Cornerstone LMS

Pros

I like that CSOD is an integrated HRIS system. It has a great end-user experience and a nice interface.

Cons

Some of the file size limits are an issue. and some of the functionality does not work as one would assume. However, there are a lot of tools and resources to find ways to make the functionality work for your company.

Pros

I think that the recent changes have made the system more user friendly, but it is still not the most clear system. It manages transcripts fairly well.

Cons

I assume (as I was hired after implementation) that you need to request it, but our permissions are more limited than I would like. We can't run reports like utilization metrics, or who is in what security role which really limits our abilities. We also don't have backend design privileges and as a web developer that is infuriating.
I would say usability is less than desirable as there are HTML issues, and Transcript functionality confuses people.
There isn't a natural or logical way to set up accommodation requests even when using custom forms, which in my opinion is a very bad issue. We of course have text in the email, but it's insufficient and has caused issues.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Cornerstone LMS

Reasons for Switching to Cornerstone LMS

Pros

Not a lot to be honest. If you have to pick something, it would be their reporting 2.0 tool. When it doesn't freeze or error out, it is simple to use.

Cons

Where to start? Here are just a few highlights:
- The worst customer service I'd ever experience working with a vendor.

- They take days to reply to emails, same for technical support tickets, even when they are labeled as a high priority.

- When you call the support line, their reps are customer service agents who are just reading the same outdated info you find on their documentation online, so useless.

-If you need to escalate the issue, prepare to wait 2 days for a reply, the first reply will always be a question about something you already explained on the initial ticket. Then you'll be waiting at least another 48 hrs for an update on their "investigation."

- Their compatibility with iPads has become very bad. Since 13.1 came out, we've had nothing but problems with files not loading, 404 errors, server errors, and to make matter worse, expect to wait a week or more to be told, there is nothing they can do.

- If you have to set permissions at different levels, good luck figuring out how the hundreds of individual permissions interconnect and how they are dependent on each other. Their own training team can't help you with this area. So if you plan to create any custom permissions that fall outside the few standard positions they have already created, good luck, prepare to spend weeks testing settings.

- They refused a 1-year extension and said that they wouldn't consider anything less than 2 and that there would be a significant price increase for less than 3.

Pros

Cornerstone was an improvement over the LMS platforms we were using 5 years ago. It handles large amounts of learning objects and dynamic assignments well if its simple. It doesn't like complicated assignments. The system works well with a simple set of learning objects assigned to a simple group with a due date. If you need to build a complicated group (one with many parameters), it may not work as well. Also the removal of items is a challenge when you are removing from a large number of transcripts.

Cons

the administration of cornerstone is not straight forward. There are a lot of nuances that come up when you are completing various activities. There is also the inconsistencies with various screens throughout. In some areas you can click check all or uncheck all to select multiple objects. In other areas you cannot and have to click individually, which is time consuming.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Cornerstone LMS

Switched From

Reasons for Switching to Cornerstone LMS

Pros

Constant improvement (quaterly) is something I really like about this application. Users do not complain about it, which is a huge plus for us supporting the app in our organization. The application is big and there is always something new to learn or better way of doing things.

Cons

There is not much that I can say negative about the application. One thing that I would like to change is character count when creating groups. It might seem small for some organization admins, but for us its a important as our groups can be very large. It is frustrating when creating a group and you are unable to save it because you succeeded the character limit. Not a deal breaker but for sure an annoyance that can perhaps be fixed in the next releases.