The Accord LMS is in the process of undergoing a remarkable transformation.  The first release of the ‘new’ Accord LMS will reach clients in the third quarter of 2021.  This article will provide a very high-level view of some of the changes.  Accord will be holding a few small group previews to solicit feedback from existing clients as we head into the home stretch for this project.  Please read to the end of this article for an invitation to participate.
 

 

What is changing?

The Accord LMS has an extensive feature set which affords our clients tremendous flexibility in executing their training objectives.  The breadth of options in the Accord LMS can be a bit overwhelming to new administrators until they get acclimated.  Our main goals with this update are to improve the ease of use, performance and aesthetics of our administrative tools while providing an experience  which remains familiar to any admins currently using the  system.  We have also  created a new Learner Template for those who  prefer to present courses and learning paths in a tiled layout.

 

Performance

Some of the new changes are not visible in the user interface.  The Accord Engineers have refactored our administrative module to take advantage of state-of-the-art software technologies which offer immediate and long-term benefits to our clients.  There will be several noticeable performance improvements in key areas of the system.

 
The first image below displays the load time of a page of data (e.g. the admin catalog) in a recent version of the Accord LMS compared with the same data being loaded in the upcoming version.  This data loaded in under 2 seconds on the current version.   This is a respectable load time, but the second image displays the same data loading in just 1/10th the time (less than .2 seconds).  This performance boost improves the experience for system Admins immediately and provides long-term scalability enhancements for our larger Accord Clients.
 

 

Ease of Use

The upcoming release includes a number of usability enhancements.  A few examples include:

• Sidebar Menu:  All main admin pages are immediately accessible without finding an ’Admin Menu’
• Two Column Design:  Easily distinguishes containers from contents.  Conceptually easier to understand and providing faster access to contents.  E.g. Folders/LEs, Role Groups/Roles, Teams/Learners.
• Drag and Drop LE Creation:  Simply drag Learning Content from your computer’s hard drive into the LMS to create a new Learning Element (LE).
• Smaller Context Menus:  Most LE and Folder options are now included directly in the Object’s Details, rather than an associated context menu.  The new layout makes it much easier to find frequently used options.
• Improved Search Results:  Admin search results will now appear in their own temporary folder, making them easier to see, move or copy.
   

This update includes usability improvements  for the Catalog, Learning Roles and Teams pages.  Following the Q3 release, we will continue building on these enhancements through the end of the year.  

 

Update Process

As we get closer to the release date, we will begin scheduling updates for our existing clients.  All new clients will receive the new version as it becomes the default version of the Accord LMS.  We think that most clients will be eager to make the transition, but anyone who needs a little extra time to coordinate with their team or get past a pressing training deadline can opt to delay the update.

 

Documentation Updates

The Accord Academy, Support Videos, and Support Documentation (user’s manuals) are all being rewritten and reproduced to support the Q3 release and beyond.  We will be providing shorter, more direct Support articles with easy links to related articles and supplementary information.  The Accord Academy will continue to contain some longer introductory videos that conceptually explain key LMS features but will then be supported by a series of shorter ’how-to’ videos targeted for specific tasks.

 

Client Previews

The Accord Product Development team is offering invitation-only previews of the technology, as well as a discussion about future projects on our developmental roadmap.  I personally invite all Accord LMS clients to attend one of these sessions.  Following the session, all attendees will be able to participate in two surveys to help us assess their impressions of the new system and share their organization’s preferences as it relates to prioritizing our future roadmap following this release.  To attend one of these sessions, please contact your Accord LMS Sales team.

There will be a limited number of sessions, so if you would like to participate and share your opinions, please schedule a session as soon as possible.

 

In Conclusion

The Accord team has completely refactored the Administrative Module  for the Accord LMS.  This free update will include many improvements, while maintaining all existing functionality.    Page Load speeds for data intensive pages  are significantly reduced, features  are easier to locate, and the new interface features attractive design elements.  A new learner template will be available to display contents in an appealing ‘tile format’, featuring prominent due-date reminders.  Existing clients can participate in a session to preview the new work and provide input on the direction of the Accord LMS Roadmap.  Sessions are being scheduled through your Accord LMS Sales Team.  Looking forward to seeing you there.