How collaborative LMS innovation can unlock 21st century competencies

In its forward-looking commitment to preparing students for a dynamic future, Singapore’s Ministry of Education (MOE) has been championing the 21st Century Competencies (21CC) over the last decade.   

This comprehensive framework provides students with the essential skills and attitudes required for success in education and beyond. 

However, achieving this level of preparation demands not just new curricula, but also cutting-edge tools and a deep collaboration between providers and users of educational technology. 

For Civica, an organisation experienced in building govtech tools globally, this means prioritising co-development and customisation with public sector bodies.  

Civica's Market Leader for Singapore, Stanimira Koleva, emphasises that continuous and iterative innovation is crucial throughout the entire implementation and deployment process of these large-scale systems, including learning management systems (LMS) in the context of education. 

Open platforms for continuous improvement 

To ensure maximum value and accessibility, Civica aims to integrate its platforms with other “best in class” tools and resources available in the market, says Civica’s Senior Business Development Manager, Desmond Lim.  

“I think that stands because of a large part of our business being in libraries, where libraries need to be open, where we need to then be seen as being accessible to everybody,” he explains. 

Be it library or learning management systems, Civica’s philosophy of open and integrated platforms prevents its system from being a closed, siloed environment – and instead makes it part of a wider, more powerful ecosystem.  

He adds that a successful learning environment requires collaboration among all stakeholders: the MOE, teachers, parents, and students.  

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For example, the Civica Education Suite (CES) includes a web-based LMS solution that connects an ecosystem of systems.  

CES can be used by teachers, parents, and students. Beyond facilitating student learning, it provides teachers with analytics tools and seamlessly integrates with the schools' finance and operations systems. 

Customising platforms to modern demands 

Civica’s recent acquisition of Daymap also significantly expands the capabilities of its CES school management platform. This integrated solution is designed to both reduce administrative workload and greatly enhance the user experience. 

According to Koleva, this means learning can happen anytime, and schools can easily measure student progress and identify correlations between factors like attendance, resource access, and educational outcomes.  

A key enabler of a holistic learning ecosystem is strong data connections, Lim adds, and Civica's platform offers this end-to-end visibility of learning outcomes and delivery.  

In this case, the data connects not just to learning results, but also to the administration and finance aspects of schools, he explains. 

This allows for a complete picture, mapping the student's entire journey, tracking results at every stage, and providing access to various resources to enhance learning. 

Koleva believes this integration of enhanced tools directly addresses the demands of modern education by equipping students and the future workforce for increasing competitiveness. 

The reporting, dashboard, and filtering capabilities from Daymap have made this possible, she explains. 

Civica moves from being a mere provider to a partner – and this collaborative spirit is essential for building a truly effective learning ecosystem, says Lim. 

Proactive and collaborative information delivery 

Civica’s Head of Delivery, Rohaya Mohammed, notes that artificial intelligence (AI) can provide "more push" of information to students, in the form of personalised recommendations, adaptive learning paths, or timely support. 

This approach aligns with how digital natives consume information. As she noted, schools today are engaging with a generation of "born digital" students who expect and are accustomed to technology in their learning environment. 

Thanks to the Singapore Student Learning Space (SLS) being accessible across all public schools, she highlighted, digital learning resources are now largely equitable, creating a level playing field for students. 

She adds that AI’s “smarts” can be seamlessly embedded into Civica’s educational solutions, moving beyond traditional algorithms to create a more intuitive and proactive learning experience. 

LMS also increasingly needs to tackle the collaborative aspect of learning, as one of the key competencies highlighted by MOE.  

The Spydus library management platform, for example, transforms the traditionally siloed book review process. 

Instead of simply writing external reviews, students can now directly input their thoughts and provide tags, fostering a collaborative environment where they share what they have read and their reflections, she adds. 

This emphasis on reflection is a key component of modern education, she notes. 

In essence, Civica builds its learning and library management solutions through deep partnerships with public sector bodies, creating integrated, accessible, and data-rich educational platforms.  

This approach ensures every student has the tools and resources to succeed in a technology-driven world, aligning with Singapore's national educational vision.