Choosing a Learning Management System With Built-in Content

School districts are adopting edtech tools to make life—and blended learning—easier for teachers, administrators and students alike. The benefits of using these tools are well documented, with flexibility, personalization and efficiency being just a few.

Likely one of the most heavily relied upon tools is the learning management system (LMS). An LMS brings dozens of features together under one umbrella, streamlining learning and improving the experience for those who use the platform. It can be a powerful tool for district leaders who want to collect insights easily, for teachers who want to reduce their workload while maintaining lesson quality and for students who want to move at their own pace and exercise their creativity.

Many educators use an LMS daily to teach. For some, that means uploading their own content to the platform and taking extra steps to align it to their states’ standards. But some LMS platforms come already loaded with content: material that is offered through the LMS by its provider and built directly into the platform, ensuring that it’s compatible from the get-go and easy to update along the way.

In this blog, we’ll look at the benefits of an LMS that comes with built-in content.

4 Ways That Built-in Content Makes Teaching and Learning Easier

District leaders, teachers and students alike have had to learn how to use a lot of new edtech tools over the past few years. Using a platform that combines several tools can be beneficial for all parties involved, leading to a smoother, more stress-free teaching and learning experience.

1. Less Tech-Focused Professional Development

Many teachers are feeling the weight of the rapid tech adoption we’ve seen over the past couple of years. Occupational burnout is a serious problem in the U.S.: According to a 2022 National Education Association survey, more than 50% of K-12 educators polled were considering leaving the profession sooner than anticipated.

Teachers have always done an incredible job of adapting to change, but relief is welcome. By choosing an LMS with built-in content, districts remove one thing from their educators’ plates. Instead of dealing with more edtech-related professional development needs, teachers are free to pursue opportunities that they find more meaningful and relevant. This can result in improved job satisfaction and even reduce burnout and turnover. When hiring new teachers or filling in for absences, having one less tech tool for new hires to learn is also beneficial.

2. More Streamlined Classrooms

K-12 students are resilient when it comes to adopting new technology, but that doesn’t mean everyone loves having unique logins for every edtech tool they use. Choosing an LMS that has built-in content can make the blended classroom more streamlined. It means at least one less login for students to remember and one less user interface to get familiar with; it means one less thing to check and one less thing to fall behind on. With fewer moving edtech pieces, it also makes it easier for districts to procure and maintain.

This streamlining also extends to teachers, who can focus on keeping one platform updated and have more time to spend teaching. When the content is all in one place, updates that were once a headache become automatic. The content within the LMS is created by educators and designed intentionally to align with standards, making it easy to customize for the classroom.

3. More Actionable Insights

One of the biggest benefits of built-in content is how easy it makes analysis. With all the information housed in one place, teachers can see whether their students are accessing the content and can take steps to steer them in the right direction when they’re not. Analytics can be harnessed to see what pieces of content students are using and which ones they aren’t, and to make adjustments on the fly. With localized content, district leaders are also able to see how learners in their district are progressing, allowing them to work toward identifying and filling any gaps in learning. That’s especially effective when it comes to literacy and numeracy goals.

This ability to improve on content that’s not grabbing students’ attention takes the guesswork out of content creation, which can improve engagement and lead to better teaching and learning experiences. Students who are more engaged are more likely to retain the information that they learn, improving the effectiveness of the lessons.

4. Fewer Platforms to Manage

By choosing an LMS that has native content, teachers save time by reducing the number of platforms they must learn and manage. With so many edtech tools on the market, having one less makes it easier for educators. It means one less product for teachers to learn themselves and one less product to help their students set up, maintain and troubleshoot.

The same goes for district leaders. Selecting a platform that combines an LMS and native content means fewer licenses to keep up to date. By supporting teachers with fewer things to add to their plates, districts enable them to focus on what matters most: teaching.

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Written by

Chase Banger

Chase Banger is a Content Marketing Specialist at D2L. An award-winning journalist and former communications specialist, he has a passion for helping people through education.