When building an e-learning strategy, it’s common to hear about Learning Management Systems (LMS) and Articulate 360. While both are essential for online learning, they serve different purposes. Understanding their unique functions helps in choosing the right solution for training and development.
This guide explains their differences, use cases, and how they complement each other.
What is a Learning Management System (LMS)?
A Learning Management System (LMS) is a software application designed to manage, track, and deliver online training courses. It plays a central role in workplace training and compliance programs by handling learner progress, training material, and reporting.
Some key functions of an LMS include:
- Tracking learner activity to measure engagement and performance.
- Delivering online training courses that meet e-learning standards like SCORM, AICC, and xAPI.
- Managing compliance training by ensuring employees complete mandatory learning.
- Providing administrative features such as user enrollment, quiz scores, and reporting tools.
- Issuing certificates of completion after successful course completion.
An LMS serves as a hub where organizations can store and deliver training while ensuring seamless integration with different authoring tools for content creation.
What is Articulate 360?
Articulate 360 is an authoring suite used to create interactive courses and engaging e-learning content. Unlike an LMS, which focuses on learner management, Articulate 360 is designed for course development and includes tools that support online course creation.
The main components of Articulate 360 include:
- Storyline 360 for highly interactive, slide-based courses with animations, branching scenarios, and simulations.
- Rise 360 for responsive course design that adapts seamlessly to desktops, tablets, and mobile devices.
- Review 360, a cloud-based collaboration tool that allows stakeholders to give context feedback on course drafts.
Since Articulate 360 does not track learner progress or generate completion reports, it must be used alongside an LMS to track course completions, learner activity, and assessment results.
Key Differences Between LMS and Articulate 360
While both LMS and Articulate 360 are essential for e-learning, they serve different purposes.
An LMS is focused on managing online training courses, tracking beyond completion, and monitoring learner progress. It provides an infrastructure to store, assign, and track training programs across an organization.
Articulate 360, on the other hand, is an authoring platform used to create engaging courses. It includes robust authoring capabilities that allow organizations to design interactive content, but it does not manage learners or track training outcomes.
One of the most important aspects of e-learning standards is seamless integration between Articulate 360 and an LMS. Content developed in Articulate 360 is exported as SCORM-compliant files or xAPI packages, which can then be uploaded into an LMS for tracking.
An organization that wants to create custom e-learning development will need Articulate 360, while one looking to manage learner activity and generate reports will require an LMS.
How Articulate 360 and an LMS Work Together
To ensure an efficient learner experience, many organizations use both an LMS and Articulate 360.
- Articulate 360 is used to create e-learning content, including training material for compliance reasons, product knowledge courses, and online training courses.
- An LMS hosts and delivers courses, tracks completion rates, and generates quiz scores to measure effectiveness.
- Courses developed in Articulate 360 are uploaded to an LMS, ensuring seamless integration for tracking and reporting.
For example, a company offering aviation training might use Articulate Storyline to create reality training simulators, then upload them to Cornerstone LMS for learner tracking.
This combination ensures high-quality eLearning content is developed while also allowing administrators to monitor learner activity and generate reports.
Use Cases: When to Use an LMS vs. Articulate 360
Organizations looking for training content development will benefit from Articulate 360, while those managing large-scale online training courses require an LMS.
For compliance training, an LMS is essential to track and report on employee completions. If the focus is on interactive courses with animations, quizzes, and simulations, then Articulate Storyline is the preferred option.
When delivering customer training, an LMS provides an effective way to assign and track online learning progress. If the goal is to create custom e-learning development for workplace training, Articulate 360’s industry-leading authoring apps are the best fit.
Organizations that need tracking beyond completion, such as in aviation industry computer-based training, require an LMS, whereas those focused on the creative process of course design will benefit more from Articulate 360’s robust authoring capabilities.
Frequently Asked Questions About LMS and Articulate 360
Can Articulate 360 replace an LMS?
No. Articulate 360 is an authoring suite for course creation. It does not provide learner progress tracking or administrative features like an LMS.
Can Articulate 360 be integrated with any LMS?
Yes! Articulate 360 supports SCORM LMS e-learning courses, AICC, and xAPI standards, making it compatible with most LMS platforms.
Is Articulate 360 a preferred option for tracking learner activity?
No. While it allows for course development, tracking is handled by an LMS. However, Articulate 360 offers cloud-based collaboration tools for reviewing content before publishing.
What makes Articulate 360 a powerful tool for e-learning?
Articulate 360 provides AI-enhanced authoring, interactive blocks, and pre-built templates to streamline course development, making it ideal for responsive e-learning authoring.
Which is better: LMS or Articulate 360?
It depends on the organization’s needs. An LMS is best for learner management, tracking completion of courses, and reporting, while Articulate 360 is ideal for creating custom courses with interactive content.
Final Thoughts: Choosing the Right Solution
For organizations focused on training course creation, Articulate 360 provides the necessary authoring tools to build engaging courses. However, to track learner activity, monitor completion of courses, and generate compliance reports, an LMS is required.
To maximize e-learning effectiveness, Articulate 360 and an LMS should be used together. Articulate 360 creates high-quality eLearning content, while an LMS ensures smooth delivery and performance tracking.
Organizations seeking cloud-based technologies for e-learning should look for custom integrations between Articulate 360 and their LMS to enhance both content development and learner management.
For seamless integration and world-class training delivery, combining Articulate 360 and an LMS is the best solution for modern e-learning.
