According to a recent study by Forbes, the worldwide digital learning market is expected to be worth 325 Billion US dollars in 2025. Well, you need to understand that the consistent growth in eLearning wouldn’t have been possible if not for the continuous advancement in technologies, such as LMS and LCMS. In case you don’t know, LMS and LCMS are two of the most popular learning solutions in the eLearning industry. LMS is an acronym for Learning management systems.

On the other hand, LCMS is an acronym that stands for learning content management systems. Although both LMS and LCMS share a few basic functionalities, it’s worth knowing that several notable differences exist between them. That said, here are a few burning questions; what exactly is a Learning Management System (LMS)? What is a Learning Content Management System (LCMS)? What are the key differences between LMS and LCMS? In the rest of this post, you’ll find answers to these questions and more as I perform an LMS vs LCMS face-off. So, without further ado, let’s dive right in.

Here’s what you need to know about the Learning Management System (LMS)?

LMS or Learning Management System is a software application or web-based technology that organizations utilize to develop, deliver, and keep track of specific learning processes. Furthermore, an LMS technology is divided into two different parts; the admin interface and the user interface. The admin interface allows the training instructor or manager to perform a couple of back-office operations, making sure that the eLearning courses are best delivered.

On this interface, the training manager will be able to create user-generated content (UGC) and assessments, manage them and roll them out (publish) for the learners to access. That’s not all; from the admin interface, the training instructor will also be in charge of analyzing learners’ performances, sending reports, and many more. On the other hand, the user interface is what runs inside the web browser. It allows the learners to have access to the eLearning course and other training resources.

Furthermore, Learning Management Systems offer tons of benefits for both learners and the training manager. One of them is that the technology will allow you to keep your course content in a centralized location. Apart from that, it makes it easy for you to track your learner’s progress. That’s not all; you can also use the system to create engaging courses and increase effectiveness. Earlier, in one of our posts, I was able to discuss “how LMS flawlessly helps people to increase its effectiveness.” In case you missed out on the post, you can always check here to read it.

Here’s what you need to know about the Learning Content Management System (LCMS)?

An LCMS or Learning Content Management System is a software application that allows organizations to create, manage, host, and track digital learning content. This technology is more of a mix of authoring software and Content Management Systems.

Furthermore, a reliable LCMS technology will allow you to perform several different activities, such as teaching courses in virtual classrooms. It’ll also allow you to create courses, manage your content development, track and understand your learner’s progress, host courses online, curate learning resources, and many more.

LMS vs LCMS: What are the key differences between the two technologies?

Now, you’ve got a clearer picture of what LMS and LCMS mean. So, it’s time to perform the LMS vs LCMS faceoff to better understand how the two technologies differ.

●      LMS vs LCMS: Course creation

There’s no denying that both LMS and LCMS have a few things in common. For instance, they both can be utilized for managing online training, tracking learner’s progress, and creating assessments. However, the biggest difference between the two technologies is that LCMS allows training managers to create content. On the other hand, LMS doesn’t allow content creation. Instead, content creators make use of external software, such as authoring tools, to create their courses. After successfully creating the content, they get hosted with the help of the LMS system and delivered to the learners.

●      LMS vs LCMS: Benefits

Another big difference that exists between LMS and LCMS is who they are specifically designed for. As earlier mentioned, LMS offers great benefits for both learners and the training manager. However, this is not the case for the Learning Content Management Systems. LCMS systems only help in terms of managing the learning content, which is usually at the training manager’s end. As such, the system is mostly beneficial to content creators.

Conclusion

That’s all about the LMS vs LCMS face-off. Now, I’m sure you’ve seen the key differences that exist between the two learning solutions. Both LMS and LCMS systems are effective for managing course content and tracking learners’ progress. However, only LCMS can be utilized for content creation. But don’t forget that you can always use LMS to create users generated content (UGC).