Oracle tops in online learning contest

Oracle iLearning, Oracle`s enterprise learning management system (LMS), was chosen as the best overall solution for small to medium-sized implementations, following its success in a recent competition devised by Brandon Hall, an independent research and advisory firm specialising in e-learning technology.

The competition, a feature of this year`s Online Learning Conference in the US, involved a real-world scenario of implementing an LMS for a company of 250 users.

Competing against nine other products, Oracle iLearning was ranked as the top LMS for its ease-of-use, content loading, classroom management, collaboration capabilities and pricing.

Commenting on Oracle`s success in the competition, Wynand du Plessis, education director of Oracle University in South Africa, says LMSs are gaining acceptance among organisations.

"Companies today need a complete infrastructure to manage, deliver and track training participation of employees, customers and partners in both online and classroom based environments," he says.

"This is particularly relevant in SA where an LMS is becoming a key enabler for companies to comply with the requirements of the changing and complex labour legislation.

"For example, companies that contribute, via levy, to the Skills Development Fund need to have a detailed record of their training activities, in order to provide the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) with the necessary information to process reimbursement claims and grants for SETA-approved courses and training schemes."

Du Plessis notes that an LMS should not been seen as an option for large corporates alone, but as a cost-effective management solution for all companies - irrespective of size - with a multi-faceted training programme.

"Given our existing reputation for scalability and enterprise application integration, Oracle iLearning is ideally positioned for small and medium-sized standalone LMS implementations," adds Du Plessis

"We are positioning Oracle iLearning as an option for customers of all sizes as well as those who wish to grow and integrate their LMS implementations gracefully over time without the cost and risk of switching vendors midstream," he concludes.

* Oracle iLearning is offered as an integrated component of the Oracle E-Business Suite or as a standalone solution. It may be installed at the customer`s site or as an outsourced service, eliminating the need for complex installation and ongoing software maintenance.