Introduction:
CMS, LMS, and LCMS, when we talk about these three software tools, we often get confused as to which one is what and has to offer what right? Some people may think there is no difference between them. And this is such a question that often gives rise to confusion among those people who are searching for the right software tool. But it’s not like there is no solution to this problem as today, we are going to share everything we have on these three software tools with our readers.
- CMS – Content Management System.
- LMS – Learning Management System.
- LCMS – Learning Content Management System.
Now that we know the abbreviations of these three tools, let us individually talk about what they are.
Content Management System:
CMS is such a software tool that is used to organize content comprising an entire website.
Learning Management System:
LMS on the other hand is a software platform that is widely used to deliver and track different kinds of training courses like leadership or sales etc..
Learning Content Management System:
Finally LCMS is software that is used to manage and author different types of learning content.
By reading the above, you can clearly understand that these three tools are totally different from one another. But the only thing they have in common is that all these software tools are mainly used to handle different types of content. So whether you are a novice or an experienced educational trainer, it is important to have a good understanding of what these tools are and how you can use them in your learning and development program.
Now let us talk about these tools individually.
Content Management System (CMS):
As we all know that the content for different websites has to be stored and displayed on a framework. And this framework is provided by Content Management System. The CMS tends to manage a variety of content forms that include files, images, audio files, electronic documents, and much more.
Similarly, CMS also gives distributors the freedom to decide which content is displayed privately or publicly. Then this content can easily be tagged with the help of metadata that is excellent for searching and using content.
Examples of CMS:
Drupal and WordPress are the two popular content management systems that are used to create almost all types of websites.
Learning Management System (LMS):
LMS can be considered such a platform that is used to store and deliver all types of training content and then track participation in training. The best thing about this tool is that it gives learning managers the option to upload online training content that is developed by authoring tools. But to be able to do that, the content has to be in compliant with SCORM which is the industry standard file format. It is mostly used in corporate training and higher education settings.
Examples of LMS:
Topyx, Litmos, and Bluevolt are some of the examples of LMS.
Learning Content Management System (LCMS):
Now let us talk in detail about Learning Content Management System. The main use of LCMS is to create, store, and organize all type of eLearning content. It is a favorite software tool of most of the instructional designers as they use it to develop, manage, and publish the training content. What LCMS does is allow single courses to be modified for individual learners instead of developing course catalogs for overall audiences.
Similarly, LCMS enables multiple collaborators to come together on a single platform and create such content that can be published in a variety of formats.
Examples of LCMS:
Spongelab, EdApp, and Kadenze etc are the examples of LCMS.
Key difference between LMS and LCMS:
LMS and LCMS has a key difference between the two that is, the target user. LMS targets all kinds of learners whereas LCMS targets the learning content creator.
Conclusion:
Now that you know what the three software tools are and what they do, you can easily understand that these three management systems can help you manage and deliver the content easily. So what you need to do is take some time to understand the differences so as to avoid using the wrong acronym while discussing it with others. And don’t forget to sat ay safe, stay home, and never stop learning.
