Handbook: What is the distinction between LMS and LXP?

Enrichment Center Handbook: What is the distinction between LMS and LXP?

The education industry has a lot of confusing acronyms and terminology. If you're operating an enrichment center it's likely your technical staff will be familiar with all the lingo, however, managers, program coordinators, and administrative staff must all be on the same page.

Chances are your LMS is the heart and soul of your business. It’s an irreplaceable tool that helps to manage and deliver all your courses and programs and allows you to engage with students and parents. I’m sure you wouldn’t change it for the world. But say you begin to see the initials LXP appearing on educational forums. You might dismiss it as simply another trendy term, but then you see it in SaaS commercials and on the website of a competitor. Now that it's impossible to ignore. But what is a LXP? Read on to discover the ‘X’ in LXP is the secret ingredient to success.

What’s the Difference…?

This is every enrichment center CEO’s first question. Well, LXPs and LMSs are both eLearning solutions, and while there are many overlapping capabilities, it would be wrong to use LMS and LXP interchangeably. LXP stands for Learning Experience Platform and is far more than an upgraded version of an LMS.

A common analogy between LXPs and LMSs is that a LMS is like a TV, a great source of entertainment, but with limited functionality, and an LXP is like Netflix, it's still great TV, but it's more personable, it's able to suggest and curate a playlist based on your preferences.

I like to think of an LXP as ‘learning while working' and here’s why:

It focuses on delivering personalized and engaging learning experiences to users.

It is capable of using AI to recommend learning content based on the user's interests, preferences, and past learning.

It easily integrates social media to promote collaboration and knowledge-sharing.

Unlike an LMS, an LXP is designed to provide a continuous learning experience, the students are learning while they’re working on projects, or individual assignments, doing research, chatting to friends, and even playing online games.

How are they the same?

An LXP still provides all the tools that an LMS has and that an enrichment center needs:

It can easily enroll large quantities of students.

It provides tools to create and manage courses, add learning content, and set up assessments and quizzes.
It offers analytics and reporting tools to track user engagement and learning outcomes.

So while a LMS and a LXP are similar, the latter emphasizes user experience and is designed with a modern interface that is easy to navigate.

So, if you’re currently using an LMS for your business, then you can breathe a sigh of relief, there are enough crossovers between an LMS and an LXP to keep your business relevant and your clients happy…for now.

What do my Learners Need?

It’s always important to keep your clients in mind when choosing a Learning Management System. Students who benefit from structured and organized courses with clear goals and outcomes might prefer the LMS, while more creative students or exploratory students might prefer the LXP, which offers a more self-directed approach to learning. But one thing is for sure, LXPs' wide range of extra functionalities promotes engagement, collaboration, and personalization. All of which have been proven to improve test scores. Why not start leveraging the ability of an LXP to promote your business?

Competitive Benefits of an LXP

techtarget.com suggested an LXP ‘was born out of the shortcomings of LMS systems.’ What the LMS systems of old were lacking, LXP software developers were learning. LXP may seem like an upgrade, but I prefer to think of an LXP as a total transformation of an LMS. It’s a digital makeover that modern learners need.

In the old days ‘what your car says about you’ meant people were careful about what car they drove to work. People used to think of cars as extensions of themselves and their personalities, and you might think LMSs act as an extension of your business and your company branding. If so, you'd want your LMS, like a sports car, as flashy as possible.

While today's CEOs won't mind if you're driving a cheap car, they might care if you're using dinosaur LMS system to onboard their employees and using obsolete software to deliver their valued content. But rest assured, a modern LXPs aesthetic design and intuitive interface makes it a very attractive product to market to potential clients.

Where can I get one?

Nowadays, if you're in the market for a LXP chances are you’ll get a sophisticated LMS / LXP hybrid. On top of that you’ll want a secure system, that has live support and is cost-effective.

This can only be offered by a SaaS, or software as a service. Software companies are designing and creating LXPs with businesses and learners in mind.

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Final Thoughts

Educational institutions such as enrichment centers are reaping the benefits of an intuitive, student-centered, and personalized learning experience with the efficiency, security, and control of a traditional LMS. And without a doubt, the best LXP on the market right now is...

LearningOS by OOOLAB offers an all-in-one Learning Experience Platform that consists of a Virtual Classroom, an LMS, a Learning App, and all the other complementary features that you’d expect with an LMS, and more that you’ll discover with a LXP.