The terms authoring tool and LMS have appeared many times in eLearning articles. So, It is important for you to understand what these tools are and how you can benefit you.
With technological advancement, eLearning has become extremely popular as many organizations and universities are now adopting online course over the traditional method of learning.
If you are new to eLearning or wondering what the difference between the software is, then this article is for you.
In this article, we will discuss the authoring tool and the learning management system, their differences, what they are used for, which one of the software is worth buying for an eLearning course.
The Definition
To fully understand the difference between this software, it is important we define what the two software are used for in the eLearning industry.
Firstly, An authoring tool is a software that allows you to create eLearning course contents, convert it into an eLearning format, and distribute it among your learners via the learning management system (LMS).
On other hand, A learning management system (LMS) is software that is used for administration, documentation, tracking and reporting of eLearning courses and training programs.
The authoring tool is the program that allows you to create course content while the LMS is a platform where the course content is published for learners to assess it.
What is Authoring tool?
Authoring tool plays a crucial role in the eLearning industry. Without the authoring tool, developing new course content will be daunting and the LMS system will be without content.
However, the authoring tool has made it easy for you to design course content even without the knowledge of coding or a dedicated tool. Authoring tools are used to make SCORM compliance courses.
What is LMS?
You should think of a Learning Management System (LMS) as a large store where eLearning course contents (created by an authoring tool) are stored and tracked.
The course content can be assessed by anyone(from anywhere around the world) who has a login and password. The usage of a Learning Management System varies depending on the company’s objective, online training strategy, and desired outcomes.
However, in most cases, companies use LMS to facilitate access of learners to a range of learning materials. Furthermore, LMS provides you with the ability to monitor the learner’s participation and performance through built-in learning analytics.
A simple analogy to understand the differences between the Authoring tool and LMS
To simplify this, let use the library setting as an example. You can think of it this way: LMS is the library, the eLearning courses as the books in the library, and the authoring tools as the word processors which the books are written with.
The authoring tool will help you create the perfect course content but without the LMS, your learners will not be able to access it.
An LMS is a system that stores details about the learner’s accounts, learning plans, learner’s usage history, and the courses itself.
Authoring tool vs LMS – which should I buy?
Basically, you need both the authoring tool and LMS for an effective eLearning course.
But, If you are on a budget and you are planning to get started with eLearning, there are LMS software with an in-built Learning Content Management System (LCMS) or you could as well try get the LMS-lite.
LMS and Authoring tool
If you are thinking of making an effective eLearning course, you should buy both of them.
Both are crucial and are used independently of each other. You should use the authoring tool to design the best course content and LMS to store and track the course.
LCMS
A learning content management system (LCMS) has a built-in authoring tool that can be used to design course content. Unlike the authoring tool, the LCMS doesn’t offer powerful functionality but has the ability to develop good eLearning course content.
However, The cloud-based LCMS offers a more flexible and efficient workflow compared to the authoring tool.
You can easily save and reuse pages, multimedia, and course modules for future courses. The LCMS is ideal for developing small course content.
LMS-Lite
LMS-lite is an authoring tool with LMS-like features. LMS-lite will help you to create course content, publish, and track learners’ results.
LMS-lite is easier to use than the LMS. However, the traditional LMS handles larger course content compared to the LMS.
Conclusion
An authoring tool is different from the learning management system (LMS). Although, you can use both software to design and manage an effective training course in the eLearning industry.
