An industry known for its acronyms, Learning and Development (abbreviated L&D) includes a lengthy list of platforms such as SEP, IOL, LXP, and LMS. For most people, the difference between them is a tad confusing; however, the difference is simpler than most users realize. The Learning Experience Platform (abbreviated as LEP or LXP) and the Learning Management System (LMS) both come down to who controls the learning journey and the content.
The following article will break down the major differences between the two systems.
LMS vs. LEP/LXP
- Learning Experience Platform (LEP or LXP): a platform with aggregated and curated content for personalized learning experiences.
- Learning Management System (LMS): an industry term that a majority of people think of for training platforms that takes a traditional approach to tracking, delivering, and housing training content.
Content Control
In a Learning Management System, the administrator controls all of the content, such as a trainer, a person on a leadership team, or in HR. An individual makes the courses available to learners by uploading them into the system.
The person is also responsible for approving posts generated by users prior to them appearing in the system. If someone has a question about the training materials they are learning about, the administrator must approve it before everyone else can see it. The administrator is similar to a dam in that they control the flow and volume of content, and hold back anything that’s deemed nonessential. An admin has complete control over the content in an LMS system.
On the other hand, everyone curates the content in a Learning Experience Platform. HR representatives, front-desk team members, and field sales representatives can all post something because LXPs are designed to be aggregators of content. It’s a catchall for content that a team deems to be valuable.
Content is less curated with LXPs than with an LMS. This makes them more open.
Because anyone in the system is allowed to add content, an LXP can contain a wealth of user-generated content, along with external resources and internal training. LXPs in this way can adopt additional interaction among learners and house a wider variety of content. For instance, someone might leave a comment on some helpful training that was useful to them, or could possibly include a link to a URL with some new information they learned. When another person logs into their account, they’ll see the URL or comment and engage with the other learner, because it came from someone else in the same role. Therefore, it will be validated by another person who has the same job as the other learner and has similar needs.
When people take into account that 70%-90% of learning happens in an informal environment such as on-the-job or peer-to-peer, it’s not surprising that natural social engagement in an LXP has given this platform some serious traction.
The Learning Journey: Who Controls It?
The journey and the content are closely related as one might imagine. Someone else creates the learning journey, just like the content in an LMS system. Whatever the learner experiences is curated carefully by the administrator.
What this means is that LMS learners follow a map of what courses they’re expected to take, with a timeline on when they’re supposed to take them. For instance, in the first quarter, employees may do required training on security. In the second quarter, they may do another training regarding harassment. This predetermined path is carefully laid out in front of them. All they need to do is complete each milestone until they eventually reach the finish line. The positive side about this is that learners know all of the steps they need to take, as well as when they must be completed. An administrator can see if a learner has or hasn’t finished the required training in terms of compliance. If anyone isn’t compliant for any reason, it’s pretty easy to see and can be addressed relatively quickly.
In contrast, LXPs lack a clear demarcation and instead focus on the actual learning process. The reason for this is because discovering one’s passions, their skills, and themselves is what the entire journey is about in an LXP. These platforms give learners greater freedom to pursue the areas that interest them the most, which gives LXPs a more personalized approach to learning and is a current growing trend among certain industries.
LXPs allow learners to navigate all of the available content and choose which topics they would like to learn about. This type of learning is self-directed, which is essentially what personalization is truly about. The benefits of this type of personalization are that users will become more engaged with the content they’re learning about because the topics are on things they want to learn, rather than tasks that must be completed by a certain date.
LMSs, essentially, are best suited for required training such as compliance. In order for learners to be successful, they must complete predetermined specific steps. With LXPs, learners are the captains of their own vessels. They’re focused more on seeking out professional development and personal areas of interest, which is why LXPs are driven by experience while LMSs are driven by checking mandatory boxes and keeping employees compliant.
LMS systems give administrators complete control, while LXPs give learners complete control over their personal destinies.
This matters, because in the current market, learners are used to having lots of available information when they need it. There are podcasts available that align with peoples’ interests, news that focuses on topics people care about, and experts who share their interests. Compliance training won’t go away entirely, but it’s clear that the upsurge in personalized content cannot be ignored.
How can users decide which platform works best for their needs?
There is no one-size-fits-all learning platform. Therefore, it’s important for an organization to allow a person’s needs to control the kind of learning platform they decide to use. A majority of businesses are required to have mandatory training such as compliance, but they also want learners to have independent access to materials that align with their own unique personal development and curiosity.
All companies should consider having LMSs and LXPs available to each of their learners.