#LMS #EnterpriseLMS #LearningTechnology #LMSSelection #CorporateTraining #DigitalLearning #EdTech
Eight years ago, I argued that a modern Learning Management System was about far more than delivering and tracking e-learning. Revisiting that argument in 2026, I’m surprised by how much still holds true. But generative AI is now taking the evolution of the LMS in a significant new direction.
The question is no longer simply what an LMS can manage, but how much of the learning design and development process it can now support.
Could your expertise become an online learning business?
AI and modern learning platforms are opening new opportunities for consultants, trainers and subject experts. We can help you turn your ideas into a practical online learning business.
In January 2018, I published a series of articles examining Learning Management Systems (LMSs), what they did, how they differed and what organisations should consider when selecting one.
At the time, I was concerned that the term Learning Management System was being used rather loosely. Many products described as LMSs were essentially systems for hosting, delivering and tracking online courses.
There was nothing inherently wrong with that functionality, but it represented only a fraction of what a comprehensive learning management system could offer.
I also made a distinction between three broad categories of LMS: workplace, academic and commercial.
Although these systems shared much common functionality, their underlying objectives were often quite different.
A workplace LMS might focus on developing organisational competence, managing compliance and supporting employee development. An academic LMS would typically be concerned with course administration, teaching, assessment and student progress. A commercial LMS needed to support organisations selling learning products and services to paying customers.
Those distinctions remain relevant today, although the boundaries between the categories have become increasingly blurred.
My central argument in 2018 was that the more sophisticated learning management systems were evolving into integrated environments supporting a much wider range of learning and development activities.
Learning content management and delivery were only part of the picture.
Assessment, competence modelling, learning needs analysis, individual development planning, learner administration, certification, reporting and collaborative learning were all becoming part of the LMS environment.
I developed the following schematic to illustrate that broader functionality.
Looking at it again eight years later, I’m struck by how well it has stood the test of time.
The diagram identified seven functional components grouped into five broader areas:
Learning Content Management – managing learning resources and making them accessible to learners.
Learning Delivery – providing access to online learning, classroom activities and other learning experiences.
Course and Event Administration – scheduling activities, managing bookings and administering learners and instructors.
Learning Records and Assessment – assessing competence, recording achievements, managing certification and analysing learning outcomes.
Team Learning and Collaboration – supporting the social and collaborative aspects of learning.
The important point wasn’t that these functions were new. Many had existed independently for years.
What was changing was their integration into a single learning management environment.
And this integration offered significant benefits. Organisations could begin to connect learning needs with development activities, assessment outcomes and evidence of improved competence.
The LMS was becoming much more of a learning ecosystem rather than just a repository for online courses.
The framework groups LMS functionality into several major domains.
In many respects, the original model remains valid. Organisations still need to identify learning needs, develop competence, deliver learning activities, assess achievement, maintain records and evaluate results.
The underlying requirements haven’t changed dramatically.
What has changed is the technology available to meet them. And the most significant recent development is undoubtedly generative artificial intelligence.
Much of the discussion about AI in learning and development has focused on its ability to generate content: creating text, images, video, quizzes and even complete online courses.
But I think that rather understates its potential impact on the LMS.
Generative AI is changing learning management systems in two distinct ways.
These are related developments, but they are not the same thing.
A good example of the way in which AI is changing LMS functionality is in the area of assessment. Traditional online assessment has generally relied on predetermined questions, answers and scoring rules.
Generative AI opens up opportunities for more flexible assessment approaches, including conversational questioning, personalised feedback, evaluation of written responses and activities that adapt to the learner’s demonstrated understanding.
This doesn’t mean conventional assessment methods will disappear. Nor does it mean that AI-generated assessment can always be trusted without human oversight.
But it does considerably extend the range of assessment activities that can be supported within a learning platform.
Similar developments are taking place across other areas of LMS functionality:
Learning content management: AI can help classify, organise and retrieve learning resources, making it easier for learners to find relevant material.
Learning delivery: AI tutors and conversational learning assistants can provide explanations, answer questions and support learners as they work through learning activities.
Learning administration: AI can assist with routine administration, learner communications, scheduling and support enquiries.
Learning records and reporting: AI can help interpret learning data, identify patterns in learner performance and highlight potential gaps in knowledge or competence.
Team learning and collaboration: AI can support group discussions, summarise contributions, facilitate collaborative activities and help learners explore different approaches to solving problems.
None of these developments fundamentally changes the purpose of the original LMS components.
They change how those components operate and what they are capable of achieving.
Of course, the degree to which these capabilities are available varies considerably between platforms. Some are already being implemented, while others remain emerging opportunities rather than established functionality.
This, to me, is the more fundamental development.
Traditionally, the design and development of learning experiences have largely taken place outside the LMS.
