Technological advancements have had a significant impact on the education sector in recent years. The evolution of information and communications technology (ICT) in the academic context changed the path of teaching and learning practices, allowing higher education and secondary institutions to experiment with new ways of designing, delivering, and distributing educational resources.
Learning management systems (LMS), software applications that bring together academic programmes, subject study guides, and training resources in one platform, are one such outcome of tech, or educational technology.
The introduction of a learning management system (LMS) into the education sector has had a favourable influence on both students and teachers. LMS applications have aided in the development, adaptation, distribution, and management of elearning techniques.
On that note, this article looks deeper into the global usage of LMS programmes. The newest statistics on the LMS market, adoption, usage, accessibility, and impact on the education sector are provided here to give you an idea of where the LMS industry is now and where it’s going in the near future.
LMS Market Statistics
The first LMS programme was created by psychology professor Sidney Pressey in 1924, when he produced the first electronic teaching system. The device looked like a typewriter with a window that asked students multiple-choice questions.
The major goal of this teaching tool, according to Pressy, is to allow teachers to focus on more inspirational and thought-provoking activities for their students (Pressey, 1926, as cited in Kadosh & Dowker, 2015).
LMS software have grown in popularity in academia since then, allowing educators and students to access instructional content in a number of formats.
According to recent market study (Global Opportunity Analysis, n.d.), the LMS industry will be worth $28.1 billion by the end of 2025.
A number of factors have moved the LMS market forward: broad government initiatives for LMS growth, expanding use of digital learning, growing propensity toward bring-your-own-device rules, and the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in LMS. As a result, the leading players in the worldwide LMS market’s revenues are steadily expanding.
- The LMS market is predicted to increase at a 19.6% CAGR from $9.2 billion in 2018 to $22.4 billion in 2023.
- The global LMS and elearning markets will grow to $15.72 billion by 2021.
- The market for mobile learning will be valued $38 million in 2020.
- The global corporate LMS market is predicted to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 23 percent from 2020 to 2024, generating $12.48 billion in revenue.
- By 2020, global education technology investments are estimated to exceed $252 billion.
- The global elearning market is growing at a rate of 14% per year.
- Canvas and Blackboard have a 28 percent share of the higher education LMS market in the United States.
Source: eLiterate (2018)
LMS Software Adoption Statistics
ICT advancements and the widespread adoption of LMS applications have resulted in significant changes in the education industry. The implementation of LMS has improved the teaching and learning environment in today’s knowledge-based economy.
LMS systems are being used by an increasing number of educational institutions throughout the world to give students with a more effective learning technique.
The use of a learning management system (LMS) has become a prerequisite for many universities and educational institutions around the world.
To meet the rising educational needs of students and staff, a growing number of educational institutions have developed remote education programmes using information and communication technology.
North America
As educational institutions and corporate sectors alike begin to install LMS solutions to improve the learning experience, LMS usage is spreading across North America.
According to a report published by Zion Market Research (Learning Management System Market, 2017), North America leads the way in learning management system adoption due to the growing demand for effective and high-quality education.
- In North America, the leading LMS program is Canvas, garnering about 19,238,279 of enrollees by the end of 2019.
- As of 2019, Moodle registered 11,289,190 enrollees from North America, while Blackboard listed 10,566,791 enrollees.
- With LMS technology being widely adopted in North America, its CAGR sits at 4%.
- Canvas leads the LMS market share, accounting for 35% of the entire LMS market in North America
Latin America
Latin America’s increased mobile use is resulting in a plethora of prospects for the edtech sector. As a result, the Latin American elearning industry grew significantly from 2016 to 2020 (E-learning Market Trends, 2020), and it is predicted to increase at a CAGR of 14% over the following five years.
The increasing use of LMS in Latin America is also due to the demand for corporate learning. Businesses are turning to online learning tools to facilitate corporate training and keep up with the accelerated evolution of a global economy as markets and industries become increasingly globalised.
