LCMS Roundup
By Ryann K. Ellis

E-learning promises to deliver just-in-time learning. A learner gains access to a data repository, answers a few questions, and, voila, the system delivers the precise piece of information when and how they need it. Unfortunately, most organizations have yet to experience such a smooth information exchange. Enter the learning content management system.

An LCMS provides authoring, sequencing, and aggregation tools that structure content to facilitate the learning process. The IDC whitepaper, "Learning Content Management Systems: Comparative Analysis of Emerging Technologies," identifies the components of an LCMS as an authoring application, a data repository, a delivery interface, and administration tools. The authoring tools provide templates and storyboarding capabilities, and may be used to convert existing content. The data repository uses meta data to store and manage individual learning objects. The delivery interface dynamically serves content that can be modified to reflect a certain look or feel, such as organizational branding. The administrative applications manage learner profiles, course catalogues, and so forth. In addition, some LCMSs offer collaboration tools, including chat, integrated email, and threaded discussion groups.

"An organization has training content, such as Word files, PowerPoint presentations, Flash animations, and assessments, spread throughout its departments. Using an LCMS, an organization can aggregate content in a single system, then manipulate it and apply structure to create and deliver courses," explains Guillermo Leija, product manager for Global Knowledge's LCMS Knowledge Pathways. "In essence, an LCMS lets an organization take control of content," he says.

In "Achieving Interoperability in E-Learning," Harvi Singh highlights another advantage of LCMSs: Data repositories allow multiple developers and subject matter experts to share content and its components over the network.

Delivery of learning via an LCMS begins with a pre-assessment that targets content. Based on the learner's profile, the system extracts content from the data repository to either deliver individual content chunks or assemble full courses.

But success relies largely on effective development and use of learning objects, which are reusable, media-independent chunks of information organized by a meta data classification system. Learning objects are the modular building blocks of e-learning content, and can include such media types as text, graphics, audio, video, animation, games, tests, and simulations.

Another factor critical to the successful implementation of an LCMS is understanding skill sets within the organization. A company strong in instructional design but lacking media creation capabilities will look for a system that offers media consulting services. "Even clients with development expertise want Global Knowledge to implement the system, create courses side-by-side with them, relate some best practices, and then let them build upon that structure," says Leija.

But before purchasing a system, Leija emphasizes the importance of understanding the goal of the organization first. "If a company needs to start tracking its instructor-led training before converting to e-learning delivery, then the best route may be to purchase an LMS rather than an LCMS."

However, there's confusion among buyers about the differences between LCMSs, LMSs (learning management systems), and CMSs (content management systems). In essence, an LCMS combines the learner administration capabilities of an LMS with the content creation and storage capabilities of a CMS. Although many LCMSs offer basic course administration features, their functionality isn't as robust as that found in most LMSs. Similarly, LMSs use skill assessments to track learners' competencies and recommend courses, but most systems lack the capability to dynamically deliver personalized courses or track user access to the individual learning object. Duncan Lennox, chief technology officer for WBT Systems, explained the basic difference between LMSs and LCMSs during a panel discussion at ASTD 2001, "An LMS solves running a learning organization, and an LCMS gets the right content to the right people at the right time."

So why not a single system that manages content and user data? Although that sounds practical, Leija thinks a system of that magnitude would require an implementation effort that's too large and complicated for most training functions. It also depends on what slice of training a company needs to organize first. "If a company needs to create and take control of its electronic content, phase one may start with an LCMS. As the organization starts to merge e-learning with other types of content deliverables, it will want to add an LMS."

IDC's Michael Brennan concurs that LCMSs and LMSs are distinct from one another, but they also complement each other. "An LMS can manage the communities of users, allowing each of them to launch the appropriate objects stored and managed by the LCMS. In delivering the content, the LCMS also bookmarks the individual learner's progress, records test scores, and passes them back to the LMS for reporting purposes."

A merging of the two systems may be where the market is heading, but a separation of content generation and delivery capabilities from administration tasks may currently be what is best for developing e-learning efforts. Indeed, the outgrowth of LCMSs has generated interest in the quality of content that has been lacking in recent years. "It's easy to get lost in the technology," admits Leija. "People forget about training's true goal: To provide learning to a certain population. That's where an LCMS lives. Its purpose is to add value to content by manipulating it as needs change, and to deliver that same content as quickly as possible with context and meaning," he says.

More important, as LCMSs develop, so may their influence on e-learning instructional design. Because an LCMS's strength is its ability to modularize and manipulate content, developers can begin exploring new learning techniques. For instance, Leija believes that LCMSs are poised to address adaptive learning. "An inherent capability of LCMSs is adapting content to fit a learner's personal profile, not just by delivery mode but learning styles."

Likewise, IDC's report on the LCMS market predicts that LCMSs may bridge the gap between knowledge management and e-learning. "An LCMS's efficiencies, such as learning content reusability, portability, accessibility, and speed of conversion, and the targeted nature of the learning experiences it delivers, make it an ideal component of any enterprise-scale knowledge management program."

Though stumbling blocks exist, the benefits of LCMSs are clear. Users can create, manipulate, and deliver learning that is on-demand, based on context, and determined by the learner's query. According to Brennan, "The net result is increased organizational productivity."