Understanding Learner Behavior

To ensure success in your Learning Management System (LMS), you really should spend time to understand the learner's behavior.

The objective of setting up a LMS is to provide a useful environment, web-based application and/or mobile web apps, in today's language, for your learner to be more comfortable to learn. Unlike in most of the content management system (CMS), people tend to be reactive in viewing the content in that CMS database. If there is any article might relate to the learner's work, CMS user will just read it, but not to (a) identify the correctness of contents, nor (b) consequently apply to his/her work. It is similar like Exchange Traded Funds (ETF), those users just follow the index and allocate similar proportion in their portfolio.

However, learners in LMS should be different. They should have a similar activity, like greatest mutual fund managers, aiming to produce long-term, market-beating returns. As a result, these engaged learners would actively seek any available courses in associated LMS (and make course registration) (Note 1).There are times those learners would

• Discuss with the instructors how a learner's homework being graded? (this refers to "the Relationship with Self")
• Build close relationship with the administrators, by asking list of upcoming courses (free online courses/MOOCs) (this can be described as "Relationship with the Curriculum")
• Make feedback to the learning contents (typos or grammar questions), topics can be (in depth) explored and elaborated
• Seek opportunity to get exam voucher codes, in order to take exams for cheaper price or no pricing
• Be curious about how other students are doing? Are they downloading the learning contents? When did other people submit their assignment, even require clarification why home work grade being assigned (this can be explains by "Relationship with Others")
• Contribute business strategies and tactics to get students enablement in your LMS 

Of course, any readers can claim that this type of progressive learning activities are extra-ordinary, but not seen in their students profile. However, once you have realized significant achievements in your contents (well-established) and offered noticeable customer service, word-of-mouth marketing will be participated from your learners.

Note 1: Self enrollment is one of the features being provided in Moodle. Despite "Manual enrollment" is set by default, the Site Administrator is able to activate "Self enrollment (Student)" function, to ensure courses are open to the generate public (or target audience). The following diagram is an sample configuration page in Moodle.

Quiz Review: In some of the enterprise LMS, it is a common practice to allocate user into groups. Characters of groups might relate to "Same Dept." "Same Job Title" "Year of Service". As far as "Self enrollment" feature is concerned in your LMS, are you planning to create groups and assign users into groups? As such, a specific learning course will only "Open House" to named groups for course enrollment. If so, what would be the configuration steps in your LMS?