At this year’s Learning Technologies exhibition (in London, 29/30 January), the learning content management solutions provider, eXact learning solutions, will be outlining how recent technology advances are enabling the personalisation and contextualisation of learning materials. In particular, it will be revealing key aspects of the latest version of its award-winning eXact learning content management system (LCMS).

In future, LCMS architectures must be able to sit at the cornerstone of an enterprise’s content strategy – interoperating with the HR, L&D and ERP systems that are already there – to personalise learning content on demand. In so doing, they’ll develop a more effective and efficient learning content ecosystem.

The recently released version 10 of the eXact LCMS enables contents to adapt, in real time, to learners’ perspectives and learning preferences – along with their skills and competency gaps, their location and the available device to deliver the learning and/or support. It uses an open framework which allows users to develop and integrate their own learning authoring template sets.

To improve the productivity of learning content production scenarios, eXact learning solutions has enriched its LCMS suite with a real-time rendering engine that, attached to the template framework, enables adaptive learning. In addition, the new version supports the management of learning content creation and delivery for organisations that require a scalable, extendable modular system to meet high-volume, professional and consistent learning output demand.

For those requiring integration with a third party learning management system (LMS) or delivery portal, version 10 renders adaptive learning content on the fly and consolidates the same content objects in different standalone packages – such as a SCORM, offline HTML, iPhone and/or Android versions, PDF printout and so on – for further download, handover to an LMS or other use.

eXact learning LCMS’s templating approach and its embedded authoring tools  – eXact learning Packager and Online Editor – combine the power of XML-based content modelling with the ease of use of semantic structuring and the flexibility of responsive web design (RWD) technologies such as HTML5. It also provides both rapid authoring capabilities and model-based automation of content production in different languages that can be delivered on different channels and platforms.

Comment: It’s a new era in the LCMS world in more senses than one. Not only does the exact LCMS offer some radical steps forward in personalising and contextualising online learning – the goal of many learning technologists this century – but exact learning solutions itself was acquired, earlier this month, by Lattanzio Group a leading international management consulting group, Although the Group is based in Italy, over 50% of its turnover comes from international activities. The Group’s range of expertise aims to grow the performance of businesses and public administration organizations.

This acquisition continues the trend of moving learning technology companies away from control by learning technologists. Not only might this provide the learning technology industry with a broader, more strategic and less tactical vision but it might also help the sector move more into the consciousness of ‘mainstream business’ (rather than merely those in the HR and training function).