Learning Management Systems are broken. Period.
It’s in the name – they exist to manage learning data and admin, but the need is a digital learning space where teachers and learners can interact.
Rather than being a glorified file storage platform, we’re designed to engage, educate and enable. In simpler terms, a platform for teaching and learning that is interactive, personalised and encourages active participation.
We’re the interface.
Moving on from digitisation of content and running admin tasks, we’re creating a technology-enabled space to enhance learning. To deal with the needs of the modern day learner, it is going to take more than a few UX tweaks on an existing LMS framework because these things are linear in nature and were designed for a different need. What is clear is that the LMS has been highly successful in enabling the administration of learning but less so in enabling learning itself.
The pedagogy itself needs to change.
If eLearning 1.0 was about getting content online – eLearning 2.0 is about using technology to enable learning. This is about bringing together teachers and learners through a native digital learning experience – not about an over-complicated platform with a ton of niche features.
We need to turn passive learners into active learners. We need to foster a community of learners. We need to personalise learning at scale. And where content is king, context is God so we need to make learning available when and where the learner needs it.
That’s why we built HowNow.
It’s in the meaning of our name – both a jovial greeting and a teaching technique in elocution. A nod to how we’re combining interaction with education to create a digital learning space where people can communicate, share ideas, teach and learn. The way we engage with content has changed across other consumer platforms i.e. Snapchat, Facebook, but it is yet to happen in education and this is where it matters.
So dear LMS, it was good while it lasted but it’s time to hang up your coat and enjoy retirement.
