New Information and Communication Technologies have been introduced in the educational sector and are widely used in the entire range of human activities, offering new ways of communicating and learning. In the world of education, the main challenge is how, out of a vast ocean of information, useful data can be transformed into actionable and useful information for educators and education leaders.
Two major systems have emerged as the standard IT infrastructure for organizations that need to digitalize academic and backend processes and offer distance learning: the Student Information System (SIS) and the Learning Management System (LMS).
What is a Student Information System (SIS)?
Student Information system (SIS) also known as School Management System (SMS) serves as a software application and stands out as a fundamental element in a school’s digitalization. The main purpose of a Student Information System (SIS) is to manage and collect students’ information throughout their educational lifecycle and improve the efficiency of the institution’s data management. An SIS collects all teachers’ and students’-related data and stores them secured in a unified database. It is a system equipped with added features and modules that improves student-parent-teacher communications and enriches the learning environment.
What is a Learning Management System (LMS)?
The platforms for digital learning or else, Learning Management Systems are the basic software infrastructure for e-learning and for distance learning environments. LMSs are integrated software systems that include various tools for educators and administrators such as course management, student assessments, communication and collaboration tools, and management. All levels of education (K-12 and Higher Education) can implement an LMS to their structure and offer various advantages to their students while removing spatial and temporal constraints in the learning process.
Why do Schools Implement a Student Information System (SIS) and a Learning Management System (LMS) Bundle?
To begin with, it is very helpful to know what functionality each system offers. This will help you understand how the two systems cooperate and how integration decreases complexity. An SIS is more of a database that holds student-related data while LMS assists as an academic tool that focuses on easy learning for students. Both systems serve distinct purposes but when combined they can provide schools with αν end-to-end management infrastructure.
The information that is created on LMS is also used for the SIS and vice versa. That means that any type of information such as records of grades, scores, and more can all be stored in both systems without having to transfer data manually.
So why do schools employ an SIS as well as an LMS? The overall reason is that it benefits both the school administration and the students, including their parents, in 7 different ways:
It Tracks Student’s Academic Progress in Real-time
Having a fully customizable rating system offers your educators various custom criteria to define multiple grading structures per class or department. Keep records of students’ daily performance evaluation with numeric or descriptive marks and comments. Provide your school with various ways to automatically grade students, lessons, and scoring periods, and have your students informed of their up-to-date academic progress at any time.
Provides an Advanced Attendance System
Allow your teachers to use various methods to keep track of attendance, per each student or massively, and to navigate through attendance records by date, time, and subject. Your students and their parents can have an overview of their absences through their personalized dashboards and can always stay informed with the help of automated notifications and SMS/email messages.
Improves Security
Most of today’s SIS software is cloud-based, which is a better option that the on-premises systems for a number of reasons. Firstly, cloud-based systems provide easier settings, adapt instantly to environment changes, complete updates with a minimum hash, and it is accessible anytime from anywhere. Provide your institute with a reliable data management environment and allow your IT managers to manage data safely.
Unlocks In-depth Insights
With an SIS system, your school can have access to much more in-depth data to start making informed decisions. Administrators and teachers can have an overview of how each student is interacting with courses, how much time they’re spending on assignments and their grades. Allow educators to gain insight into their students’ progression as well as more in-depth information on classroom behavior, attendance, and more. Provide your school with insights that boost efficiency, simplify workflows, and take education to new heights.
Easily Switch to a Distance Learning Environment
With the proper platform integration like MS Teams, you allow your educators to easily switch to a distance learning environment according to common curriculums. Supply your organization with a workspace for real-time communication, sessions, and file sharing. All from a single place and accessible to everyone.
Save Time
You can reduce the execution time in many of the school’s operations. Firstly, you save time from the admission procedure since applicants have to fill out the application online without having to attend physically. Communications can be done in no time, you can share everything, from files to emails, without any delays or hassles. Students can keep up with the curriculum and with ongoing assessments that they can submit online. Also, parents can benefit as they don’t have to wait for parent-teacher meetings and can keep up with their children’s progress on a real-time basis through their personalized portal.
It’s Cost-Effective
An SIS and an LMS can save money for your institute. Utilizing these two systems generates a paperless solution to complete procedures end-to-end and eliminates the cost of paperwork since everything can be done through online portals. An all-in-one software provides institutes with third-party systems that can save in cost from extra costly platform installations on the school’s system.
FAQ’s
Implementing both systems offers schools a comprehensive solution for managing administrative tasks and facilitating academic activities, enhancing efficiency, security, and communication across the institution.
Classter combines the functionalities of both SIS and LMS, offering a comprehensive solution for managing student data, academic activities, and administrative tasks in educational institutions.
Classter provides enhanced efficiency, seamless communication, and improved collaboration among students, educators, and administrators, leading to better academic outcomes and streamlined operations.
