With the increasing adoption of skills-based hiring practices in this digital-first era, Learning Management Systems (LMS) have become invaluable tools for credentialing bodies and associations to provide verifiable and trusted certification programs. But with a plethora of LMS solutions available, how can you make the right choice for your organization's unique needs?
In this blog, we'll walk you through the various types of LMSs, highlighting:
- Key capabilities to prioritize as an organization offering high-stakes certifications
- Typical LMS issues to avoid in high-stakes learning contexts, and
- The benefits of using a learner-centric LMS designed for certification training.
Whether you're a learning director looking to streamline your certification program's success or a program admin hoping to offer the best eLearning experience for your candidates, this blog is for you.
What Types of LMSs Are There for Certification Training Programs?
When it comes to comparing learning management systems for certification training programs, several factors need to be considered, such as scalability potential, accessibility, and user satisfaction. However, before delving deeper into these aspects, let's first explore some general categories of LMSs by contrasting common types.
Key Capabilities to Look for in a Learner-Centered LMS
Today's candidates are easily distracted, crave social learning, and want personalized, on-demand access to information. For an LMS to meet the needs of the modern learner, it's essential to prioritize the following features and capabilities:
Personalization and Individualized Learning
Even the best LMS will only be effective if the learning content and environment are tailored to the individual learner. In fact, fostering situational interest through personalized learning has been shown to improve performance and increase engagement. With personalized eLearning paths, certification candidates are shown that their learning needs matter, and they're given the motivation to strive for ownership of their success. Accountability increases as users feel a sense of responsibility toward their learning goals, and progress trackers provide continued incentives to stay on track.
Gamification and Learner Engagement
Gamification in eLearning is like the spice in a dish, enhancing flavor and making the learning experience more engaging and memorable. Tackling the challenge of knowledge retention, game-like elements transform candidates into active participants and foster collaborative learning. This approach significantly boosts engagement and, much like personalized learning, motivates learners to take ownership of their success. By striking the right balance, gamification increases accountability, encourages friendly competition, and helps candidates stay on track throughout the certification training process.
Progress Monitoring and Reporting
Tracking candidate progress is pivotal in ensuring success within certification training programs. Comprehensive performance reports and user-data analytics enable your organization to identify patterns, uncover areas for improvement, and take data-driven actions. By offering real-time insights through accessible dashboards, a modern LMS helps maintain transparency in learner progress. This allows training administrators to make well-informed decisions, ultimately empowering candidates to achieve mastery in their learning journey.
Integrated Mock Exams and Formative Assessment
This last point is particularly important for certification training programs, as exam readiness plays a crucial role in ensuring success. Utilizing formative assessments, like quizzes, offers insightful feedback, enabling learners and program directors to adjust their learning and teaching approaches accordingly. By integrating mock exams and practice questions within an LMS, learners can better retain knowledge and gain confidence. This iterative process promotes skill development and enhances candidate performance in high-stakes certification exams.
Common LMS Issues to Avoid in High-Stakes Learning Contexts
Now that you have a clearer idea of the capabilities to look for when evaluating learning management solutions for your certification training program, you're on your way to creating an unforgettable learning experience.
However, not all LMSs are created equal, and some technical limitations can lead to headaches further down the road. The good news is, with some extra insight, you can easily avoid common LMS issues.
Here are four of the most frequent LMS problems worth noting:
Elevate Your Certification Training Program with a Practice-Oriented LMS
Choosing a practice-oriented LMS designed explicitly for certification training ensures success for both candidates and your business. BenchPrep specializes in high-stakes exam prep with features such as mock exams, confidence levels, and practice questions–all designed to optimize learners’ knowledge retention and performance.
Let's explore how BenchPrep's LMS delivers on this promise:
Personalized Learning Plans
BenchPrep's adaptive logic provides candidates with a personalized learning journey tailored to their unique needs. This approach has been shown to double learner engagement rates and ensures an optimized study experience. With BenchPrep, each candidate’s strengths and weaknesses are identified, enabling them to pursue a customized learning plan.
Remediation Methods
Customized learning paths and built-in remediation methods effectively double engagement rates, making BenchPrep's approach to learning highly effective. The platform's technology assesses candidates’ strengths and weaknesses and provides targeted practice materials, boosting their confidence and exam preparedness. In this way, learners can take control of their preparation process and achieve their desired learning objectives.
Confidence Level Tracking
Confidence comes with practice, and BenchPrep's innovative confidence-level-tracking feature helps candidates reach that level. By identifying areas that require additional focus, learners can monitor and adjust their study methods, increasing their confidence and ensuring exam preparedness. With BenchPrep, learners can feel confident and prepared when taking high-stakes certification exams.
Practice Questions and Tests
BenchPrep's purpose-built LMS offers practice questions and mock exams for certification training. The platform simulates real-world exam scenarios, equipping candidates with the knowledge and experience necessary to excel in high-stakes certification exams. With BenchPrep's intelligent technology, learners are presented with targeted study materials, enabling them to successfully prepare for the certification process.
Get your hands on our Learning Management System Comparison guide for an in-depth exploration of our LMSs standout features and find out how BenchPrep can assist you in delivering the best possible learning experience to your candidates.
Ready to discover how BenchPrep's LMS can elevate your certification program to new heights? 
