Google Classroom for Business: Is it Enough, or Do You Need a Proper LMS?

re you looking for ways to set the e-learning experience, develop a system for employee training, or simply enrich your knowledge business? If you have at least one ‘yes’, then the chances are you’ve thought about using Google Classroom for business. 

With all its pros and cons and even lack of features, entrepreneurs and managers still consider Google Classroom. Do they fall into the Google Workplace trap or are they afraid to use a third-party LMS? 

Let’s find out why Google LMS might still be a choice for businesses, what it can offer, or when a more advanced solution is more appropriate. 

Google Classroom for enterprise or knowledge business: Needs are to define your choice

Google Classroom for Education seems a great and usually free option for schools, single tutors, and teachers. 

Yet, in the case of enterprises and knowledge businesses with corporate or financial goals, efficiency comes first. There, a price tag is not a key factor, and the businesses’ decision on Google LMS will largely depend on how it would answer their requirements. 

What do businesses typically need?

• Small businesses require simple onboarding and focused training aligned with a strategy. And the solution for them may be a small course, third-party program, or collaboration and e-learning tool, like Notion. That’s a perfect scenario to implement Google Classroom for business training.
• Medium-sized firms need more complex onboarding, skills improvement aligned to competencies, leadership development, and programs for customers. In this context, a solution could be either a comprehensive LMS or third-party courses. 
• Enterprises are fond of complicated and diverse onboarding for various departments, special programs for whole branches and partners, and upskilling and reskilling for broad workforce groups. In this case, the solution involves customizable tools, corporate LMSs, and training provided by the coaching agencies. 
• Knowledge businesses and agencies are characterized by a specific business model, various learning styles, and different projects. Solution? A flexible LMS with multiple integrations to satisfy different learning needs.

💡Highlight: The necessity of LMS for corporate actors is concerned with a certain level of management, customer or user experience, engagement, and customization. 

Is Google Classroom an LMS? Will it be enough?

Google Classroom is an LMS that is the primary part of the Google Workspace for Education edition. The latter is the set of tools that Google provides for teachers and educational organizations. 

According to Google Support, in order to use a Classroom Google for business, you need to be a user of any Google Workspace edition (except Google Workplace Essentials edition). Under an Enterprise plan, you can get a more advanced version of Google Classroom (Education Plus).

Yet, does it make a good tool for an enterprise or knowledge business? Not always.

Google Classroom LMS can be an excellent pick for small organizations, actors using various sets of tools, or simply those hosting several courses.

For larger organizations, this LMS may be too basic, even limited. 

Google Classroom LMS main features

A Stream tab allows posting updates about any activity on the course, publishing announcements, and embed links. It looks like a thread, where learners can comment and discuss materials. 

Note. This option is good for onboarding activities or product updates for departments.

A Classroom tab is another space of Google learning management system dedicated to course and assignment creation. It offers a pretty straightforward template to add new materials or provide assignments.

There, you can upload files and videos or embed links. Multiple-choice quizzes are possible due to integration with the Google Forms app. 

Note. The content can be attached or created via Google apps.

Besides, there is a Students tab, a place where you manage and invite teachers and students to the learning process. It is simple, thanks to email invitations, which allow you to add anyone from your Gmail list.

Lastly, you will use the Grade tab to manage assignments and provide grades. 

Importantly, from the Stream tab, you can quickly start a live session via Google Meet. Another useful feature is the ability to easily reuse posts, assignments, and materials from one course for another. Such a focus on assignments can be an excellent supporting tool for blended learning.

What about Google Classroom pricing? Well, it may be tricky. 

Even though the standard version is free, the advanced options are available upon contact with sales. (On top-tier plans, you can have advanced video conferencing features, security, and premium support.)

💡Google LMS fits businesses that have Google Workspace as the basis for their workflow due to the integrations and compatibility. The example of Good Care Group onboarding practice is illustrative in this regard, having relied heavily on G Suite and its range of functionality.

Cons of Google Classroom for enterprise

Even though it has basic but worthy features for class management, assignment, and grading, as an LMS, it is somewhat limited for more significant actors. Let’s see what it lacks for proper training or courses within enterprises.

• Offers minimal customization in terms of content production and branding.
• Lacks proper analytics for student engagement tracking (especially regarding how it affects training ROI calculation).
• Low incompatibility with third parties due to focus on Google apps.
• Simple yet outdated design and user experience make the management of a course harder.
• Poor automation capabilities that are a must for many large businesses. 

💡Highlight: Using Google Classroom for enterprises is not the best idea since they are characterized by a large and diverse structure, specific needs, and usage of multiple software solutions.

How to pick an appropriate LMS for business and enterprise?

As you already know, the needs of the company dictate the usage of certain tools. That’s why using Google Classroom for corporate training is appropriate only for some goals and cases. For complex solutions and diverse projects, this software will lack operation, automation, and customization. 

Which things to consider when picking an alternative to Google Classroom for business?

Explore EducateMe LMS solution for enterprises and businesses

If you know using Google Classroom for corporate training or just any business learning will simply not be enough, you should look toward more flexible solutions. 

EducateMe LMS is one of them, offering easy-to-use and intuitive course creation backed by AI and engagement tools. Moreover, it has great integration capabilities, including Zoom, Notion, Loom, Google Apps, and Figma, and advanced customization.

EducateMe allows you to apply a centralized approach toward learning process and set the flow with the tools you already use.

Another advantage is the focus on collaboration, implying you can start discussions via comment section, use channels for communication, or even apply peer review options.

Importantly, it offers powerful management features concerned with the assignment Kanban approach and advanced scheduling.

Pricing: $2.5/active user, with a minimum commitment of $100 for 40 active learners. There is also a Custom Enterprise Plan, which is available upon request.

Conclusion: Use Google Classroom for business, yet not any

Wrapping up, you can definitely use Google Classroom for business training. However, despite being an LMS, only in some cases will it be effective and valuable because of numerous limitations.

Google Classroom LMS is a proper solution for businesses and companies that are: 

• Small and have budget constraints, while their learning needs do not go beyond onboarding and simple training.
• Small or middle-sized, using Google Apps for the majority of operations and having a constant need for training or product updates for personnel and partners.

In other cases, one should look for a more flexible and feature-packed LMS. Which companies are likely to use it?

• Middle and large-sized enterprises that have complicated organizational structures and numerous departments or look for strategy-aligned training.
• Knowledge business companies that offer courses on various topics, organize coaching sessions, and provide training programs.

There, EducateMe should be your choice, with its powerful management, reporting, and engagement features, as well as proper course creation tools.