This blog is a must-read for training managers who want to find out more about how learning analytics can be used to boost learner engagement.
The incorporation of e-Learning solutions into corporate training has opened up exciting avenues for development in employee learning. With e-learning programs, training departments can rest assured that the challenges of time and space have been addressed, as training can be effectively dispersed to employees across diverse geographical locations. This is all well and good, but how do you know if your employees are completing courses as expected, engaging with the content, and whether the training is proving effective? For all you know, learners may be busy texting or making calls while simply skimming through the online course content. This lack of engagement in the training program, is more difficult to track in online courses.
The increase of the use of learning analytics in the corporate world has been mirrored by a positive trend in learner engagement. In this blog we will examine 3 ways in which learning analytics make it possible to offer learners a highly-engaging learning experience.
1. Analyze What Works
Accessing learning analytics through your LMS is a highly effective way to gauge the level of learner interaction with your training content. You can track the time spent by each individual on completing the online course, and even go down to a microscopic examination of the time spent by the learner on each page of the e-Learning course. The time spent by learners on learning activities, the number of views of videos and e-Books which provide additional information on course content, and the score on the quiz at the end of each module are all kept track of. This data can then be used to analyze trends in learner engagement.
Learning analytics through the LMS offers an insight into:
- Progress of learners in the e-Learning course
- Preferences of learners
- User-engagement offered by modules in the e-Learning course
L&D personnel can use the information tracked through learning analytics to find out what works (and what may need improvement) in the course design. The course design can then be changed accordingly to improve learner engagement levels.
2. Deliver Personalized Training Programs
Personalization is a wonderful strategy for improving learner engagement. Take, for example, an organization that has rolled out an e-learning course on customer handling skills in two parts: one basic, and the other advanced. While new employees would likely benefit from completing both sections, more experienced customer service agents may not find the basic training program engaging. Based on their work experience, customer service agents may be offered a pre-assessment on basic customer handling skills. Learning analytics is used as an effective tool to collate and analyze assessment scores. If a learner clears the pre-assessment, then he/she can be presented with the option to skip the basic course and proceed to the advanced skills course.
Another example of how personalized e-learning can be used in course delivery is through language preferences. An organization has just rolled out a new mandatory compliance course for all employees. An employee in the organization’s business unit in China is presented with the option to complete the course in Chinese. Data tracking and analysis, core components of delivering personalized learning, are made possible by learning analytics, in turn leading to increased learner engagement.
3. Benefit from Predictive Analysis
Learners who are struggling with course content are less likely to be motivated to complete their online training. With learning analytics, it is easy to reveal which learners are finding content difficult, in addition to those who have performed poorly in previous assessments.
Learning analytics can predict the risk of learners dropping out from a course, even based on data from the very first module of a course. This information can then be used by training managers to make an early intervention to decide upon a course of action to help these learners to progress. It could be the case that the set of employees who are struggling with a particular online training program would benefit from being placed on a simpler learning path, or from completing basic modules before progressing onto more advanced courses.
While it is normal for learners to progress at different rates, if a majority of learners in your organization are struggling to complete the online training program, it may be the case that the course content needs to be updated. Take the time to investigate; sometimes it may not be an issue related to the course at all, but that learners lack technical skills or are facing a language barrier. No matter what the challenge in learning is, learning analytics can help to accurately identify and solve the problem, boosting learner engagement.
Increased learner engagement naturally leads to increased learning. Learning analytics helps organizations focus on the right way to use learning data – for the continuous enhancement of the learning experience of employees.
Can you think of more ways in which an organization can use learning analytics to improve learner engagement in e-Learning courses? We would love to hear your thoughts.
