A Dummies Guide to Selecting a Learning Management System (LMS
- 1. A Dummies Guide to Choosing an LMS The Forzani Group Ltd / The Calgary E-Learning Network The Game Plan February 5, 2007 The Forzani Group Ltd 2007
- 2. Agenda • Introductions • FGL Training Challenges • E-Learning Terminology • Selecting an LMS The Forzani Group Ltd 2007
- 3. Introductions • Group introductions • Give your name and an interesting fact about yourself The Forzani Group Ltd 2007
- 4. Introductions • Who Currently has an E-Learning program? • Who is looking to start and E-Learning program? • Who currently has an LMS? • Who purchases 3rd party content (custom/OTS)? • Who develops content internally? The Forzani Group Ltd 2007
- 5. The Forzani Group Ltd. • The largest national sporting goods retailer in Canada. • Banners include Sportchek, Coast Mountain Sports, Sport Mart, National Sports, Intersport, Sports Experts, Atmosphere, RnR, Hockey Experts, Pegasus, and Nevada Bobs. • 263 corporate stores, 207 franchise stores • Offices in Calgary, Laval, Markham, Mississauga • 15,000 employees, 10,000 front line employees with average retail turnover The Forzani Group Ltd 2007
- 6. The Forzani Group Ltd. • Current training catalog contains about 80 ILT courses and 15 CBT courses • Sumtotal LMS and LCMS are hosted in house • We do all our own course development • Current course focus is product training for store staff • We allow all staff to train from anywhere The Forzani Group Ltd 2007
- 7. Ryan Van Orman • Been with FGL for over 7 years • Been with the training department since E- learning was launched in 2005 • Previously worked in the IT group • Responsible for: – Administer the LMS – Consult with Category Trainers on course design – Author all CBT courses (animation, flash, video, audio) The Forzani Group Ltd 2007
- 8. FGL Training Challenges • 10,000 field staff with high turnover • Providing consistent training across the country • Accurately recording current training results • Recording employee certifications (OH&S, WHMIS, Vendor) The Forzani Group Ltd 2007
- 9. LMS Terminology • CBT – Computer Based Training • SCOs – All the different objects that comprise a CBT • LMS –Records employee training results. Manages ILT and CBT course scheduling and registration. Maintains career pathing, competencies, skills. • LCMS – Stores, manages, and authors CBTs • KMS/CMS/DMS – A system that maintains, organizes and offers content The Forzani Group Ltd 2007
- 10. Selecting an LMS • There are a couple ways to select an LMS • First – Dream up a million ways to use an LMS – Write a big complicated RFP – Select the fanciest LMS on the market – Pay $100,000’s to purchase and implement – Then try and figure out how to use it The Forzani Group Ltd 2007
- 11. Selecting an LMS • Second – Identify an Executive Sponsor – Develop a strategy for your E-learning program – Identify what solutions are available – Cost benefit analysis – Needs analysis – RFP – Vendor demonstrations (short list) – Reference check clients with the same implemented version The Forzani Group Ltd 2007
- 12. Executive Sponsor • Needs to be active in the project as well as day to day operations • Provides a knowledgeable executive to deal with issues that arise in production The Forzani Group Ltd 2007
- 13. E-learning Strategy • A strategy if essential for a successful program • Provides a clean “roadmap” of what the end result needs to accomplish • Doesn’t have to be incredibly detailed • Things to consider – What will the system be used for? – What is the expected output from the system? – Where will content come from? The Forzani Group Ltd 2007
- 14. Identify Possible Solutions • Determine what solutions are available • Where do you find potential solutions? – Internet – Research – White Papers – Fancy consultants • Industry trade shows / conferences The Forzani Group Ltd 2007
- 15. Cost Benefit Analysis • Going to E-learning doesn’t automatically save money • Determine what the soft cost benefits are: – Reduced printing costs – Reduced travel – Higher compliance/saturation – Higher retention The Forzani Group Ltd 2007
- 16. Needs Analysis • Determine what you NEED • Determine what you WANT • Keep it simple • Understand who your users are and their skills The Forzani Group Ltd 2007
- 17. RFP • Now you would conduct your RFP The Forzani Group Ltd 2007
- 18. Vendor Demonstrations • Short list your RFPs • Develop a demo script for the vendor • Create a checklist for your selection panel • Have the vendor use your data • Focus on seeing the results The Forzani Group Ltd 2007
- 19. Reference Check • Check your vendor’s client references • They should be implemented clients with current versions • What issues/concerns did they have during implementation • Do they continue to have any issues/concerns • Ask about the quality and location of vendor support The Forzani Group Ltd 2007
- 20. RFP • Keep the RFP simple • Direct questions • Important to know what they can and can’t do • Valuable negotiation tool The Forzani Group Ltd 2007
- 21. Usability • Make sure the system can be used by your learners • Understand their skill level • Ability to find and register for training • Focus on number of clicks • Understand the learner’s system requirements The Forzani Group Ltd 2007
- 22. Prescribed Learning • Assigning courses based on attributes: – Job Title – Location – Manager – Start Date • What happens when the curriculum changes The Forzani Group Ltd 2007
- 23. Certifications • Courses that are required for compliance • Do they expire? – Every X days – Every January 1st • How does the learner / manager get notified? – Email – Report • How is the certification audited? – Just date and score – Test results The Forzani Group Ltd 2007
- 24. Course Content • What format of content will you be using – Power Point – Word – Excel – PDF – 3rd party content – Content created with other tools • Does the LMS support it • Can the LMS modify the individual SCOs The Forzani Group Ltd 2007
- 25. Content Versioning • Does the LMS version the content regardless of source? • Understand how you need versioning to work – Take it once and never again – Remove previous version results – Take every new version – Record results of all versions The Forzani Group Ltd 2007
- 26. Billing • Do you bill for your courses? – Registration Fee – Cancellation Fee – Course Fee • Do you operate in multiple currencies? • Do you need automated or manual billing? • Interface to your billing system The Forzani Group Ltd 2007
- 27. Reporting • Understand what you need • Make sure you see your requirements • Watch out for easy to customize • Ensure the right people see the right data • SEE IT! The Forzani Group Ltd 2007
- 28. Interfaces • What interfaces will you have? – Payroll / HRIS – Billing – Corporate Data Warehouse • Understand the latency of the interfaces – What happens if a learner isn’t in the system but needs to train The Forzani Group Ltd 2007
- 29. Branding / Multi-Language • Determine your branding needs – All pages are branded • Will each brand require multiple languages • Ensure language packs are complete – Online help – Error messages – All pages • Should be a client option, not requiring the vendor The Forzani Group Ltd 2007
- 30. Pricing • Determine costing for LMS and LCMS separate • Determine maintenance costs • Understand vendor pricing model (seat count) • Understand the cost to maintaining historical seats • Don’t forget the implementation costs (consultants, interfaces, testing) The Forzani Group Ltd 2007
- 31. Miscellaneous • Understand your security needs • Do you have privacy issues (FOIPP) • Will you allow learners access from home • How will you pay for training done at home • Integrate LMS with your knowledge system, one location for everything The Forzani Group Ltd 2007
- 32. Q&A Ryan Van Orman National Trainer, E-Learning The Forzani Group rvanorman@forzani.com The Forzani Group Ltd 2007