According to a research by Endeavor INSIGHT EdTech (An Overview of Edtech, 2019), the ease of learning online and career prospects are two of the main reasons for Latin America’s growing usage of online educational resources.
- The elearning market in Latin America was worth $2.1 billion in 2016 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 14% over the next five years.
- In terms of revenue, Latin America is the fourth largest edtech market.
- By 2023, the Latin American elearning market is estimated to generate $3 billion in sales.
- In 20 Latin American countries, almost 12 million adults are engaged in some type of online education.
- Lingokids, a language learning platform, saw a 489 percent increase in users in Argentina, 500 percent in Venezuela, and 425 percent in Brazil between 2016 and 2017.
Europe
Online education is growing more popular in Europe as more European colleges begin to offer online degrees to international students. Educational institutions that offer short courses and full degree programmes continue to thrive, with enrollment numbers rising year after year.
According to Eurostat data (Online Courses, 2019), Finland has the highest percentage of people taking at least one type of online course, followed by the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Spain.
- In Finland, 21% of individuals have taken an online course on any subject, followed by United Kingdom with 19%, Sweden with 18%, and Spain with 15%.
- LMS in Europe is expected to grow at a CAGR of almost 27% in 2020.
- Cloud-based LMS adoption stands at 12.5%.
- By 2022, Europe is expected to generate the second-highest revenue in the LMS market.
- LMS growth in Eastern Europe is at 16.9% annually.
Asia Pacific
The growing need for elearning and a preference for on-the-go learning techniques are driving LMS adoption in the Asia Pacific area.
In the near future, the adoption of LMS platforms is projected to be driven by improvements in educational resources and economic progress in emerging countries in the Asia Pacific area.
- From $5.2 billion in 2011, LMS revenues in Asia doubled to $11.5 billion.
- By 2022, the LMS market size in Asia Pacific is expected increase at a 34.2% CAGR.
- The highest elearning growth rate is in Asia, at 17.3% annually.
Africa
Africa’s progress is built on a foundation of education. An rising number of African countries have used elearning approaches in order to improve learning efficacy. As a result, Africa has become a burgeoning market for elearning and learning management systems (LMS).
Despite Africa’s growth in LMS adoption, issues that obstruct successful LMS implementation remain. While online learning has the potential to increase education quality in Africa, obstacles such as Internet connectivity, availability of online curricula, and a lack of teacher training are impeding LMS implementation throughout the continent.
- The LMS industry in Africa is growing at a pace of 15.2 percent each year.
- In Africa, the LMS business produced $512.7 million in sales in 2016.
Barriers to LMS adoption
Adoption of an LMS platform by higher education institutions cannot be rushed. In fact, there are a number of factors to consider for successful LMS adoption, including design, convenience of use, and mobile compatibility, to name a few.
Kizilcec et al. (2017) emphasise the importance of providing enough instruction and assistance to LMS users, both teachers and students. As the number of LMS users grows, providing exclusive instruction and support may become increasingly difficult (Araka et al., 2020).
L&D professionals are constantly looking for methods to simplify LMS programmes and enhance user adoption in order to accelerate LMS adoption.
- By the end of 2020, 30% of L&D professionals want to include games and simulations in their elearning programmes.
- 93 percent of learning and development professionals want to create live online learning for their programmes, while 33% want to create MOOCs.
- Open resources are desired by 64 percent of digital learning programme makers, while user-generated content is desired by 35 percent.
- To improve learning methodologies, 58 percent of L&D professionals want to introduce enterprise social networks.
- The inability of LMS programmes to interact with other digital platforms (52 percent), poor user experience (51 percent), and the expense of the software are the top impediments to learning technology satisfaction (44 percent ).
- 24 percent are dissatisfied with LMS solutions that lack mobile functionality.
- 67 percent of LMS users choose systems that have all of the features they need, while 66 percent desire packages that provide greater customer and technical assistance.
Source: Docebo (2019)
LMS User Statistics
An LMS is a software application that is used to deliver training programmes and education courses, according to its definition.
