WordPress is the jack-of-all-trades among content management systems. With WordPress, you can do everything: blog, website, publishing system, shop, community platform, social media hub… you name it.
Learning with WordPress
Of course, you can also learn with WordPress. Or manage learning, if that’s what you want. (Whether learning can be managed and whether one should manage learning is another discussion)
Typically, specialized systems like Moodle, OpenOlat, or Docebo handle learning management. There’s a specific software category for this, namely Learning Management Systems (LMS)
An LMS should not be confused with school administration software. The latter is for coordinating rooms and people, representing classes, writing invoices, etc. An LMS can be linked to school administration software, but it has a different purpose.
Learning Paths in LMS
An LMS provides learning paths. In an LMS, you can manage and present learning content so that learners can access and work with it.
There are many types of learning content: These can be teaching texts with images, multimedia materials like audio and videos. They can be editable documents needed in a classroom setting (writing essays in Word, solving accounting tasks in Excel, drawing geometry in a CAD program).
Often, an LMS also simply manages links to tools that provide additional learning content. Such as e-books in Edubase, question material in Classtime, or flashcards in Card2Brain.
The LMS thus combines these loose learning contents into learning paths. A learning path can be recommended by a coach, can be mandatory for exam preparation, or can be created by a learner for self-documentation. A very simple tool for designing learning paths can be found at lernpfad.ch
WordPress as LMS
Or in WordPress. There are several good plugins and themes to turn WordPress into an LMS:
- LearnDash
Very widespread, especially in English-speaking countries. For good reason, as the features are impressive. Countless third-party providers such as UncannyOwl also ensure that learning progress and data from the LMS can be stored and used elsewhere. - Lifter LMS
In the wake of Khan Academy and co., numerous LMS came to market that help you create and market your own courses. Lifter LMS is an excellent solution for exactly this purpose, but offers little connectivity to other systems. - CoursePress Pro
WPMUDEV is probably a familiar term to WordPress insiders. The company offers high-quality plugins in a subscription model. For a monthly subscription fee, you can choose from a whole range of plugins. Among them is also an excellent LMS plugin. - Sensei
The makers of WooCommerce can also do LMS. Sensei has been around for a while and stands out especially for its many quizzing possibilities. However, I’m not quite sure if the plugin is still being actively developed.
Interested in a Project?
Would you like to build a continuing education and learning offering with WordPress as an LMS for your company, your organization, your association? I’m looking for a concrete use case where I could integrate the mentioned tools. If interested, just contact me! #askroman #edupartner
