Part 1 - How an LMS Can Assist RTOs in Managing Compliance

The vocational education and training (VET) sector is full of acronyms as we all know, and add some technology acronyms to the list and it gets even more confusing. What are some of the key terms and acronyms a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) should know? Part 1 of this blog series will explain some of the key technology terms to help demystify the acronym soup.

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The Systems…

Learning Management System (LMS)

This software application provides a platform for the training provider to create, manage and deliver training, and conduct and record assessments. This is the platform where interactions will occur with students.

There are many different platforms available and the choice of which one to use can be difficult! There are so many different features and not all platforms provide all features. The key terminology outlined in this glossary relates to terms you will come across when selecting an LMS.

Student Management System (SMS)

Another software application is where student data will be managed and stored. For RTOs, this is where enrolment occurs, and certification is issued. The SMS is the platform that needs to be AVETMISS compliant. AVETMISS is a technical standard that must be met by the system to allow for reporting of data to the state training authorities (STAs) or to the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER).

Customer Relationship Management System (CRM)

Sometimes this system will also be within the SMS, however, some organisations need this as an additional system, particularly if it is a large organisation or there are other arms to the business and the bigger picture has a CRM. This system will manage and track all interactions with customers, including logging emails, quotations and leads.

Content Management System (CMS)

A CMS holds content for the purpose of publication or distribution. A CMS differs from an LMS in that it is generally more passive. It may essentially be the repository for a website that pushes the content through, it could be a member portal where members access resources, or it could be a database that users can access information. It doesn’t allow for detailed feedback about the actions and behaviours of the end-user, or conduct assessment, as an LMS can.

Video Conferencing Tool (VCT)

These tools can be linked in through an LMS via an integration, or they can be used as standalone tools. We have all become familiar with Zoom and Teams in recent times throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic. These are examples of VCTs and allow for synchronous (all at the same time) learning experiences within a group.

 Virtual Classroom (VC)

A virtual classroom generally has a smaller number of participants than a webinar environment to allow for more interaction between the trainer and the learners. A VCT may still be used, or more specific VC tools may be available. A Virtual Classroom platform allows for more interaction and collaboration between learners and the trainer than a standard VCT.

Tools for eLearning

Sharable Courseware Object Reference Module (SCORM)

Many have heard of the word SCORM but aren’t always sure what it means! Some LMSs rely on the import of SCORM packages, while others work better with content that has been built out natively in the system. A SCORM package is essentially a package of content that has been developed in specific software that allows it to be exported.

The advantage of SCORM is its portability. It can be uploaded and run in any SCORM compliant LMS. It is like the PDF of the online learning world. It can contain text, images, video, interactions, quizzes, etc and all of this can be moved from platform to platform.

xAPI (Tin Can)

Experience API is seen as the next generation of SCORM. It is similar to SCORM, however, it allows for more detail to be gathered on learner progress including face-to-face activities.

Flash

If your online learning resources rely on Flash…run!!!! Or get them updated. Flash is obsolete technology and any organisation still using Flash runs significant security risks as it is no longer a supported technology. Any technology requiring Flash needs to be updated to HTML5. If your RTO has online materials as SCORM packages or xAPI (Tin Can) you need to check they do not contain content requiring Flash technology.

Hyper-Text Markup Language (HTML)

This is a type of language, or code, used to present information online. It is a standardised system of using <tags> to allow for formatting and presentation of information on the internet. It is the code behind the screen that you see. Luckily, we have many WYSIWYG editors (What You See Is What You Get) these days, meaning more people can develop content for the web without knowing HTML.

Cascading Style Sheet (CSS)

A CSS works hand-in-hand with the HTML of online content. While the HTML provides the tags and the words, the CSS tells the tags what to show. For example, the HTML might state to use the Primary Colour, and the CSS notes what that primary colour is. The HTML provides the structure and the content, the CSS controls the appearance of that content. This is important to understand when looking at the accessibility requirements of online learning.

HTML5

A next-generation version of HTML, HTML5 enables video and audio content to render directly in your browser, meaning there is no longer a need for Flash technology to be used. More and more eLearning tools will move towards HTML5 now that Flash is no longer supported. This includes the publishing of SCORM and xAPI packages.

Authoring Tool

An authoring tool is a software that is used to create a SCORM, xAPI or HTML5 package. It brings together components such as text, images and videos and allows the author to arrange them in a meaningful way. There are many to choose from, and eLearning developers will have their favourites. Some are more complex than others, and some allow for more interaction than others. It will depend on the result you want to achieve as to which authoring tool should be used.

Accessibility

No learner should be disadvantaged by the content being presented online. If your learners are hearing impaired, then measures need to be taken to ensure that any audio content is provided to them in an alternative manner. If your learners are sight impaired, then screen readers will be used to communicate information with them. If they have a physical disability they might not be able to use a mouse or touch screen, therefore other alternatives must be provided.

The world of accessibility is complex, with lots to consider, and is a specialised area in the development of eLearning content. An RTO does not know who their future learners will be, therefore all online content should be designed in an accessible manner.

Web Content Access Guidelines (WCAG)

WCAG (Wuh-CAG) provides standards on how to present information online for learners to ensure accessibility. Think about the way you use a keyboard and how you would access content if you couldn’t use a mouse, and sometimes you might visit a website that is hard to read because the background colour is white and the font is yellow. WCAG provides guidelines on how to avoid these situations. Organisations can aim to be A, AA or AAA in terms of their accessibility rating.

Hosting Terminology…

Software as a Service (SaaS)

An LMS is provided as a SaaS when the service is hosted in the cloud by the provider of the service. This means both the learners and the organisation can access the system online via a browser and do not need to install any software. Many training providers find this attractive because they do not require any staff for maintenance, or the expense of upgrading plug-ins and patches. Examples of SaaS LMS: Canvas, aNewSpring, Absorb.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

This is a company that provides online cloud storage. While we say ‘in the cloud’ in reality there are physical servers on the ground that are backing up all our data. There are a number of providers but AWS is a large provider that has servers on Australian soil, which is important when it comes to working with government organisations, including schools, in Australia. There are many organisations that will not agree to have data about learners and their progress stored on servers in off-shore locations.

Integration Terminology…

Application Programming Interface (API)

This is an interface that allows developers to develop code for one system to talk to another. With an LMS, it is common to integrate with an SMS via an API. This allows the enrolment of learners in a qualification to occur in the SMS and be automatically pushed across to the LMS without any further data entry. It can also allow for the push-back of results from the LMS to the SMS, resulting in the issuing of certification without needing to manually enter results for the learner.

Learning Tool Interoperability (LTI)

This is a standard that is used to allow various different tools to be ‘plugged in’ to the LMS. For example, using a proctoring tool such as Turn-it-In to check assignments for plagiarism prior to student submission. Or a tool such as H5P which create interactive HTML5 content from within your LMS thanks to an LTI that integrates them together. The EduApp Centre has a huge list of available LTIs. Be sure to filter by platform to show those compatible with your LMS.

Single Sign-On (SSO)

SSO is a fantastic concept that allows you to sign into multiple systems with one set of credentials (username and password). Your organisation might already have an internal system that users log in to. For example, you all sign in to Microsoft 365 to use Sharepoint, Teams, Outlook, etc. You therefore might find it convenient to set up SSO between your Microsoft system and your LMS, so users only need one set of credentials to log in. They aren’t needing to remember two sets of login details, and they move more seamlessly between the systems.

Stay Tuned!

Part 2 of this series will look at some of the key features you should look for in an LMS, while Part 3 will delve into the specifics of compliance.