Hi, I am looking into LMS administration as a career. I currently work in IT and also have an MS degree in Training Development. I feel this career path would best fit my long-term career goals.
I am looking into several LMS certifications (SAP SuccessFactors, Moodle, Canvas (Instructure). Any of them worth it?
3 Likes
A certification definitely adds to your profile, especially if you are starting new in this area. So recruiter might see that you are serious about that topic which might increase your chances for an interview.
Regarding the content of such courses - not sure. Most vendors provide extensive free courses and documentation to get acquainted to their product. Open source projects like Moodle also have a lot of information on forums, YouTube, etc. So I think what you gain extra as knowledge and skills in a certification vs self learning might be neglected.
I would probably look for a course that also teaches about learning theory and instructional design. If you are an LMS admin you might also need to advice trainers how to make best use of it to achieve the desired learning outcomes.
2 Likes
Thanks for the advice. My issue is, I’m not sure that I would be able to complete some of the vendor specific training without access to the platform (especially SAP and Canvas). A lot of these certifications assume that you are already using the tool.
My degree covered learning theories and instructional design, but I am definitely brushing up on my ID theory.
1 Like
In general most LMS have similar functionality. You organize departments, categories and courses. Set user registration, roles and permissions. Tailor the layout to the company’s CI. Create or upload training materials and learning interactions. So if you are not targeting a specific company you might go for a course of a popular LMS.
In the end you need to adapt to the LMS your employer has. And in advanced functionality the LMS might differ substantially, e.g. fine grained permissions, SSO, plugin installation, etc.
1 Like
Hands on experience is always more valuable than certification. If possible, try to gain more experience on the product.