Instructional designers, subject matter experts and content developers would analyse learning requirements, define objectives, structure programmes and create learning activities using specialist tools.
The finished content would then be published into the LMS for delivery, administration and tracking.
That separation between authoring tools and learning management systems has been a defining characteristic of the e-learning industry for many years.
But the distinction is becoming increasingly blurred.
Generative AI is enabling learning platforms to incorporate capabilities that previously required separate specialist authoring and development applications.
These include:
Analysing learning requirements and identifying potential learning objectives.
Developing curriculum structures and learning pathways.
Designing individual lessons and learning activities.
Generating text, images, audio, video and other learning resources.
Creating interactive learning experiences.
Developing assessment questions and activities.
Revising and adapting learning materials for different audiences and levels of knowledge.
This is more than adding an AI content generator to an LMS.
It represents the integration of another major learning and development function into the platform itself. And it’s a development I’ve been exploring first-hand through my recent work with modern learning platforms.
Increasingly, I can design, create, deliver and assess learning activities within the same environment, without necessarily having to rely on a separate authoring application.
There are still limitations, and specialist tools remain valuable, particularly for more complex or highly customised learning experiences.
Nevertheless, the direction of travel is becoming clear.
The LMS is evolving from a system that manages learning into one that can also help design and create it.
So how should we update the schematic I created in 2018?
I don’t think we should discard the original model. The core components remain relevant.
Instead, I would make two changes.
The first would be to introduce Curriculum and Learning Experience Design as an additional functional component alongside the existing areas of learning management.
The second would be to recognise Generative AI as an enabling capability operating across the entire platform. AI is not simply another isolated subsystem. It has the potential to influence almost every part of the learning management environment, from the initial analysis of learning needs through to content creation, delivery, assessment, learner support and evaluation.
This updated model reflects both continuity and change.
The fundamental learning and development functions identified in 2018 remain in place.
But the scope of the integrated platform is expanding, and the technology supporting its individual components is becoming considerably more sophisticated.
In some organisations, the answer may well be yes.
AI is already changing the economics of learning content development. Tasks that previously required specialist instructional designers and developers can increasingly be undertaken by subject matter experts, trainers and other staff using generative AI tools. Some organisations are already responding by reducing their instructional design teams.
As AI-assisted curriculum and learning experience design becomes integrated into the LMS itself, this trend is likely to accelerate.
But there is an important distinction between reducing the need for instructional designers and removing the need for effective instructional design.
There is a considerable difference between generating learning content and designing an effective learning experience. Producing a course outline, a series of lessons and a set of assessment questions is relatively straightforward with today’s generative AI tools. Determining whether those activities will actually help learners develop the required knowledge, skills and competence is another matter entirely.
Effective learning design requires an understanding of the learners, their existing knowledge, the environment in which learning takes place and the performance outcomes we are trying to achieve.
It also involves making decisions about motivation, engagement, practice, feedback and the transfer of learning into real-world performance.
AI can support many of these activities, sometimes very effectively. But the quality of the results still depends on the information, direction and judgement brought to the process.
As generating learning content becomes easier and faster, the challenge increasingly becomes distinguishing effective learning design from merely plausible-looking content.
The role of the instructional designer may change considerably, and organisations may need fewer people performing that role. But the underlying expertise remains valuable — whether it is provided by a specialist, a knowledgeable practitioner or increasingly supported by AI itself.
Eight years ago, I suggested that the term Learning Management System was already struggling to describe the full range of functionality offered by more sophisticated platforms.
Today, that observation seems even more relevant.
We are seeing the continued integration of learning administration, delivery, assessment, competence management, collaboration and reporting.
Now we’re adding curriculum design, content creation and increasingly sophisticated AI-enabled learning experiences.
The boundaries between the LMS, the authoring tool and other learning technologies are becoming less distinct.
Does that mean the term LMS is becoming obsolete? Perhaps. But I’m not particularly concerned about what we call these platforms. What matters is what they enable organisations and learners to achieve.
Looking back at my 2018 article, I’m pleased that the original model remains so relevant.
The evolution I described then hasn’t stopped. Generative AI is accelerating it and extending it into new areas.
The future of the LMS isn’t simply about managing learning more efficiently. It’s about bringing the design, creation, delivery, support and evaluation of learning into a more integrated environment.
And that, I think, is a development worth watching.
Choosing a platform becomes significantly easier when the delivery model, commercial structure, and operational capacity are clearly defined.
If you are currently comparing platforms and would benefit from a structured, independent evaluation before committing time or budget, you can learn more about our LMS Consultancy Services here:
Thinkific LearnWorlds LearnDash Kajabi Tutor LMS Evolve
Profile Learning Technologies has affiliate agreements with some LMS platforms mentioned above. This does not affect the price you pay. Recommendations are based on real-world evaluation experience.
Be assured we only sign agreements with products we know and trust!