LMS packages are being adopted by colleges and universities to support online and distance learning. Educational institutions can administer and provide online courses to off-site students using LMS platforms.
LMS platforms are frequently employed in the corporate world in addition to academic settings. LMS systems are used by HR experts to train employees and managers, while entrepreneurs utilise them to learn marketing, accountancy, and other short-term skills-based courses.
LMS systems are also popular among self-learners and hobbyists. Crafts, photography, blogging, gardening, woodworking, exercising, and other self-taught skills and hobbies are now available through a variety of learning programmes.
- The number of LMS users is currently projected to be 73.8 million.
- Web-based LMS solutions are used by about 87 percent of active users.
- Corporate executives (65 percent) and managers are the most common users of learning management systems (35 percent ).
- Adults make up 37% of LMS users, while young people make up 28%.
- In the United Kingdom, 24 percent of persons who buy learning materials online are between the ages of 16 and 24, 16 percent are between the ages of 25 and 34, and 14 percent are between the ages of 35 and 44.
- Long-established tech enterprises account for 30% of LMS buyers.
- Ninety percent of pupils prefer online learning to traditional ways.
- Approximately 49% of students have taken at least one online course.
- Approximately 4.6 million college students are enrolled in online courses.
- Government institutions account for 2% of the LMS software market.
- The education sector accounts for one-fifth of the total global LMS market, or 21%.
- In the LMS market, real estate and nonprofit organisations each account for 3%.
- Other industries represented in the LMS market include technology (12 percent), manufacturing (9 percent), healthcare and consulting (7 percent), and software development firms (4 percent).
Source: Office for National Statistics (2019)
LMS Accessibility Statistics
Because accessibility and availability are two of the most crucial aspects for a successful LMS adoption, it is critical for schools, universities, and businesses to guarantee that the LMS platforms they are utilising are accessible.
Because most LMS platforms are cloud-based, users may access them from any device, including laptops, tablets, and mobile phones.
However, as mobile learning has grown in popularity, LMS developers have implemented multi-device compatibility into their frameworks.
- Employees use desktops 89 percent of the time, laptops 78 percent of the time, and mobile devices 25 percent of the time to access LMS programmes.
- A tablet adoption policy, according to 97 percent of employees, contributes to learning effectiveness because the device allows them to learn from home or at work.
- In 2020, the mobile learning market is expected to be worth $37.60 million.
- 76 percent of online students receive course information and training materials using their own devices.
- Learners who access online educational platforms via their smartphones complete course materials 45 percent faster than those who use a PC.
Current LMS Statistics and Predictions
Today’s educational institutions use technology to cope with modernisation and facilitate institutional reform. According to the latest Global Education Census Report (New Global Survey, 2019), the use of technology in classrooms around the world is increasing, with 48 percent of students using desktop computers, 42 percent using smartphones, 33 percent using interactive whiteboards, and 20 percent using tablet devices.
In recent years, learning management systems (LMS) have become increasingly important in higher education teaching paradigms. In the elearning field, several trends have emerged, including the emergence of MOOC platforms, individualised learning experiences, the transfer from LMS to learning experience platforms (LXP), and mobile learning.
MOOC Platforms Statistics
Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs, are online courses offered by higher education institutions to provide students from all over the world with accessible and cheap remote learning possibilities.
Such online courses are offered by universities such as Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on a variety of topics and at various educational levels. MOOC-based degrees have lower tuition, more flexible timetables, and easier registration than prior online degrees.
Around 900 colleges around the world already offer MOOC-based degrees, with another 2000 courses expected to be added by the end of 2018. (Shah, 2019).
Coursera, with 37 million registered users, Edx, with 18 million users, and XuetangX, with 14 million users, are the top MOOC providers. The number of MOOCs has exploded in recent years as a result of increased demand for shorter courses and more flexible scheduling.
- Over 900 universities around the world have developed or announced 13,500 MOOCs as of 2019.
- Around 2,500 courses have been launched by 450 universities in total.
