June 16, 2008
Global Survey of eLearning Pros Finds Meridian Software on Top
By Eve Sullivan, TMCnet Editor
A global survey of eLearning professionals has found Meridian’s Learning Management Systems (LMS) software on top and found that LMS use varies by industry.
Pharmaceutical makers, for instance, tend to be the heaviest users of LMS software, with 87.5 percent stating they use a system. The smallest concentration of LMS users are local government, with 33.3 percent running an LMS.
On an 11-point scale – with one representing the best rating and 11 the poorest – Meridian scored first, second or third in 19 of 20 categories covered in the eLearning Guild’s report.
Survey respondents gave Meridian first place ratings for: ease of use for learners, ease of use for LMS administrators, integrating with LCMS (learning content management systems, support for different models of learning support for complex business process models, helping people perform their jobs better, support for talent management and support for immersive learning simulations.
“Employers buy LMS for different reasons. But the report clearly shows that if owning a system that’s easy for people to use is a top priority, then we believe Meridian’s LMS ought to be considered because it excels at this,” said Elizabeth Harris, partner and co-founder of Meridian. “Similarly, if any of the other 19 categories by which the eLearning Guild measured an LMS is important to an employer, then buyers owe it to themselves to evaluate Meridian.”
According to the Guild’s research team, large employers with tens of thousands of employees are often the harshest critics of LMS because so many users touch the software. Meridian, along with several of its competitors, caters to many of these large public- and private-sector employers. In spite of this, Meridian garnered above-average ratings - and in many cases top ratings - in categories such as usability and living up to promises.
“We view the Guild’s research much like the people’s choice award for e-Learning,” Harris said. “For 10 years, we’ve poured our energy into designing a cutting-edge LMS that keeps up with what employers truly need in the way of learning- and knowledge-management. I suppose the Guild’s research proves the race is not always to the swift.”
Steve Wexler, director of research and emerging technologies for the Santa-Rosa California-based eLearning Guild, said the Guild's 360° Report on LMS is the “most comprehensive vendor-neutral report ever published.”
“Because of the large number of fully-vetted responses, the findings in this report are a statistically accurate reflection of the tens of thousands of e-Learning professionals - designers, developers, and decision makers - that comprise the Guild.”
Meridian’s flagship product, Global LMS, integrates learning content management, workforce analytics, knowledge management and competency modeling in one LMS. In addition to Global LMS, the company provides professional services, courseware development and hosting services.
Meridian serves 4.5 million users at more than 200 public- and private-sector employers and its software is used by companies that range in size from 900,000 employees to less than 100 workers. Its clients include AutoZone, Panera Bread, Sodexho, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy, Whirlpool and more than 80 federal, state and local governments.
Eve Sullivan is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Eve’s articles, please visit her columnist page.
Meridian serves 4.5 million users at more than 200 public- and private-sector employers and its software is used by companies that range in size from 900,000 employees to less than 100 workers. Its clients include AutoZone, Panera Bread, Sodexho, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy, Whirlpool and more than 80 federal, state and local governments.
Eve Sullivan is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Eve’s articles, please visit her columnist page.
