Expert Insight Needed!
Hi Everyone! I am a graduate student in an Instructional Design and Performance Technology program. In my Distance Learning Policy and Planning course, we are conducting an informal research investigation on current use of technology in our field. We are tasked with finding out what practitioners are using out in the real world, and how they feel about those technologies. Can you please share the platforms you use and your own personal feelings about these technologies (what works well, what is challenging, etc.) for purposes such as: Delivering instruction or training (such as an LMS) Communication and collaboration Assessments or testing Analytics Thank you so much for helping me learn from your experience!❓What Is an LMS… Really? And How Do LRS and LCMS Fit In?
I’ve noticed a surprising lack of consensus around this in the industry so I thought it might be useful to do deep dive and ask: 🕵️What is a Learning Management System (LMS)? Is there an official checklist that a piece of software has to meet to earn that title? And what about a Learning Record Store (LRS)? Or a Learning Content Management System (LCMS)? The answer? There isn’t actually a universal, enforceable definition that says, “This is an LMS!” Instead, the industry’s largely settled into a “call it what we want” model, where marketing often defines classification more than behavior. 🤷 But from a practical engineering and standards-based perspective, I think we can be a little more precise—especially because specs like AICC, SCORM, xAPI, and cmi5 clearly define the roles and responsibilities of LMSs compared to other components. 💡Here’s how I define an LMS at the functional level If a piece of software does all three of the following, I consider it an LMS: Hosts eLearning content built to a standard (like AICC, SCORM, xAPI, or cmi5) and makes it accessible via a portal or interface Provides user/learner management (logins, assignments, access controls, etc.) Records user/learner data and makes that data available for analysis or reporting Why those three? Because every major eLearning specification includes a section titled “LMS Responsibilities”—and when you distill that down to a Minimum Viable Product (MVP), these are the pieces that remain consistent. All other features—dashboards, UX bells and whistles, analytics layers—are useful but not required for a system to be an LMS by role. Many elements of an LMS are actually outside the scope of eLearning specifications! 🔍What About an LRS? A Learning Record Store (LRS) is similar in some ways, but with a few key differences: It doesn’t need to host the content (though it can) It can treat events or content as "experiences" tracked through xAPI It identifies users, but doesn’t typically manage roles or course permissions It records structured learning data, but doesn’t always offer built-in analytics In essence, LRSs are structured databases designed for learning data. Because of their database-like nature, they’re often paired with LMSs in what I’d call "LMS/LRS hybrids"—systems that handle frontend access and user roles while leveraging xAPI data for deeper analysis. Fun fact: cmi5 itself is a kind of an LMS/LRS hybrid by design. It was created specifically to fill the gap left by xAPI’s lack of LMS-like mechanisms, such as content launching and attempt tracking. 📚And an LCMS? An LCMS (Learning Content Management System) is the fusion of two worlds: A content authoring tool An LMS While it’s not a spec-defined term, it’s useful for describing platforms that allow you to both create and deploy learning content in one place. These systems can really streamline workflows and help teams consolidate tools. There are a few LCMSs out there on the market—and depending on your use case, some may even straddle the LRS category too! 🤔Is that all there is to it? Maybe! But it's a huge world out there and the number of LMS and LRS platforms grows and shrinks almost daily. Each one brings its own nuances and minor differences, so I wouldn't be surprised if there's a type of system out there I haven't encountered yet! Your turn: Which platform(s) do you use and how would you classify them—LMS, LRS, LCMS, or a hybrid? Or, are there other criteria you’d add to the list when deciding what qualifies as an LMS? It's a big world out there, and I can't explore all of it alone, so I look forward to hearing others' thoughts and ideas!What Would You Love to See in ELH?
