{"id":10790,"date":"2023-11-10T09:32:16","date_gmt":"2023-11-10T07:32:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.workseed.fi\/?p=10790"},"modified":"2026-03-05T08:34:41","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T06:34:41","slug":"these-10-tips-will-help-you-choose-the-best","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.workseed.fi\/en\/blog\/2023\/11\/10\/these-10-tips-will-help-you-choose-the-best\/","title":{"rendered":"What makes e-learning and digital learning platforms indispensable? These 10 tips will help you choose the best platform just for you"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

A digital learning environment, what is that? The term is rather self-explanatory, referring to a set of digital tools that make learning possible remotely or using digital technologies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Learning environment more broadly refers to any context or situation where learning or studying takes place. This could mean a classroom, the internet, a work station, outside, or within a specific cultural context.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

For the purposes of brevity, learning environment is used here to mean web-based digital environments, where learning is done independently of place. Common terms that are used more or less identically are learning platform, e-learning environment, digital learning platform, online course platform, and so on.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

While the concepts might get murky, we will consistently write here about teaching or training via the internet, independently of time and place. The contents of this article are relevant both for educational institutions and private sector actors, we will refer both to students and learners. <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

What is an LMS?<\/b><\/h2>


<\/b>LMS is an increasingly common term in education and education technology. Here is a short recap, in case you don’t remember all the nuance of the term.<\/span><\/p>

LMS is an abbreviation of Learning Management System, a digital platform for managing all the pedagogic contents and processes of learning, as well as some administrative tasks. A digital platform also contains tools for accumulating and reporting data on the effectiveness of learning, which allows for evidence based development of contents.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

LMS as a concept is used to describe a broad array of tools and platforms. These tools may differ from each other significantly in terms of their features and be directed at very different user groups. This is why it is of utmost importance to understand the criteria for choosing an LMS for a specific organization – an informed decision can save tons of headache down the road.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

You might have heard of other terms, such as LXP (Learning eXperience Platform), or LXS (Learning eXperience System). These are adjacent, but different systems. Different how? LXP comprises usually tools that are more student centric, and students are allowed greater leeway at designing the content of their learning path.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

However, tools that fall under the LXP umbrella tend to be narrower in their scope. We have not come across a “pure” example of an LXP system, but rather hybrids of LXP and LMS. In many cases the division between the two comes down to marketing jargon.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

We will go through the selection criteria below. But before that, let us look into the broader context.

<\/span><\/p>

What makes digital learning crucial today?<\/b><\/h2>


<\/b>Back in the day schools would instruct you in a classroom, seated behind a pulpit, a pen and eraser in hand. Even in the private sector, learning would happen predominantly through in-person conferences and seminars. Classroom would change for a hotel conference room, and participants would mostly assess to get a cup of coffee and a bear claw. And sure, these methods of training do have their time and place.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/h2>

Learning processes have gone through something of a revolution. This change has been exponential, with the rate of change increasing constantly. Digital tools and remote learning have become rather the rule than the exception, both at schools and in the industry.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The sales team, for instance, no longer has to convene every Monday at the office. Rather, they can just coordinate the work through conference calls from the comfort of their home or from the field. The same applies to keeping up with the clients.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Simply moving between clients or places of work can take hours every day. When days turn to weeks, months, and years, time spent moving around accumulates. You can easily imagine just how much time the internet saves you personally – when everything works as intended, that is.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Because of the increasing rate of change, upskilling and reskilling become increasingly important. This is also why e-learning has become so important. Traditional on-site learning cannot possibly keep up with the need to learn.\u00a0

<\/span><\/p>

Traditional platforms are usually just an inadequate compromise<\/b><\/h2>


<\/b>Different digital platforms for learning have become increasingly common since mid-90’s. In terms of digital tech, the first platforms are already ancient history.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The main driver of edtech development has traditionally been academic needs. First platforms were introduced in universities, and soon expanded to elementary education, high schools, adult education, and even HR. Same platforms were used to train everyone, everywhere.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Trying to serve everyone with the same solution makes compromises unavoidable. It is simply not possible to implement wildly different pedagogical models through identical tools,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Often this attempt to serve everyone has led to LMS platforms that look more like dashboards in a plane’s cockpit. Bad UX design and high learning curves are the best way to guarantee low technology adoption in organizations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

How about online courses, then? Online course is a broadly understood as a unit of training materials and assignments that can be completed via internet. Most online courses are static, that is, all the students are provided the exact same contents and activities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

This is hardly the best way to educate. Learning is very individual, after all. No two students are identical in terms of background, experience, and skills. The rate of learning and activities needed to be successful vary student to student.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Some benefit from reading, others from listening, and often the best way to learn is by doing. A digital learning platform should adapt to individual needs – preferably automatically.\u00a0

<\/span><\/p>

What makes for a functional learning platform – 10 criteria<\/b><\/h2>


<\/b>All organizations from vocational schools to companies and polytechnic institutes benefit from smart procurement practices when investing into an LMS platform. Here we provide 10 important criteria that should be considered when choosing a new tool.<\/span><\/p>

Just in the few last years digital platforms have gone through a comprehensive face lift. The covid pandemic forced a digital transformation even in the most conservative organizations, and more time and resources than ever was dedicated into making remote and atomized work flow better. A little recap before we delve into the details:<\/span><\/p>

A good learning environment:<\/b><\/p>