“Learning management” in a corporate context always includes the planning, organisation, delivery, and evaluation of training and development measures for employees. The fact that this represents a core responsibility of leadership is nothing new. Every employee needs to be properly prepared for their specific role and kept up to date with the latest knowledge. In an environment of constant change, this presents a genuine challenge.
There are essentially three key factors that determine successful employee development:
- The engagement of learners within the organisation
- Content that is closely aligned with relevant tasks and topics
- The documentation of learning outcomes for each individual
This blog post focuses on training content, also referred to as “content”, and explores how this content can be created effectively and efficiently.
Training on standard topics such as data protection, health, and safety or resilience can be obtained externally and does not need to be developed from scratch each time. The situation is different when it comes to content related to a company’s internal processes and organisational structures. This needs to be defined individually and designed to meet expectations in terms of learning outcomes and sustainability. How should you approach this? What should be taken into account? And where are the potential challenges or risks?
A QUESTION OF HONOUR AND LEARNING
The process begins with a key question: “What knowledge needs to be delivered?” This is addressed jointly by company leadership and internal subject-matter experts. Once the required knowledge for employees has been defined, the next step is content creation. Training specialists convert this knowledge into suitable learning formats. Many organisations choose to develop and employ these specialists internally. A simple rule applies: the more complex the subject matter, the more important it is to choose the right format to make the content clear and accessible.
Think about it from your own perspective: would you really remember the key points of the latest data protection policy if you were provided with multiple PDF documents covering all the relevant information? Or would you be more inclined towards explanatory videos, short clips or practical examples combined with a short quiz at the end? … Probably the latter.
LMS AND AUTHORING TOOLS: THE REAL CHALLENGE LIES IN THE DETAIL
If training content is not to be entirely sourced externally, it is significant to consider the authoring tool when selecting a learning management system (LMS), ensuring it meets the required standards. Ideally, both solutions come from the same provider. It is simply more convenient and efficient to have one point of contact for any questions or requirements, isn’t it? And this is where things become more complex. When selecting an LMS and an authoring tool from the same provider, there are two possible options:
- The authoring tool is built into the LMS and closely integrated from a technical perspective (integrated authoring tool).
- The authoring tool and the LMS are provided as separate, standalone software systems.
You may be wondering what the difference is. We will explain this with a simple example:
A SMALL EXAMPLE FROM EVERYDAY LIFE
You are planning to renovate your home and want to invest in the right tools, including a drill, a cordless screwdriver and a circular saw. Everything should be battery-powered and cordless. As you research your options, you will come across suppliers offering each item separately, as well as those providing a complete package with matching batteries, chargers, accessories and saw blades, often at a very competitive price. If price and warranty matter to you, ideally with a single point of contact, the complete package is clearly attractive: everything from one supplier, one order, one invoice, one contact, sorted. The only catch with the complete package is that both the batteries and all accessories are designed to work exclusively with this manufacturer’s machines. That does not necessarily have to be a disadvantage. You are only planning to renovate your home over the next eight weeks. Afterwards, the tools will still need to work, of course, but they will not be in constant use. The battery life should easily be sufficient for this purpose. Performance is certainly important, but these tools are not intended for the renovation of a large flat building, only for three rooms across 98 square metres.
Now imagine that you are not a private individual but acting on behalf of a plastering business with exactly the same objective: purchasing new tools, but this time for the daily work of all 14 employees. The machines will be in constant use, and consumables such as drill bits, saw blades, batteries, and chargers suddenly play a crucial role. How quickly will these wear out, age or fail? Would you still be willing to take the risk that potential issues with the batteries could mean having to replace the entire set of tools in the future? At the very least, this thought would quite rightly make you uneasy.
The same principle applies when it comes to an LMS and an authoring tool. Integrated authoring tools within an LMS mean that both components are closely connected from a technical perspective. These integrated solutions often appear more attractive in terms of price at first glance. But what are the pros and cons involved? Ideally, you should be aware of them before purchasing a new LMS.
ADVANTAGES OF INTEGRATED AUTHORING TOOLS
In the case of an LMS with an integrated AUTHORING TOOL, the following advantages should be understood as general tendencies. Ultimately, every use case, every organisation and every LMS must be considered individually.
Lean system landscape
An “all-in-one” approach can have positive effects on the complexity of a company’s software landscape. Only the LMS needs to be operated, as it is the single software tool that requires administration. Within the LMS, administrators manage learners, while trainers work in parallel on content creation using the integrated authoring tool. The principle is clear: the fewer different software tools are used, the lower the administrative effort.
