Organizations often find themselves deciding between a content management system (CMS) and a learning management system (LMS) to host digital content. When it comes to the CMS vs. LMS comparison, there are multiple factors to consider. They have some similarities, but there are also key differences to keep in mind. We’ll review the differences, highlight tips for choosing which is best for you, and explore how an LMS for healthcare and continuing education can benefit professionals and organizations.
What Is the Difference Between an LMS and CMS?
The main difference between an LMS and a CMS is what they’re used for. An LMS is the best fit for delivering educational materials, while a CMS is best for building website pages and other digital content.
How Does a Learning Management System Work?
LMS platforms are used to manage online learning content and educational courses. For example, think of a continuing education course you might take to get a new certification in your field. Many online continuing education courses are hosted on an learning management system to help track learner progress, deliver materials, and create a step-by-step learning system.
How Does a Content Management System Work?
A CMS is a platform that helps you create, manage, and publish digital content, such as website pages. Think of platforms like WordPress or Shopify that help organizations build and customize a website to their liking.
Can You Use a CMS To Create Learning Materials?
A CMS usually isn’t recommended for creating and delivering educational courses. It requires a lot of development and effort to provide an effective learning experience with a CMS.
Instead, an LMS provides established software that’s built for learning-based content. An LMS will help you optimize online training by allowing you to easily create quizzes, deliver different types of content, and build interactive learning-based activities.
It’s great for organizations to have options that fit different needs. For instance, many associations and nonprofits will want to create a general-purpose website to talk about what they do, and have software that helps them create and deliver learning materials without a big learning curve. To support employee training needs across corporate and educational environments, many platforms now combine structured learning experiences, built in collaboration tools, and a user friendly interface to deliver online learning through high quality training programs and digital learning content. Both an LMS and a CMS can have their place and help you be successful.
What Is a CMS and Examples?
As mentioned, CMS platforms are built to help you create website pages and publish general online content.
For example, a nonprofit might use WordPress to build and publish a website that talks about its mission and provides general information about how community members can get involved. It’ll provide you with the tools you need for content creation, building a website that shows up on search engines, and displaying effective information about your organization.
What Are the Similarities Between a CMS and an LMS?
The main similarity between a CMS and an LMS is that they’re both options that can help you create, manage, and deliver digital content.
On top of that, many CMSs and LMSs are placing a greater focus on ease of use to help you create effective online content without needing a ton of training or technical skill. That includes integration with other tools, easy drag and drop customizability, and user management options that help you organize tasks.
While both may offer those features, it’s important to remember that they’re built with a specific purpose in mind. A CMS is great for general websites, while an LMS is great for learning materials. When you choose the right type of tool for your organization’s needs, you’ll be able to deliver effective digital content that engages your members and builds your community.
Which System Do Healthcare Organizations Need?
Healthcare organizations can benefit from both a CMS and an LMS, depending on what they’re looking to achieve.
When Should You Use a CMS for Healthcare?
Healthcare organizations should use a CMS when they’re building a website or want to publish general content such as blogs, podcasts, or videos. All of those elements can help establish a good online presence and show how you make patient care a priority.
When Should You Use an LMS for Healthcare?
Healthcare organizations can use an LMS for compliance training, continuing education, and maintaining professional certifications.
For example, our EthosCE healthcare LMS at Cadmium can help by offering automatic reporting and integration with major accrediting bodies, tracking learner progress, and providing reporting and analytics to assist with compliance needs throughout an organization. It provides a well-rounded system to organize the entire learning and training process.
Can You Use an LMS and a CMS Together for Online Training?
You can use an LMS and a CMS together to deliver structured training. A great way to do so is using your LMS to deliver your primary learning content and then using your CMS to publish supplementary blogs, videos, or podcasts. That way, any learners who would like more information have an option where they can find it.
You can also use your website to promote learning materials. For instance, a professional association might have a resources section on its website that lists relevant courses available. Then, anyone researching the association can navigate to the courses and find another reason why becoming a member is a great idea.
How Our Solutions at Cadmium Can Help
At Cadmium, our goal is to provide associations and nonprofits with the video, learning, and event technology they need to create impactful experiences that benefit their communities. Our EthosCE and Elevate LMSs both provide effective options that can help.
Elevate is our LMS built for associations and nonprofits. It can help organizations build and deliver continuing education options, no matter where professionals are in their careers or educational journeys. It includes AMS integration, social learning options, and the ability to create a full content library that helps you offer personalized learning options. Click here to learn more.
EthosCE is our LMS, which was built for healthcare organizations and associations. It provides tools that can help manage compliance requirements, credit and certification tracking, automated reporting with top accrediting organizations, and interactive learning options to help reinforce detailed healthcare training. Click here to learn more.
