14 Tips to help you set up a Learning Management System (LMS) in South Africa
In South Africa a Learning Management System (LMS) is “a software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting, automation and delivery of educational courses, training programs or learning and development programs. The Learning Management System concept emerged directly from e-learning.”
Here are our top 14 tips to help you set up a Learning Management System (LMS) in South Africa
Tip 1: The LMS System Needs to Cater to South African Legislation
In South Africa, the LMS System should cater to South African legislation in the following manner:
Skills Development Legislation and the SETA environment (e.g. the Skills Development Act 97 of 1998
The Employment Equity Act
The Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment Act 53 of 2003 (BBBEE Act)
Tip 2: The LMS System needs to integrate with the SETA Work Skills Plan (WSP) and Annual Training Plan
Generate Work Skills Plan (WSP) and Annual Training Plan
Reports to the relevant SETAs
Tip 3: The Learner Management System (LMS) needs to be developed in the context of BBBEE
The Learner Management System (LMS) captures the following for each Learner and this information has an impact on the BBEEE Act.
Title
First name(s), Surname
Persal Number
Date of Appointment
Race
ID Number
Contact Details (address, email and phone numbers)
Gender
Salary level
Rank, Job title
Province, Organisation, Branch, Directorate
Disability or Special needs
Educational Background
Manager’s Details
Tip 4: South Africa – Assessment and Moderation Administration
The SETAs and other accredited bodies in South Africa have various requirements for the creation of Portfolio of Evidence: The system must:
Be able to capture Portfolios of Evidence received and link them to the allocated assessor
Have the capability to update assessed learners
Generate the assessment report
automatically upload assessment progress and outcome for courses attended online
Have the ability to flag outstanding assessments not captured on time and produce exception reports
Be able to select assessed learners for a defined percentage for moderation
Schedule moderation after assessment and link to moderators
Have ability to flag outstanding moderation not captured on time and produce exception reports
send an email to notify the assessors of the outcome of moderation
Be able to produce a moderation report
Administer learner assessment appeals and have the capacity to issue certificates and statement of results (where applicable).
Assessment/Question Types
Assessing learning is a crucial part of the learning and training process. Different types of questions will be accommodated, for example:
Formative Assessments e.g. Quizzes which include:
Choice questions
Scaled questions
Open-ended questions
Summative Assessments e.g. Written Assignments/ Portfolios of Evidence
The system should have the capability of allowing uploading of different types/formats of documents e.g. pdf, docx, xlsx, ppt.
Tip 5: Ensure the system has good Reporting and Monitoring Systems / Data Analysis Systems
The following highlights the functionality/modules of the desired solution for a learner and Learning Reporting is required in terms of:
Data Input and Import: up-to-date and accurate learner profile, inter-operable to the HR system, and Services SETA system, existing authoring tool and other relevant systems so that any changes to employees’ information are automatically updated
Learner profiles
Tracking and Reporting
The system must be able to generate
Data Analytics: learner trends, patterns and completion rate, and visualisation of data
Enrolment and Course Completion report
Individual learner transcripts
Compliance and non-compliance report for mandatory/compulsory training
The system must be able to track post-training activity e.g. Coaching and Mentoring (administration of the workplace post-training activity logbook)
Tip 6: Efficient Enrolment of Students – Capabilities Tracking and Monitoring of:
Admission to a learning programme
Enable the capturing of learner application for admission/enrolment to a
learning programme
Be able to link to the payment system of the Department
Send a notification for learners to complete and submit pre-training forms
Send a notification to managers for approval of learners
Register/re-register/de-register learners (and intergrate with SETA Systems)
Be able to detect enrolment withdrawals;
be able to detect enrolment duplications i.e. if the learner previously enrolled for the same course
Scheduling of trainers and assigning of training rooms; and
Generating an automatic application/enrolment outcome
Tip 7: The system must allow for the Creation of High Quality Training Courses
Uploading of Training Courses
The system must allow administrators to upload courses in the following categories:
The e-Learning course should have some, if not all of the following multimedia modalities.
