world. Businesses were shut down. People were asked to stay home. And learning stopped.

It was then that e-learning was thought to be an incredible option to deliver learning to students. As it was a convenient way to train and upskill people who were confined to the walls of their homes or home offices, businesses ran with the idea. This led to businesses developing powerful learning management platforms that offered immersive learning experiences for learners.

Why Does an LMS Come with Jargon?

LMS, or Learning Management Systems, comes with a lot of jargon. The purpose is not just to sound fancy. The jargon actually makes things easier for people working with these systems. Each term describes something specific that is hard to explain otherwise in simple words.

For example, take ‘SCORM’ or ‘xAPI.’ They may look like random letters, but they’re actually shortcuts. SCORM is a standard that lets lessons work across different systems, while xAPI is a way to track how people use the learning content. So, these terms make sure everyone’s on the same page without a long explanation.

Then, there are terms like 'learning paths' or 'microlearning.' They sound simple, but they have their meanings here. A 'learning path' is a series of lessons in a specific order. 'Microlearning' refers to teaching in quick, small bursts, which is excellent for focused learning.

Yes, LMS jargon may seem confusing at first. However, it plays a massive role in helping people talk about the details quickly, with no ambiguity.

So, what are these common terms that one needs to use in LMS? Let’s check each of them out here.

Common LMS Terms and Their Meanings

Understanding these common LMS teams helps you become more acquainted with the LMS platform and what LMS experts are saying. Here are the most common LMS terms and their meanings.

🧭Learning Path

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It is a structured sequence of courses or training modules developed to help a learner’s development. It could be aimed at a particular topic or skill based on the requirements of the business. For example, creating a course entirely based on DEI compliance requirements can be called a learning path.

📐SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model)

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SCORM is a set of technical specifications that guide the creation, packaging, distribution, and management of e-learning courses. It allows businesses to create e-learning courses in a standardized way so that different kinds of LMS platforms can understand, display, and interact with them.

💻Blended Learning

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Blended learning is a learning approach that combines in-person learning with e-learning. It brings together the best of both worlds. This gives them the chance to go at their own pace online while still getting help in person. For example, a new hire might watch a video lesson during break. Then, they come to the training session for hands-on activities or questions.This mix makes learning flexible and engaging while giving employees control over how and when they learn, with support from trainers.

🎮Gamification

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Gamification is a learning approach where trainers use game-like elements to make learning more fun and engaging. It adds things like points, badges, levels, etc., to regular lessons. Gamification engages learners and keeps them motivated. For example, when an employee completes a quiz, they might earn points or unlock a badge. If they reach a new level, they might get a reward or unlock new content. This approach helps make learning feel less like a chore and more like a challenge. It encourages learners to stay engaged, reach goals, and improve their skills in a fun way

🤔Did you know?

Gamification in employee training has proven beneficial, especially in boosting engagement and performance. A study by Harvard Business School and KPMG across 24 offices over 29 months found that offices with higher participation in gamified training saw a 25% increase in fee collection, a 22% rise in new opportunities, and a 16% boost in client acquisition.

📊LMS Dashboard

An LMS dashboard is the main interface where admins can see the progress of courses and access course features. It helps employees, learning managers, and admins get an overview of what’s happening.

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For employees, the dashboard shows their courses, assignments, grades, and upcoming deadlines. Trainers can use it to track employee progress, course analytics, and manage content. Admins use it to see reports on course activity, user engagement, and platform usage.

A good LMS dashboard is clear and easy to use and gives all the info needed at a glance. It helps users stay organized, meet goals, and stay on track with their learning.

🧠Microlearning

Microlearning is a style of learning where learning is delivered via short, focused lessons. It’s designed to help people learn without overwhelming them. Each lesson covers one topic or skill and usually takes only a few minutes to complete.

For example, a microlearning session in sales enablement might be a 5-minute video, a quick quiz, or a single-page guide. This makes it easy to fit learning into busy schedules, like during a coffee break or free time.

This style is especially helpful in workplaces where employees need to learn skills fast and keep them fresh. It helps learners acquire the knowledge they need without long training sessions

✅Compliance Tracking

Compliance tracking is the process of ensuring that employees complete required training and meet industry or company standards. It’s vital for businesses in critical sectors, such as healthcare, food processing, etc. The LMS keeps records of each learner’s progress and shows who has finished the required courses. It tracks dates, scores, and certificates to confirm that training is up-to-date. If someone misses a deadline or needs a refresher, the system can send reminders.

Compliance tracking helps managers see who’s meeting standards and who needs help. These are the most common terms used in connection with an LMS. And there’s more to explore in terms of LMS features.

Let’s check them all now.

The Most Important LMS Features to Know

Understanding the features of an LMS platform is integral to using it smartly to empower your organization’s L&D efforts. Here are some of the crucial LMS features to understand:

🗂️Course Catalog

A course catalog in an LMS is a list of all the courses available for learners to take. It’s like a menu, showing all the options for learning. The catalog organizes courses by topics, difficulty levels, or categories.

