MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA--(Marketwire - February 1, 2011) - Expertus (www.expertus.com), a global provider of software that optimizes the business impact of learning, today released the results of recent research conducted among learning leaders in partnership with Training Industry, Inc. "The Current and Future State of Learning Management Systems," which compiles top findings and offers analysis and charts, is available for free download at http://bit.ly/eYPHc6.
The survey was designed to better understand how learning professionals would grade their LMS, identify top challenges, and define what features and functionalities are most critical to include in future LMS purchases. Learning professionals can use these results to make informed decisions on how to customize, upgrade or select their LMS.
The key findings include:
#1: LMS satisfaction is mixed, with a "B-" average. A majority of learning professionals gave their LMS an A or B, with nearly half (45 percent) grading their LMS with a C, D or F.
#2: The top challenge for learning professionals and learners alike is poor usability. In fact, fully 25 percent of learning professionals felt that learners have an issue with usability. Beyond this, learning professionals also felt learners' top challenges are in their search for training, as well as general IT issues.
#3: Reporting and integration are still top LMS challenges. Beyond usability issues, learning professionals continue to report difficulties with their LMS' reporting and integration, just as they did in our 2007 and 2008 studies.
#4: Personalized learning plans are both the most frequently used advanced LMS feature and are also the most often selected "essential" feature of future LMS purchases. This underscores its importance and indicates that the LMS market is becoming more learner-friendly.
#5: The greatest differences between what learning professionals want and have in their LMS are in universal integration and integration with formal, informal and social learning. Combined with the finding that the lack of integration remains a top challenge, this represents an area where there is significant opportunity for the market to improve.
"This research encompasses some very telling information for learning technology providers as to what challenges need to be addressed to ensure happy customers," said Ramesh Ramani, founder and CEO of Expertus. "We weren't surprised to see the call for universal integration among different types of learning. Our customers and the greater marketplace are in tune with the importance of accessing informal, formal and social learning in one place."
"The industry dialogue about the future of the LMS has been quite rich recently and this research plays well into the questions people are asking," added Doug Harward, CEO of Training Industry, Inc. "This research not only takes a hard look at current learning technology issues, but also what learning leaders want to see in future iterations."
The survey was completed by 144 corporate and government training professionals in organizations with varying sizes throughout 22 industries. Technology companies were the largest industry represented with 19 percent of all survey-takers, followed by Education, Banking/Finance, Healthcare and Business Services/Consulting.
Last year, Expertus introduced ExpertusONE™ (www.expertusone.com), a revolutionary new social learning platform that brings together formal, informal and collaborative learning for all audiences across the enterprise -- employees, customers and channel partners.
For information on Expertus, please visit www.expertus.com or call Mike Murrell at 803-802-9971.
About Expertus
Expertus is the leading global provider of software that optimizes the business impact of learning. For more than a decade, the firm's 500+ learning management professionals have defined and implemented plans, processes and technologies that transform training organizations -- creating measurable value for the world's most successful corporations. Clients include ADP, Cisco, ConocoPhillips, EMC, Honeywell and Lockheed Martin. Every day at these and other companies, more than a million employees, customers and business partners are educated as a result of Expertus' innovative business strategies, outsourcing services and technology-rich solutions.
Based in Silicon Valley, Expertus serves its clients from offices in the US, UK and India. For more information, visit www.expertus.com, or call toll-free 1-877-827-8160.
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