The Evolution of LMS: From Testing Machine to Cademi
The recent boom in EdTech might mean that you’re seeing the term “LMS” for the very first time. However, Learning Management Systems have a history that spans almost 100 years, each one attempting to revolutionise the personal learning sphere using the best that technology has to offer. This blog post takes you through the evolution of educational technology, stopping to celebrate some key innovators of the past as we go.
The daddy of digital learning might be said to be psychologist and progenitor of educational machinery, Sidney Pressey. Writing in 1933, Pressey’s proto-EdTech vision is one that we share at Cademi today:
“There must be an industrial revolution in education, in which educational science and the ingenuity of educational technology combine to modernize the grossly inefficient and clumsy procedures of conventional education.”
Of course, 1933 was a long time ago. And Pressey didn’t have the digital technologies of the 21st century we have to play with today. The digital world has opened up countless possibilities to realise Sidney’s vision, and once we’ve passed through what EdTech innovation meant to decades past, I’ll show you the future of eLearning (hint: it’s Cademi).
The Stone Age: Sidney L. Pressey's Testing Machine
While it might not look like a technological innovation by today’s standards, Sidney Pressey’s Teaching Machine was a state-of-the-art piece of kit for the mid-1920s. And, to give him credit, if it weren’t for the teaching machine, there might be no such thing as an LMS. Not a bad claim to fame, eh?
The machine would ask the student a series of multiple-choice questions, and the learner pressed the key that corresponded to their chosen answer. what distinguished the Teaching Machine from a textbook-style question and answer format was that it was able to give (a sort of) feedback.
The clever idea was to fix the machine so that it would not progress to the next question until the student selected the right answer. It might sound like watching paint dry, but eventually, the student would learn the correct answer by process of elimination. Whatever you think of the limitations to this system, this was the very first example of a machine which could be said to teach. And, it worked- at least for simple memory questions such as facts and figures.
But obviously, if you’re solving a maths problem and are told that you’re wrong with no explanation as to how, even a monkey could get the answer right and would have learned nothing in the process.
1929- M.E. LaZerte
M.E. Lazerte was inspired by Pressey’s Teaching Machine and decided to develop it further. Their systems not only “knew” the answers to the questions posed, but also paid attention to the steps the students followed to get there.
This really was a simple yet genius solution to the limitations of Pressey’s device. LaZerte’s Problem Cylinder was a mechanical device which checked that the student had followed the process taught by system. Not only was this insanely innovative for the time, but frankly you could say that this is better than some modern-day eLearning platforms at teaching more complex topics.
Although brilliant in principle, M.E. Lazerte’s machines were limited to the technology of the time. Only small sections of the learning process could be automated, and the machines were prone to malfunctioning.
Over the 1930s right up until the 50s, slight developments were made to the learning machines, but no major breakthroughs. I guess we had more pressing issues on our mind (i.e., blowing each other up).
Although they didn’t change the game, a special mention goes to Gordon Pask and Robin Mckinnon-Wood's SAKI- a learning machine which automatically adjusted the difficulty of its questions based on the learner’s performance. This meant that the machine was slightly more individualised, although there was still no option for instru
1960: PLATO- True LMS
Then PLATO came along and blew everything out of the water. In LMS terms, 1960 was The Big Bang. Although introduced some 60 years ago, every LMS has its roots in PLATO.
In fact, the very term Learning Management System was coined to describe the PLATO system. What makes it stand out, and ever-so-slightly comparable to the LMS platforms of today, is that it was the first to give organisations the ability to set their own learning content, and monitor the progress of their learners all in one place.
These features aren’t even offered by all modern-day LMSs- so make sure you have your wits about you to avoid the platforms offering features which have been available for half a century.
Today’s eLearning software
immeasurably. Nowadays, any eLearning platform worth its salt can not only provide tailored learning on a mass-scale, but also enable the learner to access their course content whenever and wherever they wish. Here are some definitions to tell the modern-day eLearning systems apart:
LMS- Learners are assigned courses by their course tutors (often educators or employers). These courses are designed manually and uploaded to the LMS platform.
LXP- Learner Experience Platforms are the standard eLearning platforms of the modern day. With an LXP, the learner can access their content from various devices and at whatever time they choose. Moreover, the learner can choose their own educational content to learn whatever they feel would benefit them.
HLP- The future
LXPs have been the standard of eLearning for almost 10 years now. With demand for upskilling beyond the specific requirements of your job rising year on year, what the world is crying out for is an on-demand resource for whatever aspects of your life you wish to develop. And it’s here.
The Holistic Learning Platform (HLP) is the future of learning. HLPs not only provide you with a comprehensive selection of elearning modules on everything from sales skills to wellness, but the platform gets to know you to tailor your learning content to your own interests and requirements.
The HLP’s innovative combination of psychometric testing and Artificial Intelligence optimises your learning to your own personality and learning style.
What makes an HLP holistic is its focus on your human development as a whole. The HLP recognises that if your mental fitness isn’t at its best, your learning and development will suffer. And with the mental health crisis growing to new heights since the pandemic, it's crucial that your team have access to a suite of mental health and wellbeing tools available from any of their devices at the point of need.
Despite the century-long evolution of learning management systems, it seems that its progressed has gone stale for so many eLearning platforms. In many cases, employer eLearning has become a tickbox exercise. Have you done the learning? Tick. It’s just pointless. HLPs enhance your learning using the scientifically-proven methods devised by the top educational psychologists. An example of this is Microlearning, the most simple and effective method of learning for retention and engagement. Such forward-looking is standard across an HLP to ensure that your staff actually develop with their LMS.
To find out how Cademi, the first and only Holistic Learning Platform designed for SMEs for upskilling and personal development, will take your business into the future of learning, book a demo here.