The purpose behind a course catalog is to make it easy for learners to find what they need. Each course listing includes key details like course descriptions, learning objectives, and prerequisites.

Learners can browse the catalog and choose courses based on their needs. They can also enroll in them directly from the catalog. LMS admins can use the catalog to manage and update course offerings.

📝Learning Management Reporting

Learning management reporting is the process of tracking and analyzing the progress of learners and courses. It collects data on how well learners are doing and what they’ve completed. One can also learn where the learners are struggling.

These reports can include test scores, course completion rates, and more. They help L&D managers gain insights into the effectiveness of the training program.

It also helps improve learning outcomes and ]success in a business.

🛡️User Roles and Permissions

User roles and permissions define how an LMS user performs their duties within the platform. Depending on the user roles, privileges and permissions can change on the platform.

A trainer or learning manager can manage the course, access learning reports, and check L&D progress. A person with a learner role can access courses, attend them, partake in surveys, etc. On the other hand, an admin can check the platform’s functionalities, how it’s performing, etc.

These rules and permissions help the organization manage and regulate how the platform and learning materials are used.

🔔Automated Notifications

Automated alerts or reminders within the LMS allow the learners to stay informed about course deadlines, new content, or system updates. This ensures that they do not miss any of the courses or deadlines.

This is vital for businesses working in critical sectors, like healthcare, pharmaceuticals, defense, food, etc

🎥Multimedia Integration

Multimedia integration is the process of adding different forms of media, such as video, audio, images, podcasts, quizzes, etc., onto an LMS. 

Doing so allows businesses and learning managers like you to create more immersive and richer learning experiences for your employees. While learning these terms is vital for a business, how does that help people like LMS administrators and L&D managers?

Let’s check that out.

Why Understanding LMS Jargon Makes You a More Effective LMS Administrator?

As an LMS administrator, you are responsible for managing and utilizing the platform to support your organization's L&D efforts. And you will often be the single point of contact when someone needs to know about the platform or learn how it works.

Hence, it makes sense for you to become adept at everything related to LMS platforms.

Here are some more reasons why understanding LMS jargon will make you an even more effective LMS admin.

🗣️Enhanced Communication

Knowing the terminology allows you to communicate more effectively with vendors, trainers, and users. It enables you to address the questions and doubts of many stakeholders of the LMS platform in your business.

For example, a learner might ask how to use dashboards in your LMS. You can teach them that only if you know it well yourself.

As you know something well, you can explain it better to others.

⚖️Better Decision-Making

A strong understanding of LMS jargon means that you know pretty much everything about the LMS. And that you understand its features, performance metrics, and strengths.

When you understand all these, it is easy for you to make better decisions about a range of elements, such as:

• How to design your e-learning course.
• How to improve your learner engagement.
• How to customize the system for better results.
• Where you need to invest more for better R&D efforts.

As each of these requires thorough knowledge of the platform, it becomes vital for you to master LMS jargon and phrases.

🚀Optimized LMS Usage

Understanding the terminology offers you expertise over the LMS platform you use. And when you know your system, it allows you to quickly realize where it needs improvement.

In addition, you can also communicate these inadequacies with your management or reporting person to secure more investments. 

Knowing these terms and LMS platforms also allows you to make better presentations and be involved in negotiations to secure more support from the management.

All these benefits make a strong case for you to make the necessary efforts to master LMS terminology. But the question is--how?

Let’s explore that next.

🤔Did you know?

The education sector leads LMS usage at 21%, followed by technology (12%), manufacturing (9%), and healthcare (7%). Notably, the corporate sector is becoming increasingly reliant on LMS, with over 40% of Fortune 500 companies employing e-learning for employee training.

Tips to Keep Up with New LMS Terminology

Here are a few tips to help you stay updated with the changing LMS terminology and jargon.

1. Attend LMS webinars and online masterclasses hosted by learning LMS platforms and technology developers.
2. Actively join LMS forums and communities on social media platforms to stay updated about emerging LMS technologies.
3. Make it a habit to read LMS-related industry blogs and articles on a regular basis.
4. Sign up to receive newsletters from brands and authors who talk about LMS and other e-learning technologies.

As the world of technology is constantly evolving, LMS will do, too. Hence, it is vital to stay ahead of the curve and be informed on what’s happening to improve your L&D efforts.

LMS Jargon Help You Stay Competitive and Relevant

The e-learning space will continue to grow with more advances in AI and machine learning technologies. It will make LMS platforms even more feature-rich, functional, and complex, with jargon and phrases being introduced to the mix.

Understanding and mastering these terms will make you a true expert in the LMS space, and your business needs it to make intelligent and expert-backed decisions. Understanding the jargon empowered not just you. It empowers both you and your organization and its employees. Hence, keep working hard to master newer LMS jargon and become an expert in it.

As the world of LMS is evolving, using the best LMS platforms for business, like Thriving Springs, which uses AI capabilities, is vital to stay relevant for your business.

Sign up free for Thriving Springs to explore the platform in action.

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