Online Training Software (Open Source)

Online Training Software: Open Source and Supported

If you’re looking for a learning management system for your company, you have two broad options: an open source LMS, or a supported LMS. Lessonly is a licensed learning management system whereas Moodle is an open source learning management system. When it comes to learning in a business, an open source LMS has shown to provide more challenges than successes compared to that of a licensed one.

By licensed, we mean that a client purchase Lessonly through yearly contracts, and we assist clients in the implementation and running of Lessonly, all while constantly improving the product on our end. Lessonly’s elearning software is maintained and improved by a team of developers, we have a client experience team at the ready to help any clients with issues, and even a creative learning department to help clients put together the best lessons for learning. Our licensed LMS is not an open-source, and for several reasons. We’ll elaborate further later.

Though originally an open source course management system, Moodle is now a free online learning management system geared mostly towards the education system. Schools and universities use Moodle to administer and manage assignments as well as some courses. It has received a lot of praise as a free LMS, but ‘free’ still has its caveats. Moodle offers open source LMS SCORM compliancy, but insists that reporting and grading be done within Moodle. SCORM is a process that content goes through to agree with the LMS in place. That is, content has to be created outside of SCORM, then sent through SCORM to be delivered to the LMS. It’s a bit outdated and isn’t exactly necessary anymore. In business, if you were to create a Moodle wiki for company learning, you’d still be stuck with this odd Moodle SCORM dilemma of testing with or without SCORM compliant content.

The Difference Between an Open Source Learning Management System and a Licensed One

A lot of open source learning management systems are free, but there are caveats. Generally, the open source LMS software takes the form of a free LMS software download. It’s downloaded by the organization and structured from there. When we say structured, we mean that open source elearning software is only the framework of the free LMS. Open source means that much of the basic code is given to you to use, but when it comes to customization, growth, and issues, you’re on your own.

Open source online training course software is essentially a good starting point for a teacher in a classroom, but not a learning administrator in charge of learning for an entire company. Open source software provides a dashboard for posting information and a discussion board for communication, but it falls short in tracking, customization, and some user experience. Ultimately, online training software open source systems aren’t for businesses in dire need of efficient elearning. They’re hard to scale due to the customization, the user interface and experience is rough, and the lack of tracking capabilities makes it difficult to note patterns or improve learning practices.

In business, free learning management systems with an open source elearning software require a team to maintain. That is, hiring a few developers to customize the code, having an internal learning team to construct and disseminate learning internally, and a team for outside learner support. Furthermore, free LMS hosting is free because you have to host it on your servers, i.e., you need to own servers or purchase server space from someone else.

An open source LMS system, in turn, is not free. You’d have to use time and money to hire a staff to customize and maintain it. Growing businesses that simply needs to use that time to get current and new staff onboard can’t take on the bulkiness of building onto free LMS software.

As a growing business, implementing a system like this that’s supposedly free, could cost upwards to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Before you look into free learning management system software, consider the hidden costs. Make sure you already have the resources in place before signing up. More often than not, it’s growing businesses that need more than a free LMS. WordPress isn’t cutting it either, and even the WordPress LMS plugins require code maintenance on your end.

Any LMS comparison will show that the purchase of a licensed LMS will always prove more cost-efficient for budding businesses. For example, a free LMS for small business could work to keep things steady, but if you want your business to grow, having a platform you don’t have to worry about supporting saves you significant time and money.

All in all, an open source software is not free. It takes a lot of work to customize it to fit your brand. It’s not a one-person job. You’ll need a team on-deck to fix any issues, and the usability is never going to be that of a supported, licensed LMS.

Lessonly’s licensed software allows teams to grow without worrying about the retention of the employees they’re onboarding. Using Lessonly for elearning significantly minimizes costs compared to a free online LMS software.

Why Lessonly Isn’t an Open Source LMS

Lessonly is a software-as-a-service (SaaS), because we know, that like Dylan sang, “The times, they are a changin’.” With learning system software, there’s always something to be updated or added, and we don’t want to leave it up to clients to figure out, get behind. We embrace feedback because we credit a lot of our product’s progress to it. What one client wants we ask if other clients would want, then we develop from there. Lessonly remains a licensed LMS because we don’t want the burden of implementing, housing and maintaining an LMS to be on our clients’ shoulders. We want to help our clients reach their learning goals faster.

LMS Software Reviews

If by now you’ve decided to forego the open source e-learning LMS for a licensed one then you should take the time to compare licensed LMSs. It’s important to know where your business is at now and where you want it to be after elearning. Elearning software reviews can help you make the right choice, but knowing what you want in features, functionality, and what you’re willing to spend will drive your buying decision.

Software comparison sites, like G2Crowd, are great to look at when creating a list of wants and not wants in LMS software. These sites review software, collect testimonials, show some available features and functions, and even provide demos. Testimonials are important to look at. Though initially they may seem biased, many of the reviews are quite honest. And as someone searching for an LMS for their company, you will more than likely find a similar situation without even having to talk to a sales rep! Not that sales reps are bad, but initiating a call as a prospect who is informed will help you make the best buying decision faster. With reviews, the best elearning software will have some features and functions listed to differentiate themselves from competitors, making it easier to check things off your list. Also, if the software offers a user demo, then you can test out the user experience.

Having online training software reviews at hand can help dwindle your options before contacting a sales representative. When you do make that call, the rep will likely ask a lot of questions to discover your needs. On the same token, you’ll probably discover more needs you didn’t know you had. Our advice here is to take notes on pros and cons of each software — and the service.

An important thing to remember when talking with the representative of your choices is communication. The best representative will help you discover needs, show the ins and outs of the software, and ultimately let you know if the software is a good fit for your company. At Lessonly we emphasize that last part. Our discovery questions asked by sales reps are to benefit both sides of the sales process. We know when a client is a right fit and when they’re not.