ELH has long been a space for e-learning creators to share, connect, and grow, and what makes it special is you. Whether you’ve been here for years or just joined recently, your voice helps shape where this community goes next. As we explore new ways to support sharing, learning, and connection, I’d love to hear from you: 💡 What would make your ELH experience even better? Drop your ideas, big or small, below. Here are a few prompts to get you thinking: What kinds of threads or posts do you always click on? What would you love to see more of? What makes you want to post or reply? Any rituals or ideas you’ve seen in other communities that you’d love to try here? 🗓️ Want to chat 1:1? If you’d like to have a more in-depth conversation, you can sign up for a short call with me. I’d love to hear more about how you use the community and what would make it even more valuable to you. Thanks for being part of this community. 🙌Check Out the New Free Downloads Section in ELH!
We launched a new section in ELH dedicated to free downloads, a space to grab templates, assets, and resources to help you build faster and smarter. 👉 Link to Downloads Hub 💡 What would you love to see added? We're planning more content for this space and would love your input. Drop a comment and let us know: What kinds of templates or assets would be most useful to you? Are there any specific course types, industries, or formats you'd love help with? Have you downloaded something you found especially helpful? Let us know! Your ideas will help shape what comes next in the hub, and could even inspire new community contributions. Thanks for helping us build a library by the community, for the community.Fun Animated Timer for Gamification Projects
Hi Articulate heroes, I wanted to highlight one very fast but fun-looking way to create timers for interactive projects. I've learned about this way from "Gamification Series; 05: Creating Tension with Timers." You can check out these amazing webinars Gamification series, and there was a few different ways to add timers to projects. I used it in my recent project "Cooking Frienzy" - Jeopardy-style cooking-game. (btw you can check out the full game: Cooking Frienzy So, here are the steps: 1) Create / find a "timer" picture - it could be any image with transparent background what works for your theme (in my case it is "Pomodoro" timer, made with AI help, saved as .png ) 2) Add this image as a picture (insert an image). 3) Go to Animation tab 4) Choose Exit Animation - "Wipe", go to "Effect Options" - "From Right". Set the animation timer for whatever time you need (10 sec., 30 sec., 1 min etc.) 5) Set triggers to what will happen after the timer is done (animation completed): i.e. jump to the next slide, show "result-fail" etc. 6) Preview and adjust if needed 🤞PowerPoint Meets AI: Testing 5 Motion Models
When it comes to adding AI motion, many designers bounce from one model to the next, often frustrated by strange results. Some eLearning apps don’t give the motion we want natively, and others take too long to configure, making it hard to know where to start. So, I tested 5 AI models on the same slide with the same prompt to see how each performed. The results were surprising: one nailed the physics, another went off into odd morphs, and a few missed the mark entirely. The lesson? Every model has strengths, but the right fit depends on your design goals and willingness to experiment. Watch the full tutorial: https://youtu.be/Udtg1X81mow Download the AI Models for Motion – Comparisons chart: [AI Models for Motion - Comparisons.pdf - Google Drive]Animating Engaging Quiz Questions in Storyline
A cool way to turn your standard Storyline quizzes into interactive, engaging, and immersive learning experiences. Watch "how to" tutorial here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wB1_HWTZeU Preview slide here: https://www.redesignedminds.com/Submit/story.html Preview animations here: https://www.redesignedminds.com/Submit%20Previews/Submit%20APNGs%20Previews.gifWho here has an e-learning portfolio?
Hey all—as I've been chatting with community members lately, something that's coming up a lot is e-learning portfolios. I thought it might be interesting to start a thread and have folks share your portfolios in the comments. Bonus points if you add a couple of notes to your comment about what you see as best practices for portfolio creation—if I get a bunch of comments here I can create a summary of best practices for folks who don't have portfolios yet to read! Really looking forward to seeing some of these 🙌Dialogue bubbles and narration
Hi all...this is more of a design question. Here are the details: Static video (mix of images). There is a conversation between two people, currently reflected with dialogue bubbles. (First, is that a recommended practice?) Then the audio narration repeats in different voices representing the static characters on screen basically says everything that is in the dialogue bubbles. I don't like this approach...what is a better way to do this? Should there just be a basic narrator that speaks to the conversation on the screen, highlighting key points? What strategies have you used? Examples would be awesome. Thanks so much, Michele
