Four Features Every Knowledge Management System Should Have

The internet hasgrown in many socially-empowering ways over the past decade—from email toFacebook to Netflix. Each of these innovations increasingly empowers us as peopleto collaborate in novel ways, attempt to solve problems, or be morecompetitive. As our access to new research increases, and the ability to authorpersuasive and stunning content becomes easier, it should be clear toorganizations that the best knowledge transfer and knowledge retention systemsare not only digital but online and collaborative. Choosing an effective knowledgemanagement system is not an easy task. There are countless knowledge managementsystems, each with their own features. However, there should be a small set ofkey features that ideal knowledge and learning management systems possess.

Knowledge transfercan be both satisfying and necessary in a competitive environment. eLearning-facilitatedcompliance training should not be overlooked or underestimated, but thought ofas an opportunity for companies to train and refresh their employees withuseful skills that can save the day in an emergency. eLearning systems are afraction of the cost of traditional training or educational venues, but offerthe same level of professionalism expected from real world institutions. Authorsof eLearning systems are building their own personal brand based on the uniquepersonal successes which they are able to attain from successful interactionswith their students. In other words, the success of your training has neverbeen as important as it is to the eLearning instructors and authors who arerelying on your success to establish their brand.

The question mustthen be asked—what are the core features on which we can evaluate eLearning andknowledge management systems? With social media services such as Goodreads toevaluate books and eReaders, LinkedIn to evaluate skill matches to a jobposting, and Facebook to match personal interests, it only makes sense thatthere should be a way to evaluate eLearning systems. There are four keyindicators that organizations can use to assess eLearning management systems:(1) accessibility, (2) collaboration, (3) customization, and (4) recognition.

Accessibility

You get your newson your tablet. You can check your social media on your phone, and work on yourlaptop. More people in the world today have a smart phone than possess acomputer. Even in a place where everyone has both, and possibly a tablet aswell, it is preferable to have a system that provides a similar experience onyour phone, tablet, or computer so that you can decide which device makes youmost comfortable. The People Matter Institute put it best when they saidthat eLearning should be available anytime, anywhere.

Customization

The content you aredelivering should be customizable and adaptable. If your employees are makinggreat videos that could help others learn more effectively, upload them to youreLearning courses. A benefit with eLearning is that it does not need to be atthe same pace, style, or place as traditional learning. Course authors can adoptnew technologies to create stunning graphics, or write in a more coherentmanner to attract their audiences. Learners can also choose how and where theyinteract with courses in terms of accessibility, and through the multimodalityof the media with the course. Research from Cisco demonstrates that learning through multimodalapproaches is more effective than traditional learning. The instructor couldeven read the content to the user through pre-recorded audio files, or recordan entire course with video and share it in segments with their audiencethroughout the course.

Collaboration

Learning is aninstinctively social trait. There not only needs to be a process for youremployees to demonstrate and apply what they are learning, there also needs tobe a process to evaluate and cater towards improving the training. Trainingwith an eLearning management system also provides opportunity for people tocollaborate at work. This can improve how they interact with the material andsolve problems. Even LinkedIn integration or Twitter can help trainees network,collaborate, and increase adoption of the eLearning service.

Recognition

Recognition is important. Not only do somepeople want to receive a certificate showcasing their success, butcertification is a great way to prove that individuals have completed training.In some instances, certification can be a legal measure to demonstrate that anemployee’s training complies with the law. A great eLearning platform shouldhave an ability to not only show who is enrolled in courses, but who has fullycompleted a course, and which people are out of compliance.