The era of digital is significantly influencing all aspects of learning and teaching – who the learner is, why they learn and how they prefer to learn. Each generation of learners, with their unique set of attributes, has demanded different things from institutions. Today, we’re teaching the first generation of learners that have grown up with information and communication technologies at their fingertips. So, naturally, one has to be very considerate and granular when picking an Online Learning Platform, that will perform and cater to the requirements of our very digitally savvy audience.
Few requirements are fairly standard and are taken into consideration by the majority of people when evaluating new platforms. You don’t need someone telling you that you should consider your budget or see if the platform can integrate with your institution’s IT infrastructure…. It is a given, right?!?!
In this guide, we do point out the obvious (to cover all grounds… just in case) but while giving you a detailed explanation into the factors to be considered like–what pricing models are available in the market for you to keep in mind with your budget, what interface options you should look for like API, IMS, etc.
An excerpt from the guide -
Integration capabilities
Number one aspect to consider when deciding your learning platform, is if it can integrate with your organisation’s existing IT infrastructure (preferably without any hassle). If it does not, you may probably want to stop pursuing it to avoid later disappointments that include not being able to deploy the lessons you worked so hard on creating because the tool isn’t approved to be used. Furthermore, look at platforms that have a range of Application Programming Interface (API) options so that your data is all easily centralised, within minutes. For example, you may want to integrate your learning reports with the organisation’s CRM or finance systems. Single-sign ons (SSO) and gradebook sync are other important technicalities to consider to make sure your learner data is not clunky and easily synced. If you’re a standards fan, other market integrations such as IMS will also turn out to be useful.
Affordable and cost-effective
Let’s be real, at the end it does come down to pricing, no matter how amazing the product is but if it does not fit your budget, it just does not work out. There are different subscription models in this industry: per student, per user, per feature set. At the end of the day you need a platform that will help you grow, not limit your teaching potential. Make sure you’re able to try out the platform, free trials or even better, free authoring and designing – pay once you start teaching, is what you’re looking for.
Other points discussed in this guide include (but not limited to) Collaboration, Complete Control, Analytics, Security and Privacy Compliance, and a little special something at the end!
If you’d like to be thorough with your exploration in finding your next online learning platform, you can download the full copy of this guide here (it’s free & quick!).
Smart Sparrow is a transformative force in the education ecosystem believing in the power of technology and learning design to empower great teaching and lifelong pursuit of knowledge. Smart Sparrow’s powerful learning technology (supported by our Studio services) enables the creation of great online learning experiences, and - has been empowered by over 700 institutions globally! You can reach out to our team to request a demo or quick overview.
