Lumio is an e-learning add-on for Microsoft Teams by globally recognised EdTech and L&D provider SMART.
SMART is a 1987-founded company from Canada, which started with interactive displays and related content. It came to recent prominence with its learning solutions for classrooms and workplaces, further shooting into prominence during COVID-19. SMART’s flagship product Lumio won the 2021 CODiE Award for being the “Best Collaborative Learning Solution for Students”, further reinforcing the company’s market leadership. Lumio also has a stellar 4.3/5 rating on G2 and is also G2’s Leader in the category for Summer 2021.
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So, what does Lumio add to the Microsoft Teams experience? To begin with, it makes it easier for managers and instructors to share gamified learning sessions directly in Teams. There are various templates to choose from, so users can engage with learners via content, games, brainstorming sessions, and more formalised tests. The Lumio app for Microsoft Teams has been available since 2020 — let us review it in more detail.
Inside Lumio for Microsoft Teams
To install the Lumio app, users should head to the Microsoft Teams app store from the left navigation pane and search for Lumio by SMART. Keep in mind that Lumio was previously called the SMART Learning Suite, so check if you have the app installed already. Once you have downloaded and installed the integration, you can access your content library from inside the Teams interface and start creating and sharing learning materials with your colleagues.
Lumio for Teams provides users with the following key features:
- My Lessons tab: Most of the app’s functionalities will be available from the My Lessons tab. Users will see their entire content library on Lumio, including existing activities and instructor training materials. New users of Lumio will see a Getting Started document that they can edit immediately.
- Lesson creation and editing: This is the key value proposition enabled by the Lumio app in Microsoft Teams. Users can edit or create new lessons without leaving the Teams platform. They can try Lumio’s pre-built activity templates and ready-to-use content to speed up the lesson creation.
- Multiple activity types: Lumio supports various activity types to drive learner engagement, and all of these will be accessible to users from Teams. Some formats supported are PPT decks, PDF documents, YouTube videos, game-based activities, open “shout it out” sessions, and visual organisers.
- Group activities shared to Teams channels: Users can create group activities using the Lumio app and directly communicate with their Teams colleagues and learners. There are two ways to do this — users could generate a link directly copy-pasted into a conversation. Or, they can share it with a Teams channel where users can easily access the lesson. Lumio also has a “teacher share link” option, where they can send an editable version of the file to a colleague.
- Insights into learner engagement: When users share lessons via Lumio, it automatically generates insights on learner engagement in real-time. Users can instantly access reports to gauge student understanding and address problem areas on time without breaking the flow.
- Mobile optimisation: This is a vital capability in remote learning, helping students, corporate learners, and peers log in from any device of their choice. This means they can also use their mobile devices and tablets for learning, making the experience more convenient and accessible.
Why the Lumio App Makes a Difference
Lumio goes beyond its EdTech origins and can be widely used across corporate learning and team engagement cases. Its library of pre-built templates comes in handy when users want to put together a session — for example, quickly, when onboarding a new team or before an impromptu event. And with a variety of activity formats to choose from, learners will stay engaged, retain knowledge, and successfully improve their performance.
What We Think
SMART has been a long-standing leader in the education technology segment, and Lumio is an excellent addition to the Microsoft Teams toolkit — mainly for educators, HR practitioners, L&D professionals, managers, or team leaders. Pricing starts at $59 per instructor per year, which is affordable for small to mid-sized teams. Teams users can download the Lumio app here.
