LMS vs CMS vs LCMS

A lot many times you would have noticed learning professionals using terms like LMS, CMS & LCMS interchangeably; referring to LMS when they actually talk about CMS and vice-versa. Sure, there is a bit of a confusion still around and most of us will continue to be puzzled as these jargon not just rhyme well but also have a lot of similarities in terms of their offerings and domain they belong to.

Also, I have often come across different connotations for the acronyms like for example - CMS stands for Content Management System while some call a Course Management System as a CMS. So, there is a lot of ambiguity floating around and I decided to do a bit of research and put up a small differentiation chart or a table which highlights the features of a LMS vs CMS vs LMCS. But lets first see what each of these acronyms mean —

• LMS: Learning Management System
• CMS: Content Management System or Course Management System
• LCMS: Learning Content Management System. Technically speaking, LCMS is a combination of LMS and CMS so in short, LCMS = LMS + CMS.
• VLE: Virtual Learning Environment
• BLMS: Blended Learning Management System
• DMS: Document Management System
• ECMS: Enterprise Content Management System (for intranets, etc.)
• WCMS: Web Content Management System

As is evident from the definitions above, LMS is basically focused on managing the learning while CMS in managing the content primarily while LCMS combines best of both the worlds and allows you to manage not just the content but the progress of the learner as well. The table below will provide you with insight into the features of each of these systems —

	LMS	CMS
Primary Application	Learner Progress Tracking	Content Authoring, Hosting
Typical End Users	Teachers Instructors Students Learners	Web Masters Authors
Main Features, Components	Course Catalog Learner Progress Tracking & Reporting Assessment Scoring & Certification SCORM, AICC, Common Cartridge Compliance Performance Analysis & Measurement User & Role Management	Content Authoring & Management Template-driven Content Creation Collaborative Content Development Workflow Support for Localization & Internationalization
Variations Available	VLE BLMS	ECMS Web CMS DMS
Use this when you need to …	have a centralized course repository track learners’ progress using advanced learning & assessment methodologies	create & manage content online author content collaboratively focus on content creation primarily without worrying about the presentation layer

Hope you enjoyed reading this article and it helped clear some of the misconceptions.