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Theory & Practice: Learning Content Management Systems

by Jill Funderburg Donello
Traditional methods for developing online learning material tend to be expensive, time-consuming, and require specialized skills that are often hard to acquire. To fully realize the benefits of e-learning, many companies have found "a better way" by using a Learning Content Management System (LCMS) to rapidly author, deploy and manage e-learning content.

What Is a Learning Content Management System (LCMS)?
A Learning Content Management System (LCMS) is "a system used to create, store, assemble, and deliver personalized eLearning content in the form of learning objects."(1) Although different LCMSs offer unique features and functions, the fundamental components of an LCMS consist of:

• An authoring tool which allows non-programmers to author e-learning content by creating new or reusing existing learning objects.


• A dynamic delivery interface that serves up content based on learner profiles, pretests and/or user queries.


• An administrative application to manage student records, launch courses, track student progress. The administration application may also interface with separate learning management systems (to be discussed later in this article).


• A learning object repository or central database for storing and managing learning content that may be delivered through a variety of medias (Web, CD-ROM, printed materials) either as individual objects or as part of a larger course structure. Content and programming logic are separated through XML.

What Is the Difference Between an LCMS and an LMS?
Although easily confused for each other, Learning Management Systems (LMS) and Learning Content Management Systems (LCMS) serve two distinctly different purposes. While an LMS's primary role is to automate the administrative aspects of training, an LCMS is focused on managing the content itself in the form of learning objects.

Differences Between LCMS and LMS

Do I Need Both an LMS and an LCMS?
Although several LMS's offer authoring and content management capabilities and LCMSs offer minimal LMS functions, trying to use one system for both functions may not always be ideal. Because LCMS's are focused on the authoring and delivery of content, the tools for these tasks are generally more robust and create a better enduser experience than those available through an LMS. Conversely, an LMS generally offers more features that are important for the administration of courses for a large number of students than the basic functions available through an LCMS.

Whether you need an LMS, an LCMS or both really depends on your particular needs.

Why Should I Use an LCMS to Author Content
Instead of Traditional Authoring Tools?
In the past, all learning content was authored using tools specific for the media in which it would be delivered. For instance, Authorware or DreamWeaver might be used to create Web-based courses, and Word and PowerPoint would be used to create paper-based materials. Course developers would either need to learn special tools, or work with programmers who had this expertise. Content was developed course by course and required extensive development and testing.

A Learning Content Management System separates the content from the media that is used to deliver it. Content may be created one time and delivered in multiple ways. The LCMS also eliminates the need for specialized programming skills as it allows authors to write content into pre-programmed templates. Because content is created into small objects, content developers can reuse content that was created by others, saving development time as well as providing a consistent message to learners.

Is Content Authoring Different if I Use a
Learning Content Management System?
Several aspects of content authoring may be different based on the LCMS. These include:

Authoring tools. An LCMS provides new tools for content authoring, although several systems allow you to import content from familiar tools like Word, PowerPoint or HTML. LCMSs simplify the authoring process and allow non-programmers to write eLearning content so you should not expect a steep learning curve. Remember that although a system may allow you to import legacy content, you will most likely wish to rework the content to ensure it is structured and scripted correctly for reuse across multiple courses or in different applications (for instance, in learning and performance support).

Scripting guidelines. Writing content to be reused in multiple courses or in different applications (for instance, eLearning and performance support) requires new guidelines. For instance, it may no longer be appropriate to assume that the learner is completing the course in a linear fashion, so phrases like "as you just learned" are out.

Perspective. The biggest change for most instructional designers is to forget thinking about creating monolithic courses and design small independent objects that may be accessed just-in-time and reused in multiple courses.

Jill Funderburg Donello is Chief Knowledge Officer for LeadingWay Knowledge Systems. You can reach her at JillD@leadingway.com.

Interested in learning more? Take a free course on eLearning, knowledge management and the integration of the two at www.knowledgeone.com. Or register for a seminar on Knowledge System Design or Creating Reusable Content for eLearning and Performance Support through www.leadingway.com/services.htm.

(1) Brennan, M, Funke, S. and Anderson, C. "The Learning Content Management System: A New eLearning Market Segment Emerges." IDC White Paper published May 2001.