WBT Systems – TopClass

The following are highlights from the WBT Systems TopClass profile in the Association Learning Management Systems report.

Although WBT Systems has had a significant presence in the corporate market for many year, we were somewhat surprised when its TopClass system showed up as one of the LMSes most used by the associations participating in the survey behind our Association E-learning: State of the Sector report published in March 2009.

WBT Systems representatives indicate associations have become a major area of the company’s business, and WBT Systems is focused on adding to a roster of clients that already includes America’s Health Insurance Plans, the American Health Information Management Association, and Associated General Contractors.

  • WBT Systems emphasizes the degree to which TopClass is customizable. This is reflected not only in the use of cascading style sheets to control the user interface, but also in the ability to re-name and attach extra information to nearly any functionality in the system
  • Combined interface customization and group management capabilities make it possible to provide a distinctly branded interface and separate catalog in the system for chapters or member companies.
  • TopClass e-commerce functionality is among the best we have seen in any system. A number of clients, according to the company, have opted to replace their legacy shopping cart with the TopClass cart. One noteworthy feature of the system is the ability for a manager to make purchases on behalf of an employee or to buy in bulk and then distribute to employees—a good model for associations that sell courses to corporate purchasers.
  • The system allows for “learning plans” that could be used, for example, to designate a set of courses required for a certification.
  • The company reports an ad-hoc reporting tool is currently in beta testing.
  • The TopClass capabilities for administering instructor-led training (ILT) include tools for managing calendar and room conflicts. The company shared that at least one client has used the ILT capabilities for managing its annual conference.
  • A license of TopClass Publisher, a simple authoring tool for courses and assessments, is included with TopClass. Microsoft Word and PowerPoint documents can be imported into Publisher for creating courses.

In general, TopClass is one of the more feature-rich and sophisticated of the systems we reviewed. The company opted not to provide specific pricing information, so it is unclear whether the system is in the reach of smaller organizations, but certainly for larger organizations seeking maximum flexibility and strong e-commerce capabilities, it is a solution worth considering.

To purchase the full WBT Systems profile, which features nearly 30 pages of detailed information about TopClass, click the button below. Or, see other individual LMS profiles we offer and find out more about the full Association Learning Management Systems report.

Add to Cart View Cart

Each LMS profile covers the following areas in detail:

  • General Company Information
  • General LMS Information
  • LMS Implementation
  • Pricing
  • Technology
  • System Requirements
  • Integration and Interoperability
  • Standards and Guidelines
  • Hosting
  • Personalization
  • Interface Configuration
  • Internationalization and Localization
  • Search and Catalogs
  • Authoring, Managing, and Displaying Learning Content
  • In-person, Place-based Courses
  • Webinars
  • Registration
  • Enrollment
  • Managing Continuing Education and Certification
  • Assessments
  • Evaluations
  • Reporting
  • Support for Multiple Sites
  • Collaboration and Communication Tools
  • E-commerce
  • Support and Training
  • Custom Programming and Content Development
Add to Cart View Cart

If you have any questions about the contents of this page or about learning management systems in general, please do not hesitate to contact us.