A Conversation with Joshua Millage

The other day I had a chance to catch up with educational entrepreneur Joshua Millage, he is passionate about learning and is cofounder of LifterLMS. Here is part of our conversation.

Kapp: What is LifterLMS

Millage: LifterLMS is a WordPress learning management system that is focused on simplifying the e-learning course creation process and also scaling the human touch through automated engagements and course analytics.

Kapp: How is it different than other LMS companies on the market?

Millage: We are different because we combine all LMS functionality, ecommerce, membership and engagement functionality into one plugin. We are also pioneering a new type of learning with our engagement functionality that allows events to trigger engagements like emails, badges, and certificates. This video may help explain our approach to engagements. View the VIDEO

Kapp: You mentioned to me that LifterLMS it is “more human” can you explain what you mean by that?

Millage: We think that most LMS plugins get in the way of creating a human connection with students. We want to help assist the profession in allowing for the creation of automated personalized engagements that prompt interactions with students. Our course analytics is focused on giving instructors deep insights into how their students and engaging with their material allowing them to reach out and help students when they see them get stuck in a course. Our analytics also blend into a student management where the teacher can interact with the learner.

Kapp: What’s your background in the learning environment?

Millage: My parents are both educators. My mother is a retired 1st grade teacher and my father is a college professor. I guess you could say that life was like living in a study hall. I became very passionate about learning at a young age and have a insatiable appetite for knowledge. This drove me to researching and publishing in the Knowledge Management space. Here is a article I published with my colleagues proposing a model for knowledge transfer. View ARTICLE here.

My business partner Chris Badgett is our target market (education entrepreneur) in that he has a history of creating and selling his own online courses via a WordPress site. Our company has also worked as client services building web sites and web applications for education entrepreneurs.

Kapp:What advice do you have for my students in the field of educational technology?

Millage: I think that we are at a pivotal point for educational technology. My advice for your students is to be bold in their explorations of how we learn and how technology can assist in the process. I believe that we are in the greatest educational revolution the world has ever seen. There has never been a time in history where it has been as cost effective to distribute educational material globally. However, what’s getting overlooked is the human connection. I think that automation can help scale the human touch and alert teachers of when they need to dive in and make a real connection (this is what we are trying to do with LifterLMS). However, the space as a whole needs fresh thinkers, ideas, and tools.

Fortune favors the bold!