Lower direct costs
When acquiring an “all-in-one” solution, direct costs such as annual licence or SaaS fees are lower in the short term compared to two separate software solutions. The total cost of ownership (TCO) over a longer period depends heavily on potential hidden costs, for example for content transfer, content rebuilds or various limitations. It is therefore important to assess carefully from the outset what impact possible scaling, ongoing adaptation requirements and necessary content migration projects may have.
Content availability
Newly created training can be made available on the platform quickly and easily. Complex upload procedures for importing content into the LMS are often no longer required, as providers of such integrated solutions tend to place a strong focus on streamlined and efficient processes within their software systems. This is an advantage that can prove valuable over time. Reduced effort in everyday content creation can also lead to economies of scale and financial benefits in the long run.
Low barrier to content creation
As subject-matter experts within the LMS are generally able to create content themselves, there is no need to establish a separate content team or rely on external service providers. Integrated authoring tools frequently provide users with templates for creating simple and structured content. This can be particularly advantageous for simpler subject areas. A defined body of knowledge can therefore be translated more easily and directly into content by the subject-matter expert. A handover to a so-called “content creator” is ideally unnecessary, provided that subject-matter experts have the required permissions within the LMS.
Lower technical requirements
To ensure that training progress can be evaluated, training content does not need to be manually packaged into formats such as SCORM or xAPI. An authoring tool integrated within the LMS works without this additional step. Ideally, an integrated authoring tool already provides this functionality as part of the LMS and ensures seamless and efficient reporting. As mentioned above, this is also due to the fact that providers place a strong emphasis on streamlined and well-functioning processes within their software systems.
Summary: Advantages of integrated authoring tools
If learning topics are not very complex and remain manageable in number, integrated solutions can be advantageous, particularly for smaller organisations. However, this requires that the core processes of organisational learning are unlikely to change significantly, and that technological requirements remain limited.
There are, however, also some aspects to consider that may speak against integrated solutions before a decision is made, as the following section shows.
ADVANTAGES OF EXTERNAL AUTHORING TOOLS
The following advantages of external authoring tools, that is, tools separate from the LMS, should be seen as general tendencies and should always be evaluated in relation to the specific organisation and software provider:
Functional performance
Authoring tools that are marketed as standalone products are often more powerful in terms of functionality. As independent solutions, they need to compete successfully in the market. A wider range of instructional options, for example for delivering complex content such as software simulations with advanced learner interactions, increases the likelihood of fast, effective and lasting learning outcomes.
Multichannel learning
Learning content is no longer consumed exclusively on desktop devices. Employees increasingly access training on the go via smartphones, tablets or other devices, depending on their work situation, and learn in short sessions in between tasks. This places high demands on the technical flexibility and presentation of content. In this context, mobile access is presented as standard in almost all cases. On closer inspection, however, the differences become clear:
- Is responsive content with adaptive layouts truly usable across all devices?
- How are different screen sizes handled, for example desktop versus smartphone?
- Are alternative delivery channels adequately supported?
- Is offline access possible?
- Can content be provided outside the LMS without difficulty?
- How well is integration with other systems managed?
External authoring tools are often better equipped in this respect. They make it possible to optimise learning content specifically for different devices and usage scenarios. As a result, learners can access training at any time and from anywhere in the world.
UX and design standards
For most users of an LMS and authoring tool, it is important that both the LMS and the training content can be presented in the corporate design. External authoring tools typically provide broader possibilities for this kind of content customisation. This is not just about initially applying colour, typography and design specifications, but also about making later adjustments easier. In practice, this means that design customisation can often be made more attractive and adapted more flexibly over time.
Avoiding vendor lock-in
From our perspective, one of the most important issues when it comes to authoring tools is sustainability. We assume that companies will want to continue using the training content they have already developed, even if they decide to change their LMS or authoring tool in the future. This involves a number of technical considerations. Organisations should be able to transfer their training content, data structure, reporting, and user management from one LMS to another. They should also be able to continue editing existing training content in a different or new authoring tool. You might think this is obvious. Unfortunately, it is not. Some LMS platforms with integrated authoring tools create a very rigid technical dependency between the LMS and the authoring tool. As a result, training content, user structures and reporting data may be impossible to export, or only transferable with considerable effort. In some cases, editing content in a different authoring tool may also no longer be possible. These strategically important factors are often overlooked when selecting an LMS or authoring tool, yet they can become both painful and costly in the future.
