Likelihood to Recommend If a customer does not have SharePoint the entry in that kind of solution is a bit harder as the use of SharePoint can be so broad. It does not mean it is not the right solution as a company can use SharePoint LMS to start with and then expand to other functions and features. I strongly recommend to use SharePoint Standard or Enterprise and forgo the "free" SharePoint version as a) SharePoint's core functions and features are greatly enhanced in these two premium versions and b) more and more SharePoint LMS functions make use of these core Standard and Enterprise features in the future, like taxonomy, user profiles, etc. In general with all project it is as well recommended to have the full buy in by upper management and that the project initiative is fully supported. Adding such a solution (SharePoint LMS or any other LMS solution) will require the team not only to have a good plan on how the requirements can be achieved from a technical point of view, but how a training program can be rolled out to an organization of 5, 500, 5.000 or 50.000. The technical deployment of SharePoint LMS is measurable (I would say between 1-4 weeks based on the complexity, scale of the environment). 1-2 weeks of training (depending on the base knowledge of SharePoint in the company and the need to add knowledge of SharePoint LMS). That's it. Technically you are ready. If needed, any custom work, integration and development work comes on top. Where customer struggle is the availability and dedication of their own teams. Course content needs to be created, how should a course look like, what are the parameters, what are top ten things needed moving a course which was taught in a class room, but now to be delivered online. Buying the licenses is one thing, getting the solution up and running form a technical point of view is another, making it YOURS is the challenge!
Read full review Schoology does the job well enough, but there are enough areas of contention that make advanced use of the system unwieldy. District staff does not have easy reporting ability to determine adoption and use of the platform without having to export to another program for analysis. The reliability of the system is a huge pain point as we need to deliver the curriculum but cannot count on it being available when we need to use it.
Read full review Pros SCORM compliance. eLearning publishing. Active Directory-based user groups. Read full review Assessments - Much more interactive and have more grading options than Google Forms Auto-rostering - We are able to use Infinite Campus to automatically roster classes and there are no extra steps Family/Guardian access - Schoology allows families to have a sign in and see student grades & work. Read full review Cons Clarify the process for enrollment into courses When the user clicks into a different portion of the file library and then needs to return to a previous class the software forces you to go all the way back to the beginning of the coursework, this isn’t that painful just annoying. Read full review While this product constantly seeks to make improvements, certain features need tweaking. As educators enroll in various courses, these course tend to accumulate. If the educator is not an administrator of the course, it is next to impossible to get out. Switching from one course/group to another course/group takes several steps. Not always easy to find the course/group needed. Read full review Likelihood to Renew This product is great.
Read full review While we have taken time to re-evaluate our selected 1:1 devices, Schoology's impact on student learning is unquestioned. Students are able to connect with other learners, create and share products of their learning, and develop their digital fluency through their use of Schoology.
Read full review Usability Ultimately, in my opinion LMS365 is a bit clunky to use. It has most of the features you need, but most need to be configured by your technology department, e.g., SSO, user groups in Entra ID, notifications through Slack, teams, etc. If you're looking for an all-in-one solution, look elsewhere, as lms365 has several catches to its proposition.
Read full review It's very easy to use Schoology. As with any LMS, it helps to learn some tips and tricks prior to getting started. But, each item is clearly indicated within the platform. If I want to add materials, it is right at the top of my screen. If I want to view the calendar, it is indicated to the right of my screen. Navigating a course and the platform is quite straightforward. Additionally, the benefit of Schoology's help center and user community makes asking and answering questions quick and easy.
Read full review Reliability and Availability Generally good, but issue self-reporting has become a problem. When there are issues, it can be 20 minutes to an hour before it gets noted on the status page
Read full review Performance Course saves or transfers can take several minutes and up to an hour
Read full review Support Rating The few times we actually needed support generally were during major upgrades of the system and getting a quick handle on how the configuration changed were the primary reasons.
Read full review We have county-level support and district-level support, but their HELP page offers everything that is needed to answer questions and to find "how-to" information for staff. This includes video and written directions for every available feature. Schoology has also worked with our district to improve their product.
Read full review In-Person Training Too surface level with no follow-up. A
Read full review Online Training Sit and get with very little hands-on time. 5 minutes to try out a feature/question type, etc. is not enough time. Once your training is done, there is no option for new employees to get that training without having to rebook and pay for the training again. If you pay for basic training, that should be available to a district to use in the future.
Read full review Alternatives Considered Throughout my career I came across many different solutions for Knowledge and Collaboration and LMS systems. This includes Lotus Notes, Documentum, Live Link, LMS solutions from Oracle, ADP, another SharePoint based solution. Many years back, with the intro of Microsoft SharePoint, I was drawn to that product and solutions based on SharePoint. SharePoint is very powerful and in it current version, 2013, it is the without a doubt the most feature rich and broad solution platform out there. SharePoint LMS is in my eyes a killer application and if a company, institution or educational entity looks to create, expand, change up their training efforts for employees, customer, partners, students, SharePoint LMS is the tool to look at. If you have SharePoint already installed, it is a must look at, period. SharePoint LMS became the tool of choice, I recommended when I was a consultant, when I worked as a Director for Learning Management Systems at a local University. I am now part of a team which not only sells, but as well consults around SharePoint LMS.
Read full review I have taught using both
Edmodo and
Google Classroom . While both were easier than Schoology was to get in the beginning, Schoology is infinitely more powerful than either of them was. I can do so much more, and differentiate so much easier using Schoology than I could with either of my previous LMSs.
Read full review Scalability We use it 5-12 so scalability is not an issue but sharing materials between departments including common assessments is difficult without paying for add-on features
Read full review Return on Investment Employees cannot work until they are Hippaa certified, LMS 365 makes it possible for us to expedite the process of certifying many employees at once. LMS 365 Does not easily support any training for software such as Excel or SharePoint despite the course catalog offering classes for these subjects. LMS 365 could stand user interface redesign if nothing else to update it to a more modern appearance Read full review Using Schoology to build a foundation for a blended learning model has helped increase my students ABC rate between 15-20% in all classes! Using Schoology is forcing my students to become responsible for their own learning! The only negative thing I have encountered is the students resistance to change! Read full review ScreenShots Schoology Learning Screenshots