- Based on the number of technology-related courses introduced in 2019, technology ranks first in terms of course distribution by subject (19.8%).
- A total of 19.7% of courses established in 2019 are related to business.
- Coursera is the most popular MOOC platform, with over 37 million members.
Source: EdSurge (2018)
Mobile Learning Statistics
Because of the growing popularity of mobile devices, educational institutions are rethinking their learning practises and developing mobile learning programmes.
Mobile-enabled learning programmes are growing increasingly popular, particularly as the tech-savvy Millenials and Gen-Zers begin to overtake the global student population.
The advantages of mobile learning have been established in a number of research. The main benefits of mobile learning, according to a study published in the Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions, include improved knowledge acquisition, updated instructional materials, and validated information.
The need for mobile learning led to its expansion, with the market valued at $27.32 billion in 2020 and expected to increase at a CAGR of 36.45% from 2020 to 2027. (Mobile Learning Market Size, n.d.).
- In 2020, the mobile learning industry is expected to be worth $27.32 billion.
- When using mobile devices instead of laptops, 70% of students are more motivated to learn.
- Learners who use mobile devices say they can easily apply what they’ve learned 29% of the time.
- Mobile learners are more engaged with learning modules accessed via mobile devices, according to 72 percent of them.
- Smartphones are used by 30% of smartphone users to access organisational training materials.
Personalized Learning Experience Statistics
Personalized learning has gained popularity in a number of educational institutions throughout the years. It is becoming a priority for philanthropy and is propelling the multibillion-dollar edtech industry.
Many studies have been dedicated to proving personalised learning’s success in the regular classroom setting since 2009, when the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation allocated $300 million to finance research and development for personalised learning.
- According to 25% of educators, individualised learning is a promising concept.
- Personalized learning is viewed as a transformational way to improving the K-12 curriculum by 21% of respondents.
- Personalized learning is a threat to public education for 8% of instructors polled.
- Personalized learning is viewed as a fleeting trend by 11 percent of teachers, while 10 percent say it is not even on their radar.
Source: Klein (2019)
LXP Statistics
Startups like Degreed, Edcast, and Pathgather pioneered the idea of a next-generation learning portal that makes training content easy to access several years ago.
LXPs, which are collaborative platforms that put learning in the hands of the user rather than the administrator, were born as a result of this.
The LXP and LMS programmes have two separate goals. An LMS places a heavy reliance on the administrator to manage learning, whereas an LXP gives learners the freedom to explore learning resources and find content that is appropriate for their level of understanding.
LXPs are essentially improved versions of LMS programmes in that they combine knowledge management, content management, and learning management into a single platform.
LXPs are growing more popular, and more firms are gradually moving away from LMS programmes and toward LXPs.
- The LXP market is expected to be worth $200 million by 2020, with yearly growth of double that amount.
- The LXP market is expected to rise to $15.7 billion in the following three years.
The Future of LMS and eLearning
The education industry has witnessed numerous significant shifts over the years. The transformation to digital learning methods has had a significant impact on how colleges and universities distribute course content and educational resources.
The introduction of learning management systems (LMS) paved the way for elearning, and more advancements are on the way as the education sector embraces new technology to better content delivery.
To enable learners obtain new skills and information, continuous, life-long learning must be ensured. To do this, a learning environment should be built to provide individualised and flexible training programmes that match each learner’s unique needs (Change & Guetl, 2007).
To improve learning systems and ensure that they can adapt to future improvements in education and technology, a holistic and ecological learning strategy should be applied (Redmond & Macfadyen, 2020).
The growing use of technology in education is undeniably becoming more pronounced today, and the LMS industry is expected to expand in the coming years.
The acceptance of digital learning and the growing demand for high-quality education are just two of the factors propelling LMS expansion and reshaping the academic landscape.
On the other hand, impending technology developments, such as mobile learning and the use of AI and ML in academic learning environments, can give the education industry with the tools it needs to build a modernised learning module for the future that is highly focused toward digital learning.
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