Just a quick one, is anybody using LearnDash? What do you think of it?
The other discussions I have seen on here are several years old (the ones I could find).
I have a client who needs the benefits of an LMS but on a low budget, they get spikes of completion for a few months and then hardly anything for the rest of the year.
They need to be able to track completion and host multiple formats of content (Storyline and rise content plus video, certificates and PDF).
I really need to know if LearnDash is a viable option for them before I look into build cost for them.
I've installed LearnDash on my website and have done some basic testing with Storyline and Rise content. It was very easy to set up and configure but I have not made it live yet so can't comment on how well it will work in a "live" environment.
There's a guy called Chris Hodgson who posts on the forums, I believe he sells LearnDash services so might be a good starting point for checking out product viability. Here's a link to his profile, maybe you could send him a message: https://community.articulate.com/users/ChrisHodgson
It is not the easiest of tasks, especially if its for only for 1 client. It will take a big learning curve and will take a few months to get your head around it thoroughly.
Don't get me wrong I love it and for me the final goal was worth it, but like with all products they have their idiosyncrasies, you will need to learn new terminologies and even learn a bit of HTML.
However as you can see the online community are awesome to get help on for any subject.
TANDI is one of the commercial sites I built using Wordpress and Learndash. If you were to build your own it will cost about $800.00 a year which includes ALL plugins (LRS, security, Learndash, themes etc) and hosting. This will work for several thousand people but once you get past about 15 to 20 people doing a 50MB training file at the exactly the same time (approximatly) then you may need to go from a VPS to a entry level dedicated server. Especially If you are hosting a LRS on the same server as it is a bit resource hungry.
An LRS is needed if you wish to add storyline modules. You will need a Xapi (tincan) content holder and a LRS.
You will also require Cpanel access to install Grassblade LRS (best to use your own MYSQL DB) so an elcheapo Godaddy server will not work.
Grassblade LRS is ok for sending completed verbs from Rise or Articulate 360 to Learndash. A little understanding is needed to set up triggers. Especially as Rise sends same verb as a result slide, which is a pain if you have testing (results slides) throughout a course and are wanting to actually track total amount of slides viewed for a completion. However triggers are very simple to set up.
We have also created plugins that allow a user to get a completion if they complete a specific gravity form. This form is displayed on its own page (topic).
Different certificates can be selected for different courses. A little bit tricky to set up if you don't have any HTML experience.
However, learndash used by itself can indeed work well for videos, documents etc. It will "feel" much like a Powerpoint presentation.
I create sites for other clients, however if you are on a budget then Wisdmlabs are an excellent solution. I have used them from time to time and they are excellent, as long as you are specific in your communication and use the same terminology as Learndash etc.
Good luck, email me if you like through TANDI or PM.
6 Replies
Learndash is good, it probably need the uncanny owl tools adding as well as tin canny to work well.
It really depends on how many users will be using it and how robust are your servers. I always use WP Engine to host.
I've installed LearnDash on my website and have done some basic testing with Storyline and Rise content. It was very easy to set up and configure but I have not made it live yet so can't comment on how well it will work in a "live" environment.
Hi Kim,
There's a guy called Chris Hodgson who posts on the forums, I believe he sells LearnDash services so might be a good starting point for checking out product viability. Here's a link to his profile, maybe you could send him a message: https://community.articulate.com/users/ChrisHodgson
Hi Kim, I have experience with LearnDash, WordPress and the Uncanny plugin for reporting.
What Phil Mayor is is true. It all depens how robust your webserver is where you host your WordPress website.
I've just written a here on the forums about setting LearnDash lessons to completed from Triggers within Storyline:
https://community.articulate.com/discussions/building-better-courses/set-learndash-lessons-to-completed-storyline-triggers
Hi Kim,
It is not the easiest of tasks, especially if its for only for 1 client. It will take a big learning curve and will take a few months to get your head around it thoroughly.
Don't get me wrong I love it and for me the final goal was worth it, but like with all products they have their idiosyncrasies, you will need to learn new terminologies and even learn a bit of HTML.
However as you can see the online community are awesome to get help on for any subject.
TANDI is one of the commercial sites I built using Wordpress and Learndash. If you were to build your own it will cost about $800.00 a year which includes ALL plugins (LRS, security, Learndash, themes etc) and hosting. This will work for several thousand people but once you get past about 15 to 20 people doing a 50MB training file at the exactly the same time (approximatly) then you may need to go from a VPS to a entry level dedicated server. Especially If you are hosting a LRS on the same server as it is a bit resource hungry.
An LRS is needed if you wish to add storyline modules. You will need a Xapi (tincan) content holder and a LRS.
You will also require Cpanel access to install Grassblade LRS (best to use your own MYSQL DB) so an elcheapo Godaddy server will not work.
Grassblade LRS is ok for sending completed verbs from Rise or Articulate 360 to Learndash. A little understanding is needed to set up triggers. Especially as Rise sends same verb as a result slide, which is a pain if you have testing (results slides) throughout a course and are wanting to actually track total amount of slides viewed for a completion. However triggers are very simple to set up.
We have also created plugins that allow a user to get a completion if they complete a specific gravity form. This form is displayed on its own page (topic).
Different certificates can be selected for different courses. A little bit tricky to set up if you don't have any HTML experience.
However, learndash used by itself can indeed work well for videos, documents etc. It will "feel" much like a Powerpoint presentation.
I create sites for other clients, however if you are on a budget then Wisdmlabs are an excellent solution. I have used them from time to time and they are excellent, as long as you are specific in your communication and use the same terminology as Learndash etc.
Good luck, email me if you like through TANDI or PM.
Very good response Peter, and a thorough answer. Plugins are essential with LearnDash.
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