The Missing Piece of Custom eLearning Solutions Strategy: Measurement

As per market research, the revenue per employee increases by 26% in organisations that use e-learning programs effectively. This signifies that training is not valuable when L&D uses good measurement techniques. 

Many organisations consider training a one-time event, and once they see good competition rates, managers never return to the data stored on the platform, which could play a major role in choosing future training formats.

The process of measuring is also determined by the features of LMS (learning management systems). Hence, in this article, we will discuss cases with missing measurement attributes or a lack of strategies and features to look for in a platform before choosing the final one. 

What are custom eLearning solutions?

Custom e-learning solutions are training programs created from the ground up based on the skill requirements of a single organisation. The complete program is designed in accordance with job roles, current workflow, industry-specific compliance requirements, and business goals. 

With the help of personalised content, the learners can complete training faster because they don't have to translate generic content for company relevance, and practice consists of exercises of real-life scenarios. 

How to measure custom eLearning solutions 

1. Measuring completion rates

Most of the organisations measure the completion rates, which is the worst method known to mankind. The competition rates only indicate how many employees attended the lectures, but for effective results, information on progress, behaviour changes, weak points, and similar details is important. The LMS stores learners' data for e-learning solutions. 

2. The centre of learning

When the custom eLearning solutions are designed for generic learning and not for targeting specific training issues, the program is rarely worth the investment. Measurements require a focus without the centerpiece. How will L&D decide on what metrics to choose? They will not. The personalised content would lack information during the development period.

3. The Kirkpatrick model

The Kirkpatrick model is a standard practice that organisations use to measure the effectiveness of training programs. The process includes four steps: reaction, learning, behaviour, and results in business outcomes. Most organisations never make it to the end; they only make sure employees acknowledge the content. When companies invest in programs like custom eLearning solutions, the L&D should follow all the steps for clarity. 

4. Good content failing

There are many cases where employees engage with custom eLearning solutions, satisfaction rates are high, assessment scores are impressive, they complete the course, and still show no behavioural changes. In this scenario, the organisation will have to change its measurement approach and consider manager assessments, performance observations, and evaluations at different stages of training, such as 30, 60, and 90 days. 

5. Connecting training to business

The leadership invest in custom eLearning solutions and expects the desired results at the end, but the process of connecting the training content to business metrics falls on learning and development teams. This needs a measurement plan, which most L&D never make. Before starting any development of the course, the team should decide on metrics that leaders want, such as progress rates, fewer errors, retention, and revenue. 

6. Modern LMS analytics

Older learning management systems were used to report very surface-level data for organisations to gain analytical knowledge. The missing piece was also the important part that was preventing L&D from upgrading training with better options. Now, the modern LMS of custom eLearning solutions has chgned their tracking data priorities with more details about what employees learned and how much they retained. 

7. The knowledge of future training

Custom eLearning solutions that provide clear information to the L&D team about training: what is being retained, highly engaging modules, drop-off content by learners, difficulty levels, and existing skill gaps after training completion. Gives the team clarity to think about what their next step could be for closing the ongoing issues. 

Features To Choose In LMS For Better Measurement

We already talked about the cases of custom eLearning solutions when it is missing a very crucial aspect of training, which is measuring the success of training in terms of real metrics that matter. But the process is also mostly affected by the features LMS possesses. Below are some important features of LMS that need to be looked out for to support measurement:

• Real-time tracking: The system should be taking a discrete track of learners' activities on the platform without needing any manual efforts. 

• Assessment score records: It should keep track of every assessment and quiz score to give the final report from the overall score, not just the last test scores. 

• Integration with existing system: The platform hosting custom eLearning solutions should be integrated with the existing business system of the company, like HR performance management or a CRM platform. 

• Custom reporting data dashboard: Every level of the organisation needs different data for their use, and the LMS should customise the dashboard for each of them. 

• Alerts: The platform should be sending reports to L&D or the manager in case some learners are falling behind, so the issue can be addressed before completion. 

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The Conclusion

Measuring learning outcomes is a crucial part of training; without this process, organisations will never find out how much return they got on investment and which aspects need to be considered in the future training program. When custom eLearning solutions lack pieces for measurement, the learning and development team should change their strategy to gain knowledge of the effectiveness of training.