Combination of text, pictures, video and sound:
Text Advantages are relatively permanent and ability to process it at the reader’s preferred rate
Still Pictorial Images: Relatively permanent like text, attract attention and combine well with text
Motion Images: Such as video and animation, attract attention and improve attitudes and motivation
Aural Information: Such as voice, music and sound effects attract attention well, even when the user is not looking at the screen
Combine well with pictorial and motion images
Coaching and Cuing: Coaching is used in many forms of multimedia, it appears when the learner either asks for help or the program detects events signifying the learner is having difficulty
Collaboration and team learning: provide platforms where learners work together like chat forums, blogs, community of practice etc.
Self-Tests: A self-test allows learners to assess whether they are making progress
The system should allow for gamification
Games have a number of advantages for learning environments. Primarily they can effectively motivate learners and contribute to knowledge and skills
Logic games
Puzzles
Word Games etc.
Tip 8: Quality Management System in line with various Regulatory Requirements
The following functionalities must be available:
Capturing and analysis of course evaluation forms
Document sharing, tracking and approval such as:
Policies
Training materials
Documents amendments and alterations
Training Reports
Evaluation (Reaction, Learning, Behaviour and Results)
Training Records Administration. Ensure that the Learner Management System has the capability to allow capturing of:
Attendance records
Assessment Submission
Learner Achievements; and
Notifications:
The system must be capable of generating the following notifications:
Mandatory training not attended
Reminder to learners scheduled for a class
To trainers; learners, supervisors and administrators when a learner does not show up for a class
Admission and training schedule to learners, supervisors, as well as trainers assigned to the programme
To assessors and moderators, for outstanding work
To learners for re-assessment; and
For the assessment outcome
Tip 9: The System needs to meet various Financial Reporting requirements
The system must be able to:
Allow for payment of courses
Generate expenditure report; and
Produce the overall training budget
Tip 10: The System must allow for User Access: Learning Management System Functionality
The following highlights the basic functionality of the desired e-Learning system:
User profiles and rights -The following profiles must be created:
E-Learning course creators: To design and develop e-courses
Editing Trainers: Can do anything within a course, including changing the activities but limited to changing the design and layout of the e-course
Non-editing Trainers: Can teach in courses and assess learners, but may not make changes to the course
Learners: Participate on the activities on the e-course
Training coordinator: Enrol learners to a course and provide learner support
Programme Manager: schedule courses and assign trainers to courses
Training Manager: monitor overall progress of learning activities
Security:
Internal users may be authenticated against Active Directory
External users may be registered as LMS defined users and authenticated against platforms such as LinkedIn, Google, Yahoo, etc.
Tip 11: Allow for virtual training rooms:
Live video streaming of training sessions from Head Office (GP) to other hubs (provinces and missions abroad)
Schedule a session and send a notification to the participants
Streaming must be compatible on both personal computers and smart phones
Generate attendance registers for streaming sessions
Virtual Breakaway room
Questions and Answers capability
Recording of training sessions
Document sharing.
Over and above the virtual classroom software, there may be a requirement for rooms setup with all required equipment (interactive white boards, audio and video) to enable training delivery for a combination of both physical and virtual classrooms,
Tip 12: Consider Connectivity
The LMS system needs to take into account that a number of people do not have access to the Internet in South Africa. Therefore:
The system must have an offline mode, to download the e-course, work on the course and upload when back online
Mobile device compatibility (e.g. tablet, smartphones)
Consider Technical System specifications
Tip 13: Consider whether you wish to have the system hosted at your premises or via a web application
Hosting: How will the solution be hosted
Will it be on premise within two data centres
How will it allow for service continuity
On what Operating system will be housed
What is the platform’s operating systems eg Windows Server 2012, § SUSE Linux, Windows 10, Debian Linux, Ubuntu Linux or SUSE Linux
What Database application will sbe used: SQL Server; or MySQL; or SQLite; or Redis
What Middleware will be used:
Rabbit MQ
Apache MQ
IBM MQ
Zero MQ
Web Browser
Internet Explorer
Microsoft EDGE
Firefox
Google Chrome
Safari
Mobile OS platform
IOS
Android
Tip 14: Consider whether your provider is South African and is Level 1 BBBEE
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