Large-scale content production
The more training content needs to be created and edited within an organisation, the more people are involved in these tasks. It should not present any problem if many people work on training content and data structures at the same time. Depending on the tool, the technical foundations for this can differ considerably, and standalone authoring systems are in most cases more capable in this respect. They support professional background workflows and appropriate version control, allowing parallel work while ensuring that changes remain traceable through an audit trail. This makes collaboration between many contributors both manageable and transparent.
Involving external service providers
One possible, if not ideal, scenario is the use of external service providers to compensate for capacity shortages. Organisations faced with increasing demands in knowledge delivery may at some point come to appreciate access to external resources. Some providers offer support, at least temporarily, in the creation of training content. In most cases, they work with established and, above all, standalone authoring tools. Content created for a client must naturally be integrated smoothly into the client’s learning environment afterwards. If the provider’s authoring tool and your own are incompatible, this kind of support can become difficult or even impossible. Established standalone authoring tools therefore increase the chances that external providers can step in quickly when additional capacity is needed.
Technological independence
Procuring the LMS and authoring tool separately can also work to your advantage in terms of risk distribution. Separate systems from different providers increase your technological independence, even if they are supplied by the same party, such as a specialist reseller. Many LMS providers maintain close partnerships with established authoring tool vendors. The aim is to combine two advantages from the customer’s perspective: two separate, high-performance systems and still only one point of contact. If the authoring tool provider changes its product policy, for example, pricing or functionality, or even discontinues the product altogether, a decision to switch tools does not automatically apply to both systems. A system change for either the LMS or the authoring tool can take place without necessarily requiring a change of the other.
Speed of innovation
Ultimately, the provider’s pace of innovation and capacity for further development can also be a decisive factor, provided the organisation gives this point sufficient weight. This does not always have to be the case if requirements are relatively limited. However, if continuous product development is important, and if training and learning formats are expected to keep pace with evolving expectations or bugs are resolved promptly and sustainably, external authoring tools and their providers are often better positioned.
Governance and quality assurance
As outlined in the previous section, a low entry barrier to creating training content can be beneficial. At the same time, however, this advantage brings with it a challenge that is often underestimated. A tool’s ease of use does not automatically ensure the instructional quality of the content produced. If, in principle, anyone in the organisation can create content easily, the question must be asked whether this is really desirable. If responsibility is assigned to a central function, quality assurance can be managed more effectively through defined standards and the qualifications of that function. Responsibility for content and quality can then be clearly assigned to one central body.
Summary: Advantages of external authoring tools
Where learning topics are complex, the organisation is large, and the number of both training courses and people involved in the process is high, procuring the LMS and authoring tool separately can prove worthwhile. External authoring tools offer not only broader technological options for delivering demanding training, but also more extensive possibilities for reporting learning outcomes. This allows management to keep track of process effectiveness, even in larger organisations.
In many cases, separate solutions appear slightly more expensive at first glance in terms of direct licence or SaaS fees. However, particularly in larger organisations, when the total cost of ownership (TCO) is considered over several years, the efficiency of knowledge transfer, the reduced future risk, the increased transparency, the lower reporting effort and the flexibility for future tool changes can quickly result in a positive balance compared with integrated tools.
CONCLUSION: WHAT DO WE DO WITH THIS KNOWLEDGE?
The original question raised in this blog post was “AUTHORING TOOLS: INTEGRATED INTO THE LMS OR BETTER NOT?”. The decision for or against this approach is not a simple one, and it carries long-term implications. As so often, the right choice depends on a company’s individual requirements, preferences, and willingness to accept risk. There is no universal RIGHT or WRONG here
An organisation must be aware of its own framework conditions and its development plan in the area of corporate learning and qualifications. The advantages and disadvantages described above must be assessed against this background.
Once these cornerstones of future workplace learning have been defined and made transparent, a systematic evaluation of different solutions can begin, focusing on their quality and performance characteristics as well as their strategic risks. Sometimes that is easier said than done, and we know that. We would be very happy to share a few helpful tips with you here as well, but that would go beyond the scope of a blog post.
However, there is good news. At Swissteach, we have established the “IMPULSE CENTRE”. With a focus on process and strategy management, our experts work with you to develop exactly the roadmap you need for the question and decision-making basis outlined above. A clear and objective look at the question “What is fundamentally needed?” gives you a structured roadmap and helps you make well-founded decisions about the next steps.
If this kind of support and an external perspective would be helpful to you, do not hesitate to send us a REQUEST. This is exactly where we can support you.