Learning Management Software development has gained significant popularity and demand over the past few years. The education sector has greatly improved, with technology playing a major part in the classroom, but with LMS software development, schools are taking it to the next level. The offerings have moved far beyond basic software solutions offering management and scheduling.
With modern LMS solutions, schools can basically shift all their major activities online. Attending school in person has become obsolete for many, and with how things are pacing, we think the trend is going to go upward. COVID also played a major role in this, as most schools adopted technology when students couldn’t attend school anymore.
We are here today to give you a basic idea about LMS software development and how you can get one developed for your school.
What is LMS Software?
Simply put, learning management software is a technological implementation in the form of software, app, or web solution that is used to plan, access, and implement the learning process. Short and sweet, it is an all-in-one solution for schools to teach students and connect them with teachers. The LMS can be used for both management inside the school and enabling online learning options.
Schools get to choose to have hybrid solutions too, where students would be able to go through recorded sessions and complete tasks. There are endless possibilities, as the basics are all covered in even an entry-level LMS solution. How you choose to implement and use its functionalities depends on your institution and how you plan to move ahead.
Must-Have Features for Your LMS Solution
Before moving to the development part, features are the building blocks of any good solution. Choosing the best features will enable better usability and experience for both students and teachers.
Course Creation
Creating courses is one of the basic features you need to include in an LMS solution. Whether you choose to leave it to admins or have it implemented so the teachers can do it depends on your requirements. While it may seem like a simple feature, it can turn out to be as complicated as it gets.
A good course creation, scheduling, and assessment can end up being the most popular and used feature in your solution. Schools run based on specific courses, and while you can skip on few of the rest of the list features, you cannot skip this one. Make sure you note down all the intricacies of it and get it developed perfectly.
Tests and Assessment
Gone are the days when a piece of paper decided a child’s future, and we are in an age where technology has made enormous progress. Almost all great LMS systems enable you to implement your specific test and assessment types. You can record multiple data points throughout a student’s usage and deduce how to best evaluate it.
The same can be used for teachers as well because improving is the only way forward. With most things happening on the LMS, you can track every tiny detail about every piece of information imparted. A feedback system can be added as well to access teachers and put together the most suitable batches. To further improve the functionality, AI can be integrated into LMS with help of a company that provides AI development services, so that human efforts can decrease and improve assessment quality.
Mobile Learning
Desktops and laptops have become the biggest cliches for the upcoming generations, they all like it portable and on their phones. We do not recommend it based on the fact that mobile apps are much more popular, but you can make an informed decision by enabling at least some major features of your LMS in mobile apps.
Many schools have been known to push their way of learning, but with specially designed mobile apps, the mindset of the students can change. If you aren’t ready to make the leap, at least enabling scheduling and attending to pre-recorded solutions on phones is a must-have for students.
24/7 Access
A classroom and education don’t have to be confined between four walls and set times anymore. Your LMS system can run whenever you want and enable infinite learning possibilities for the students. Imagine teachers recording lectures at their convenience and students learning when they want to, and it is all achievable.
While you can keep a majority of scheduled classes within a set time, you can always at least make the learning material available 24/7. Ask your eLearning app development company to make a cloud-enabled application, and you will be set with anytime access.
Gamification
Students love gamification, especially when it makes something as boring as education fun. As a school looking for LMS development, your major goal should be to achieve the best possible UI/UX for your software/app/web app. Gamification enables more than a great UI/UX though, especially considering the eLearning app development.
You can leverage it for quizzes on whiteboards; the possibilities are as many as you can imagine. Your eLearning app development company will guide you with how they have implemented the same in case you want to consult, and then you can decide which suits your institution and LMS the best.
How to Develop LMS Software for your School?
The Planning Part
As with any project, planning is the first and foremost step. You need to pen down your requirements clearly, what you are looking to achieve with your LMS and your goals for the same. When you opt for custom eLearning development services, your partner will help you with putting your idea into perspective. They could also give input based on what can be achieved with the resources you plan to invest.
The planning part also involves some basic but costly decisions, like which all platforms you plan to target. You can choose between a cloud solution, desktop software, mobile apps, web solution, and whatnot. But again, your choice can turn out to be severely costly as each of the above-mentioned costs as much as the other. If you have the budget, we suggest getting all of them developed, but do it with intricate planning.
The Development Part
The development part is where you actually get to pick platforms and choose between technology stacks.
The major decisions you would be making include:
The Platforms
As discussed above already, there is a wide choice of platforms when it comes to LMS. You can enable use on portable devices like iPad and mobile phones, keep the software limited to web access, or create a specific software for the same. Whichever you choose will further decide the course of action, and they all too are majorly affected cost-wise and development time-wise based on technologies.
Python, Java, and C++ usually top the charts for custom LMS software development. For web development, the top choices are PHP, Python, and Java; for mobile apps, it’s either Kotlin/Swift or cross-platform technologies like Flutter and React Native. The choices you make at this step should be based on the devices you plan to target; for example, we believe choosing between Android and iOS is impossible. In comparison, you can skip the web part and focus on mobile and software only.
Technology Stack
The technology stack depends on the development languages you choose; each works well with a different set of technology. In usual cases, your eLearning development company will help you with it, but if you plan to go all in on your own, you will need extensive research. You can always consult specialists for advice, but you should certainly make sure to make an informed decision. The technology stack has the power to make or break your LMS, so choose wisely.
Hiring Team Members for Your Learning Management System Development
Hiring a team would be undoubtedly a very important step towards development. You need to get the exact numbers before you can hire or augment staff from a development company. Based on different technologies and platforms you will need to hire different developers, designers, testers, and more. So, when you are ready with your requirements, consult with a development firm for a quotation for the same; they will usually fill in the blanks for you.
Your team(s) would primarily consist of:
Project Manager
Developers
Designers
Testers
Database experts
Conclusion
This marks the end of our guide for school LMS software. We hope you were able to attain the desired knowledge and are ready to jump to the development part. Choose the features wisely, and plan the platforms with your budget in mind, and we assume you would be good to go. If you need any more help or have any questions, you can reach out to us, and our consultants would be happy to assist with whatever you require.
