As any business goes about making decisions about implementing a training program, the terms LMS and LXP come up regarding which learning platform is better suited to distribute learning content to employees.
There are sure to be questions about their differences, benefits, and challenges. When it comes to choosing a Learning Management System (LMS) or a Learning Experience Platform (LXP), in essence, these learning platforms are very similar. They are both a way to deliver content and training to any number of employees. The differences lie in who controls the content and the journey you want your employees to take as they learn.
Benefits of an LXP
LXP is a newer term on the market. This is where content is curated and aggregated so that each learner has a personalized experience, rather than everyone’s experience being the same. This platform consolidates diverse learning resources into a single platform, designed to improve learner engagement.
There are currently three types of LXPs:
- Those that concentrate on personalized content delivery with an algorithm-based recommendation engine
- Those that focus more on facilitating social learning and collaboration
- Those that are a hybrid of the two, combining content delivery and social aspects
Most LXPs fall into the first category. Two well-known examples of this type of platform include how Netflix and YouTube offer suggestions of content to view next.
An LXP works the same way, delivering relevant content to the learner by evaluating past behavior, tracking what has been viewed, and delivering content that is relevant to the user’s interests. This helps save time since the learner no longer has to dig through the platform to find the content they want to see. It integrates into their workday easily and doesn’t feel like another box to tick on a task list.
More social-focused LXPs look at the learning of a whole group. They tend to focus on the collaborative aspects of learning by having team members work together on assignments, share content with one another, and consider what they learned. Employees can also keep track of their own learning journey with this kind of platform.
Whether you opt for one of these LXPs or the hybrid, training and learning are delivered on the user’s schedule and put user experience and design first.
This user experience keeps viewers engaged because of the relevancy of the content. This makes for a smooth and seamless transition from video to video, “pulling” learners in, and leading them into new topic areas that can broaden their skillsets.
Delivering high-quality content in a personalized, learner-centric environment creates a strong culture of exploratory learning and a highly engaged workforce.
Benefits of an LMS
LMS is a well-known industry term that’s been around for a while. It’s essentially what people envision when they think of a learning or training platform. In its most basic form, it allows administrators to create assignments, deliver content, track completion of training, and run reports.
The training administrator is the one at the helm of an LMS. They identify training that needs to be completed and then “pushes” it to the learners. Administrators or managers can select assignments based on individual or group needs. They can select certain tracks or playlists that help guide their team members growth and development.
This learning platform operates on what is called prescriptive learning. In this model, training is prescribed, or assigned to the learner.
This level of control offers important benefits for administrators. First, for many certifications and compliance regulations, auditing and reporting completions are instrumental for staying up to date with any laws or guidelines.
For example, your company goes through an audit and finds out there are only records for about 30% of the workforce having completed training because you have only been keeping track on paper. With an LMS, that loss of data doesn’t happen. You can easily assign and track completions and run reports when you need them.
You can also integrate your own content. If your company has its own proprietary content, it can seamlessly be uploaded into an LMS, providing a custom library that has all your learning tools in one place.
Which Platform Should You Choose?
It is important to consider what you want to accomplish with your program before deciding which avenue is best. Narrow down your goals.
- Do you want compliance training that can be tracked online?
- Do you want to develop a culture of learning and growth across your teams?
- Do you want to be driving employee learning from the top, or do you want them to take their growth into their own hands?
These kinds of questions can help you determine if an LXP would be the right fit for your employees, or if your organization needs the administrative features of an LMS to help you build a solid training program.
You want top-performing employees to help drive your competitive advantage. At BizLibrary, we now offer both solutions with adaptations to help you do just that.
With our LXP offering, you get a modern, learner-centric tool that puts learning at the fingertips of users. They can share playlists with other team members and save content they want to watch later. The system offers a personalized experience with the use of a recommendation engine that suggest relatable content for each user.
Learners can access the content they are looking for quickly by using built-in filters, so time isn’t spent searching and sifting through unrelated resources. They can also follow curated content paths set by expert content creators.
Our LXP is set apart from many in the market by its ability to track assigned content and to have real-time reporting on course completions.
Our LMS includes all the factors of our LXP and more. It gives control to the admins over their training programs, while also allowing employees to easily explore the learning content that they want to see.
The system is built around the preferences of all users and provides customizable learning solutions that drive a culture of learning. You are able to import company-created content into the LMS and blend it with the custom library you already have.
Learning initiatives help keep track of professional certifications and can also provide structure to learning plans and paths on specific compliance and training needs. You can also seamlessly blend any classroom training in with the LMS by updating schedules and sharing pertinent details about hose events.
You can also create quizzes and surveys to measure learning metrics and engage with learners as to the effectiveness of training, usability of the platform, and other insights you hope to gather.
Remember that it is important to first know what exactly you need from a learning platform before making the choice that’s right for your organization and team members.
