Halogen TalentSpace LMS (which offers varied, module-based pricing) is more than a corporate online learning platform; it's a suite of human resources (HR) software management solutions, of which learning management is one small part. As a one-stop-shop for midmarket corporate customers (organizations with up to 10,000 employees), Halogen delivers software (TalentSpace LMS), services (support, implementation, and training), competency frameworks (DDI and Lominger), and courseware partnerships (DDI and Skillsoft). The suite includes modules for recruitment and onboarding, competency-based succession planning, budgeting and merit-based compensation, coaching, feedback, performance development, and learning and development.
Halogen Software was acquired by Saba Software in May 2017. Saba Cloud talent suite includes significantly broader and a deeper modern learning platform, according to the company. This review focuses on an update of the Halogen Learning solution specifically, which is more suited to the smaller end of the mid-enterprise market. Given that other vendors combine the latter two functions—learning and development, and performance management—we tested two modules: Halogen Learning and Halogen Performance.
Pricing varies by company size. The more licenses you purchase, the lower the cost is per user. For example, if you purchase Halogen Learning and Halogen Performance for a company with 500 employees, then the cost is $80 per active user per year. This aligns with the baseline plan from Absorb LMS. Compared with some other alternatives, which offer plans for as few as 50 licenses (SmarterU LMS and DigitalChalk Corporate LMS), Halogen is better suited to midsize organizations starting at 250 employees.
Similar Products
Absorb LMS
Axis LMS
DigitalChalk Corporate LMS
Edmodo LMS
Blackboard Learn LMS
Grovo LMS
SAP Litmos LMS
Moodle LMS
SmarterU LMS
Docebo
WizIQ
LearnUpon
Firmwater
Mindflash
Interface and Features
Configured with the Learning and Performance modules, Halogen TalentSpace LMS supplies tabs for Performance, Employees, Learning, Tasks, Reports, and an organization chart. From the Home screen, learners can browse tasks related to learning or performance appraisals, or for any other subcribed modules, all of which can be listed (List View) or nested (Group View). You can also sort tasks by status. For example, given that we can view items from the Tasks tab, we might only want to see tasks that are sent for review.
From the Home dashboard, administrators can parse development plans, learning activities (which they can self-assign from the learning catalog), transcripts of previous learning or compliance activities, and certifications, where applicable. In addition to content that flows into profiles (such as appraisals), employees can also furnish their profiles with everything from career goals to relocation preferences. You can also access individual and organizational goals, development plans with specific learning activities, transcripts, certifications, feedback in the form of observations, manager notes, and coaching tips, as well as miscellaneous documents, all from the main dashboard.
Given Halogen's wide-ranging clients, the LMS (understandably) takes a customized approach to performance management. For example, competency feedback notes are configured based upon individual company needs. Halogen's Talent View maps employee profiles into a useful organizational tree. From this view, admins can quickly ascertain an employee's manager and access his or her profile, goals, development plans, feedback, and evaluations.
The Learning Experience
Halogen TalentSpace LMS boasts a voluminous learning and competency library for employee training. Learners can search the library by title, keyword, competency, and description. Managers, meanwhile, can develop sequences of content for employees (Learning Paths), which they can associate with competencies. Halogen's approach to LMS is novel in that the system can be outfitted with partner content for an added expense. For our testing, we subscribed to Halogen's optional Business Skills Catalog. As with everything else in Halogen, customers can purchase additional modules at any time, thanks to partnerships with learning content vendors. Learning units can include Instructor-Led Training (ILT) sessions, books, articles, or online courses provided by third-party vendors such as Skillsoft, as well as informal tasks or workshops. For those items that might require approval (e.g., going to a conference), users can submit a new training request.
Consider this hypothetical: Imagine I have an employee named Bob. From Bob's profile, I glean that he has many business skills (problem solving, negotiation, business analysis) but nothing to do with technology. I'm vain and I want Bob to read my Halogen TalentSpace LMS review, so I assign him an (optional) development plan. I associate his development plan with a competency (e.g., "Training and Development"), set a timeline (next week), and add several learning activities from the Halogen catalog. Considering I want Bob to understand my review, I search the catalog for relevant assets (e.g., "learning management") and enroll him in a unit on Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM). If I'm feeling particularly cruel, I might add other learning units to create a sequence of content (a Learning Path). When Bob finishes the sequence, I might award him a certification, to which I can attach an expiration date to ensure that he stays up to date on learning management systems.
All of this is well and good, but what if I can't find the training I want Bob to take? Although Halogen makes using content in the Foundation Bundle a fairly straightforward process, admins can also work on the back end to upload new content and assemble new courses, just as you would in any other LMS. The back end looks much like the front end, except that there are tick boxes to the left of library resources. Using those boxes, you can edit the permissions of existing assets or create new learning units, paths, or certifications. Admins can also import existing SCORM or Aviation Industry CBT Committee (AICC) files.
Reporting and Analytics
Reporting is where Halogen TalentSpace LMS earns its stripes. Open the Report tab and you'll find literally dozens of preloaded reports, from Compensation Process Status to Certification. Each report can be viewed as chart, a chart with a list, or simply as a list. From the List view, admins can resort data by clicking headers, add filters on the fly, save reports for later, or simply export charts and data as PDF files or spreadsheets.
We were particularly impressed with the training reports. The Employee Development History, in particular, lets admins parse employee performance scores over a period of time. Admins can see where employees have increased scores (in green), decreased scores (in red), as well as how they fared on development plans and performance appraisals. From there, supervisors can determine what new training programs they might want to prescribe in the future. Meanwhile, the Certification Report provides a useful overview of employee compliance.
The Bottom Line
Earlier, we compared Halogen TalentSpace LMS with Absorb LMS, our Editors' Choice for education. We'll also add Docebo (See Demo at Docebo) , our Editors' Choice for enterprise-grade online learning platforms to this comparison. All three systems provide capable systems for the corporate midmarket. From there, the comparison falters. Since both Halogen Performance and Halogen Learning solutions are included, the system is much more expensive than Absorb LMS and Docebo for an office of 500 users. If the ability to level up your LMS via additional software modules, services, and content is important to you, then that scalability may persuade you to invest in Halogen TalentSpace LMS.
Halogen TalentSpace LMS isn't the belle of the online learning platform ball. But customers can gain peace of mind knowing they can augment their learn management system using an array of Halogen modules, services, and content.
Like What You're Reading?
Sign up for Lab Report to get the latest reviews and top product advice delivered right to your inbox.
This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.
Thanks for signing up!
Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!
Sign up for other newsletters
