Your Complete Guide to Learning Content Management Systems

As a business leader, you understand enterprise learning and development’s important role in organizational success.

By offering employees the right learning and development opportunities, you’re helping them build the skills and behaviors they need to reach their full potential and propel your organization forward.

The right technology is essential to any learning and development program. With the right tools and technology, learning and development teams can more effectively and efficiently create and deliver training and learning programs – and measure their impact on employees’ behaviors and business outcomes.

A learning content management system is an important tool for learning and development pros. But what is it?

In this post, we’ll define a learning content management system and explain how this technology is different (and similar) to a learning management system. We’ll also explore some of the must-have features to consider when considering software and some of the most popular options today.

What is a learning content management system (LCMS)?

First things first: what is a learning content management system?

Also known as an LCMS, it’s a software solution that enables learning and development teams to develop and distribute training and enterprise learning content.

Some learning technology is built primarily for L&D teams or learners. On the other hand, a learning content management system is built to meet the needs of both parties.

For the learning and development team, an LCMS serves as a one-stop shop for managing everything related to learning content. With the right learning content management system, L&D teams can efficiently create digital learning content and learning paths and assign learning to users. L&D teams can also leverage the LCMS to measure learning consumption. Ideally, these teams should also be able to get insight into how their learning initiatives are impacting outcomes.

A learning content management system is also built for learners. Employees can turn to the LCMS to find everything they need related to training and learning. There, they can find learning opportunities tailored to their needs – and be sure they’re accessing the latest and most excellent versions of everything.

LCMS vs LMS: What’s the difference?

Chances are, you’re familiar with the concept of a learning management system – or LMS for short. You may be wondering how a LMS compares to an LCMS.

Learning content management systems and learning management systems are certainly related. But while the terms may be used synonymously, they’re not the same thing.

LCMS vs LMS: Key differences

A learning management system (LMS) is software that enables organizations to organize and distribute eLearning courses and content to users. First, L&D teams create learning content and courses in a separate authoring tool or platform. Then, they can upload content and courses to the LMS. Learners log on to the LMS to find and consume eLearning content. Admins can access basic tracking information, like how many learners have completed a course and passed a specific assessment.

Think of these platforms as the next level of LMSs. They typically provide the same functionality as an LMS – but with additional capabilities for creating, curating, and managing enterprise learning content.

L&D teams use learning content management software to manage the entire lifecycle of learning content. Teams can plan, create, and deliver learning content – all from one platform. A platform also provides robust analytics that shed light on how learners consume content. For example, you can see how long an employee spent on specific training and how they answered each question in an assessment. Some LCMSs also provide insight into whether elearning consumption is tied to improved performance and outcomes.

Another key difference is that learning management systems are primarily built to meet the needs of students. On the other hand, learning content management systems are focused on delivering excellent experiences to administrators and learners alike.

LCMS vs LMS: Key similarities

Of course, there are also similarities between learning content management platforms and learning management platforms. Namely, both are tools used by learning and development teams to deliver training and learning that helps users gain the skills and knowledge they need to be effective and efficient in their roles.

Essential features of a learning content management system

If you run a quick Google search for “learning content management system,” you’ll see plenty of options. However, not all software is the same. Each LCMS offers a unique set of features and functionality. Furthermore, some platforms that claim to be an LCMS aren’t.

When comparing your options, be sure to look for certain must-haves.

#1 Easy to use workflows

Investing in an LCMS should make your life easier, so find an intuitive and easy-to-use option.

Administrators and subject matter experts should be able to quickly and easily create new content without mastering new skills. Look for an LCMS that provides templates that can serve as a starting point for creating new material.

A recent analysis of Mindtickle activity found that it takes companies an average of 3-4 weeks to launch a new program from scratch. However, organizations can launch programs in seven days when they start with a program template.