- 3 MIN READ -
For businesses and academic institutions that use a Learning Management System (LMS) such as Moodle or Totara Learn to provide eLearning experiences for training, continuing education and educational purposes, choosing which LMS to use is only half the battle. The next step for businesses and institutions after they have chosen an LMS is to integrate new software into that LMS to create a worthwhile eLearning experience for their learners.
What Is An LMS Integration?
LMS integration refers to utilizing a software platform in conjunction with an LMS to improve the quality of the eLearning experience. There are three major areas where LMS integrations apply:
- Content integrations. LMS integrations focused on improving the content of an LMS are capable of doing things such as hosting learning content or allowing users to upload content from resources such as Google Docs or YouTube directly into the LMS.
- Data integration. LMS integrations focused on providing data to businesses and institutions can track learner performance more accurately, keep track of learner payments and generally monitor learners' data with the goal of improving the effectiveness of your courses and programs.
- User integrations. LMS integrations focused on improving the experiences of users can allow users to self-register for training or educational courses, view course schedules, or use the login information from another platform such as Facebook to access the LMS.
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Importance of LMS Integrations
Many businesses and institutions underestimate the usefulness of LMS integrations, but they shouldn't. To understand how LMS integrations can dramatically improve eLearning experience for learners as well as for businesses and institutions, Single Sign-On (SSO) LMS integrations can be used as an example.
In the digital age, consumers are wary of letting businesses and institutions handle their data, and they have every right to be uncertain. In 2018, cybersecurity breaches at Marriott and Quora revealed information about around 600 million individuals to cybercriminals.
Single Sign-On (SSO) LMS integrations allow businesses and institutions to avoid handling user data directly. Here's how it works. You can think of SSO as a driver's license. If you get pulled over, the police officer doesn't need to know you personally in order to give you a ticket; they can just ask for your driver's license and verify who you are because your state and the federal government has vouched for your existence by issuing you a license.
SSO works in much the same way. A major provider, such as Google or Microsoft, can give an individual a token verifying their digital existence - a sort of virtual driver's license. That individual can then use that token to log onto sites or applications with SSO without having to create an account or password for those sites because Google or Microsoft can verify their identity. As a result, those sites or applications no longer have to store that individual's personal information within their databases, absolving them of having to protect that individual's privacy. Integrating SSO software into your LMS can allow your business or institution to provide users with a safe, easy-to-access experience and can dramatically improve your cybersecurity.
LMS integrations focused on data can also be incredible tools, allowing educators as well as Learning and Development (L&D) professionals to collect data concerning every aspect of learners' performance. As a result of this data collection, educators and L&D professionals can create quantifiably improved eLearning experiences for learners.
If you're searching for a hyper-accurate, easy-to-use data integration for your LMS, look no further than Lambda Analytics. According to Dana Janssen, the Chief Operating Officer at MedCerts, "a process that normally took us 25 hours a week [before integrating Lambda Analytics into our LMS] now takes us maybe 2 or 3." To learn more about what Lambda Analytics can do for you, contact our experts here.
