Almost every industry keeps pace up with technology for effective processes, resource management, and innovative solutions. However, there is an exception – the education industry lags behind in embracing eLearning tools and technologies. There is no iota of doubt that traditional classrooms and learning methods offer indelible one-on-one or one-to-many learning experiences across the campuses. The Higher Edu organizations are stuck in a rut. To my dismay, they aren’t the pioneers to embrace the technologies, but the opposite.

That is why it’s high time the Higher Edu organizations transformed themselves digitally and offered personalized learning experiences using technology. And then unexpectedly, this Covid-19 came in like a tide. And we all thought it would stay only for a brief time. However, the times aren’t in our hands, aren’t they?

Like an ‘indeterminate value’ (zero by zero) in Calculus, the industries especially the Higher Edu sector have almost come to a grinding halt. Almost zero operations. Like how ‘L Hospital Rule’ gives a breakthrough, and hence, solution for the ‘indeterminate value’, this pandemic has made the organizations go eLearning instead of nothing. And have a Learning Management System (LMS) such as Moodle, eLearning tools, and technologies to get through the situation.

Now the thing is: how to choose an LMS such as Moodle for your Higher Edu organization? With the cost-effectiveness of the LMS software in mind? We offer some key stuff here to carefully consider when you choose your LMS System for Higher Edu, and why Moodle LMS makes the best fit for your institution.

Right, let’s get started with the subject!

#1. Resources
Resources will become the second most important aspect if you consider getting an LMS system for Higher Edu organization. Resources here mean the investment you’re gonna spend on the eLearning software and the expenditure of a technical team that will take care of your LMS.

In the least, when it comes to a team, your organization requires an LMS admin. So, pooling the resources matters the most here if you consider going for an LMS for your organization.

Be it yours or any Higher Edu organization for that matter will look for a cost-effective eLearning software such as Moodle LMS. And Higher Edu organizations should consider spending on eLearning software, not on the optimum ROI out of the spending on the resources.

There are closed-source LMSs that are out there in the market such as Talent LMS, SAP Litmos, and sundry. It depends on the fund availability at your end to get and maintain any closed-source LMS.

So think of your resources in the beginning and in the end and think of Moodle for the best resources management. It’s not Hobson’s choice, but you have many!

#2. User Experience
What is the use if you have an LMS with state-of-the-art technology yet it is not so user-friendly? This item should become the first and the foremost priority of your Higher Edu organization. Because if your teachers, learners, admins, or whatever should not able to easily navigate to and from, then your LMS turns out to be a white elephant.

Coming to the Open Source LMS – Moodle, there have been requests to do something about its UI/UX. That’s going to be fulfilled in Moodle 4.0 and above versions. However, those LMSs such as the ODL from eAbyas Info Solutions, which is built on the top of Moodle, bring out the awesome UI/UX for their users.

This kind of UI/UX will even help folks who are least inclined towards the use of technology in their learning process. Otherwise, the training of folks about the usage of your LMS will consume some more resources.

#3. Security
The LMS security is another important aspect your Higher Edu organization needs to carefully look at. Here are various aspects of LMS security:

• To block suspicious IP addresses
• To keep hackers and spammers at bay
• To secure your course contents and employees & students data
• To back up the sensitive and important data
• To encrypt data for safe and secure transfer
• To incorporate mobile app security features if your LMS has one
• Finally, to have user authentication

And what else more to stress its importance? The security of your LMS plays a crucial role in your Learning and Development (L&D).

Where is Moodle platform in this aspect? Moodle comes out as the ‘Secure by Design’ platform. One of the reasons is Moodle’s global community that constantly monitors, tests, and fixes security bugs and vulnerabilities.

It helps the organizations to secure enough their “data, information, and operations.” That is why even highly information-sensitive organizations in the Military, Banking, Government Agencies, etc. use Moodle platform let alone your Higher Edu organization.

#4. Diversity of Course Contents
Does a course with copious information in piles of files interest your folks? A typical course involves a zillion of things such as Assignments, Quizzes, Short Notes, Videos, Images, Exercises, Flash Cards, and a list of others. You will understand the various types of content-making available when you come to use H5P and other tools.

Thankfully, in Moodle platform, H5P has become part and parcel recently. This will be helpful for Moodle educators to try and create a variety of content types so long as to engage their folks during the sessions of training.

On that note, the Moodle platform will be one of the best open-source LMS for your Higher Edu organization. With a customized Moodle LMS and Moodle Mobile app, you will reach out to your students at any time, anywhere, and on whatever device.

So, you like personalized, structured course content? Switch to Moodle LMS today. You won’t regret it!

#5. Performance of the LMS
Higher Edu organizations do offer a good number of courses and have a great strength of students and faculty. When a concurrency of visitors takes place at any point of the period, what will be the performance of your LMS? You are supposed to pose this question.

Because the concurrency of visitors is mostly a common thing when it’s coming to the High Edu sector. Online exams, quizzes, classes, etc. are some good examples of concurrency.

Well, how good is your LMS in performance?

You know that the performance of Moodle depends on various factors, not merely the software which you have to timely update. You as a Moodle educator have to maintain a recommended hardware and server configuration.

So, what better LMS is there than Moodle?

#6. Multitenancy & Scalability
Multitenancy and Scalability appear somewhat technical. Let me explain to you what they mean in simple terms. To put them in layman terms and to consider, what will do you if you have multiple schools, departments, colleges, or others? Will you purchase another LMS if you require it? And these sorts of questions go on and on.

This multitenancy and scalability feature highly help down the line some years now when you want to expand your organization with more schools, colleges, etc.

In such a case, this feature of LMS is highly recommendable. A customized Moodle LMS will incorporate multitenancy and scalability. And that will save you a great deal of investment.

#7. Learning Analytics
Any Learning Management System (LMS) without learning analytics becomes incomplete and hence it is not helpful to organizations, let alone Higher Edu ones. However, some of the LMSs come out with basic or intermediate reporting stuff.

What about the learning analytics to Moodle platform?

Moodle, being an open-source platform, there are several reporting options and one of them is advanced. And we call that LearnerScript, the Moodle analytics tool. This Moodle plugin is way advanced and super user-friendly.

LearnerScript brings to you some amazing stuff such as role-wise multiple dashboards, custom report builder, scheduling, permissions, and many more. You can check more at the tool’s demo page on the website or from the video-on-demand demos on the YouTube channel.

We are sure you will say that Moodle and LearnerScript are two to tango.

#8. Support
An LMS is a complex eLearning software. Sometimes it requires the very help of the technical team from your LMS vendor. So this post-purchase task should also be in consideration.

The Support includes a multitude of issues such as installation, bug fixing, configuration, updates, upgrades, migration, and so on. Therefore, you need to carefully weigh in on the LMS choices available to you.

If you employ Moodle platform to dispense your L&D training, the chances are that you will get a great deal of support through Moodle Partners, Moodle consultants, Moodle enthusiasts, or from the Moodle Forums. Such is the strength of Moodle platform with the worldwide Moodle community.

The Moodle partners such as eAbyas Info Solutions provide a dedicated support portal to speedily and exclusively address the issues of clients.

There may be some other criteria at which look based on the requirement of your Higher Edu organization. However, the above points are the most common aspects one has to carefully consider before going for a Higher Edu LMS.

If you are looking for a Moodle-based platform for your organization, then think of eAbyas, the Moodle Partner. We provide a custom Moodle LMS called ODL for Higher Edu organization. Explore eAbyas today!