Table of Contents
Why consider LMS migration?
Recently I wrote that a universal specialist is a utopia. A person cannot work efficiently on this many diverse tasks:
- Creating and updating content;
- Compiling and assigning training programs;
- Tracking learning outcomes;
- Supporting consumers.
However, such a vital point as learning process management ultimately falls off the list. Who should do it if the tutor is not available?
Think back to school or university education. Imagine the teacher’s secretary giving out a list of textbooks for self-study at home. You leave and study for a month or even a year. And then, you hand in your completed coursework or take a test. All this time, you do not communicate with either teachers or other students but remain alone with the educational material.
It is hard to imagine such a situation in a summer school or university. But in corporate training, it happens often. And there are two reasons for this:
- Lack of resources of experts who could become trainers;
- Lack of resources for an e-learning specialist who could replace the role of a trainer with the functionality of an e-course or new LMS.
In this regard, the webinar format is perceived as more ‘live’ than the self-study of online content. After all, employees are no longer just clicking the ‘next’ button in a course or test. They hear and see the trainer, presentation, and colleagues in the chat, and can clarify something or follow the discussions in the learning process.
Why Do You Need to Migrate an LMS?
Benefits of LMS migration
The use of computerised learning management techniques improves the tutor’s and the learner’s capacity to reach their educational strategy goals. Such methods provide content, help manage and observe learning, and display progress statistics, all on an e-learning platform.
However, when moving from one learning system to another, the problem of content migration arises because all learning materials and tests must either be created anew or somehow transferred to the new system. Sharing content manually is time-consuming, so the leading developers of learning systems proposed a standard for organising and storing content called SCORM (Shareable Content Object Reference Model). Content created according to such a standard should be migrated to learning management systems, provided that these systems support it.
Three main benefits:
- Scalability
- Ease of use
- Visibility
The challenges of LMS migration
While there are numerous valuable reasons to consider transferring an LMS, there are also some issues to consider when deciding if it’s worth it. Therefore, considering these challenges against the possible advantages of good LMS migration options is essential.
Nobody likes change
If you’ve been working with an LMS provider for a long time, you’ve presumably become comfortable with it. You understand how to work it inside out, so the thought of changing to a new knowledge control system that you must learn to operate from scratch can be intimidating.
Because of this, it can be tempting to ignore the shortcomings of your current system and stick with it. However, even if there is a period of adaptation in using a new LMS, the potential benefits can often outweigh the difficulties of learning how to use it.
Expenses
It is inevitable that LMS migration will cost you time and money. Firstly, you can’t just snap your fingers and switch, so you’ll probably have to pay to run your current and new system simultaneously while setting up the new one.
Also worth noting is that the time you spend setting up your new LMS will reduce the time you would normally spend on other tasks such as advertise tutoring services or content creation, meaning setup time can start eating into your profit. For this reason, it is recommended that you conduct a thorough cost-benefit analysis of an LMS migration before proceeding.
Is LMS migration worth it?
The answer to this question depends entirely on your circumstances. It is possible that although your current LMS has issues, they can be fixed with some new updates or integrations. However, it is likely that if you’ve been considering migrating an LMS, it is a decision worth serious consideration.
LMS migrations have their challenges, but the benefits of the result usually far outweigh the costs and hassles associated with the migration process. As such, you should seriously consider and plan for a potential migration.
How to plan for LMS migration?
Once you’ve found a new LMS to transition to, start thinking about what you want from it. Setting up your LMS is essential in ensuring it offers all the features you need, so you should think about what attachments, plugins, and integrations you’d like to implement.
