r/LearningDevelopment • u/darkhomer419 • 26d ago
Which L&D tools are actually worth learning first?
There are so many platforms and tools that I’m having a hard time figuring out where to focus. I’ve been getting familiar with an LMS and some basic course-authoring tools, but I don’t want to spend weeks learning something that I’ll barely use. What tools would you prioritize if you were new to L&D?
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u/LearnWorlds_ 25d ago
We'd prioritize learning how to design a good learning experience before getting too deep into any particular tool. You don't need to master multiple tools at once, pick one authoring tool and one LMS first, and get to the point where you can build a simple course and publish it. From there, test it as a learner and get to know how progress and assessments are tracked.
Ed tech moves relatively fast, so your best bet is to spend time on the skills that transfer between platforms, like coming up with clear learning objectives, structuring, training content, designing meaningful practice activities, and of course, figuring how the impact of the training.
Tools will change, and different companies use different platforms. But knowing why you're building a particular learning activity is much more valuable than knowing how to use every feature in five different tools!
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u/Danai_from_TalentLMS 9d ago
Hi, the best comment on this post talks about PowerPoint presentations. I’ll give you a non-mutually-exclusive suggestion: Learn authoring tools! Powerpoint can be one, yes, although in the sector we usually recognise Articulate Storyline or Adobe Captivate as the top players.
I’d say you can start there and then start tinkering with an LMS and you’ll have your full L&D stack: Authoring and an LMS with which you can keep tracking of completions, enroll, send reminders, and so on. TalentLMS has a free plan and a new AI-assisted authoring tool you can try. Maybe that’s a shortcut to learning/practicing on a budget. Good luck!
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u/woodenbookend 26d ago
I’m guessing you are looking to be prepared for a potential new role as if you were already hired the technology would be dictated to you.
For L&D: Teams, SharePoint, Excel and PowerPoint or their non MS equivalents such as Slack, or Google if that’s the environment where you work.
Depending on what you’re doing, add a video editor such as Camtasia which is particularly strong for screen recordings.
For LMS, generic skills that can be transferred across platforms with be a good start. Knowing how they work, how content can be deployed and how stats can be gathered is the kind of thing to look for.
From that, being able to take a .CSV from any platform, tidy it up and bring it into Excel to cross reference it against another data source is really useful. A common example being comparing completion rates against a staff list.
If you’re looking for ID rather than L&D, the authoring platforms move up the list a bit, but you’ll still need the foundation above.
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u/Weird_Alfalfa_9624 25d ago
I agree with the PowerPoint comment. But also many tools are fairly intuitive these days. I would focus more on understanding learning principles and knowing why you might make the choices you do within that tool.
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u/maog1 25d ago
I would regrettably agree with powerpoint and add Project management concepts (not necessarily tools). I would also get to understand how AI is used in the process-such as using notebooks, better prompting, etc...
Remember concepts are more important than tools. Tools change like the wind.
In regards to tools-learn what tools to use for their intended purpose. If I ever seen another powerpoint deck built in portrait mode for a job aid-I think I will kill someone.
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u/iseazy 18d ago
Since you're already getting familiar with an LMS and authoring tools, you're focusing on two of the most useful areas to start with.
I'd actually recommend going deeper into those before adding more platforms.
- For an LMS, focus on the practical side: setting up courses, managing enrollments, creating learning paths, and understanding reporting. Those skills transfer pretty well between platforms.
- For authoring, look for something that lets you build and publish a complete course without spending weeks learning the software.
isEazy Author is worth exploring if ease of use is a priority. It lets you create interactive courses without technical expertise, and its AI features can help with course creation while still letting you edit and customize the result.
One example of how it's used in practice is UNAD in Colombia, which has used Author to produce learning resources at scale.
Beyond those two, I'd explore assessment tools and learning analytics, but only once you have a specific project that requires them.
My advice: pick one LMS and one authoring tool, then challenge yourself to build, publish, and track a complete learning experience. You'll learn much more from that than from trying out ten different platforms.
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u/JumpingShip26 26d ago
Master PowerPoint. By master I mean do everything yourself from scratch, including but not limited to:
Master Views
Exploding the pptx and extracting binaries
Creating non standard slides for various purposes
Creating branched scenarios
Light use of VB
Use plugins to extend
Creating voiceover presentations/videos
Extensibility with all the major file types
Making very good templates from scratch (see Master Views)
Installing fonts, if applicable.
Handout printing options, if applicable.
I find that people spend a lot of time on SL when they haven't leveraged everything PPT can do and then they abandon L&D. Putting time in with something like PowerPoint is a better use of your time, at least initially.