What are the key metrics and indicators to measure and improve your learning outcomes and performance?

Learning outcomes (objective) are an important place to start, but high impact learning programs go well beyond that. Ultimately, identifying business outcomes at the start of the project is key. When you get to the root of why we build a learning program, it's not to get 80% on a quiz, or 4.5/5 on a survey. The driving reason is to improve a business outcome. More sales, higher quality, fewer accidents, lower costs, better employee retention, etc.

The conceptual models most commonly used in L&D such as Kirkpatrick, or LTEM are useful prompts for thinking about measuring L&D activity. However, modern L&D functions need their foundations to be in a data model, of which L&D activity is only one input. The model should contain data to allow for the tracking of: ? Learner preferences ? Qualitative feedback ? Skill growth ? Behaviour change ? Culture change ? Performance change All of the above should be able to observed against control groups. This requires the joining of multiple data sources ranging from HR systems, to Microsoft usage data, to employee social channel listening data. Most L&D Analytics can be based upon the ‘SIMMPLE’ data model.

Outcomes. Seldom does Learning get much credit in my history. VPs, Sales, CSMs, Project Managers, Etc. all want and compete for full credit of positive outcomes. Any suggestions for a piece of the credit pie?

A major trend we're seeing in the market is the ability to sync your learning analytics to your company's data warehouse or data lake. By doing so, you can combine and transform your data with many other systems of record, providing a holistic view of learning impact. You should evaluate an LMS that has the ability to sync their data directly to a data warehouse/lake, so that you don't have to find engineering resources to build custom connectors.

Analytics tracked by the LMS are useful, but data gathered from end-of-course surveys or other methods of informal feedback should also be assessed. You might try to interpret the problem & solution from the data but be completely off the mark. Speaking to / getting feedback from the learners is essential to understanding the problem.

Maximize learning dashboards by incorporating predictive analytics to anticipate learner challenges and opportunities for intervention. Integrate real-time data feeds for up-to-date insights, allowing immediate adjustments. Customize dashboards to include comparative benchmarks against industry standards for valuable context. Personalize dashboards for learners to display their progress and milestones, enhancing motivation and accountability. Regularly solicit feedback on dashboard usability to drive continuous improvement. These strategies ensure dashboards are dynamic, relevant, and effective tools for monitoring and enhancing learning outcomes.

It's important to be able to sync your data with centralized company dashboards so that people outside of the L&D team can track performance. For example, if your company is using Tableau, your learning data should be represented in key KPI dashboards. This will help drive relevance and investment for your team by keeping your learning initiatives front and center for the company.

Measuring and improving learning outcomes and performance require tracking a range of key metrics. For learning outcomes, focus on competency achievement, knowledge retention, and the ability to apply skills in real-world scenarios. Learning performance can be gauged by tracking completion rates, assessment scores, and time spent on tasks. Learning analytics tools provide data on user engagement, behavior patterns, and bottlenecks, while learning dashboards visualize this data, helping instructors pinpoint areas for improvement. Continuous feedback loops and regular evaluations help improve content and delivery.

To enhance learning improvement, implement adaptive learning technologies to personalize experiences based on individual performance. Try A/B testing to identify the efficient instructional methods. Establish a continuous feedback loop where learners can provide real-time input on their experiences. Engage in peer reviews with other educators for diverse learning design and delivery perspectives. These approaches create a responsive, evolving learning environment that optimizes outcomes and keeps content relevant and engaging.

One way to communicate learning benefits is to send a company-wide email on a monthly basis to tout the learning progress within your organization. This email can highlight top learning performers, new courses coming out, and even solicit feedback for future topics. A mentor once told me, 'Half the battle of L&D is marketing,' so you need to make sure you continue marketing your learning programs internally and externally.

To capture learning benefits in the workplace, track long-term impacts on employees' career growth and job performance. Use employee networks to gather data on how training has influenced their professional development. Measure broader benefits like increased productivity, innovation, and team engagement. Share visual success stories through video testimonials or infographics to communicate these benefits effectively. This approach makes the impact more relatable and compelling, demonstrating the actual value of your learning programs.

Here's another approach that your organization probably cares about even more. There are two things to improve upon with learning metrics: 1) How well people perform as a result of training 2) How good the training is Neither metric comes from your LMS alone. You'll need to match it up with actual performance data (not learning data) in the first case. And you'll need to true up the learning content with the source content (to determine if it is still accurate) and/or usability testing (to see where people get stuck or skip things) in the second case. Keep asking what matters to your org, and keep testing & iterating in that direction. While it's far messier than making pretty reports or dashboards, it conveys more value to everyone.

To measure and improve learning outcomes and performance, it's essential to focus on a range of metrics. Key indicators include completion rates, assessment scores, knowledge retention, and the ability to apply learned skills in real-world scenarios. Learning analytics offer deeper insights, tracking engagement, time spent on activities, and progression. Dashboards visualize these metrics, making it easier to identify trends and areas for improvement. For Tekstac, our platform goes beyond traditional learning by emphasizing the 'Application of Knowledge.' We use GenAI to auto-evaluate labs and provide hands-on practice environments, enabling real-time skill enhancement and bridging the gap from learning objectives to outcomes.

These guidelines are detailed and useful, but reference to actual impacts based on cases would have made the guidlines even more useful.