How Do Your LMS System’s Metrics Measure Up?

It’s a sad statistic: LMS are not measuring metrics as expected! With the lightning speed at which we create and send out data on the Internet, data analytics tools are a necessity. LMS administrators, course instructors, and learners need meaningful analysis of activities.

These include the course completion rates, the course registration number, the revenue generated per course in a given quarter, and even the quality of responses provided by the instructor in a course. Intelligent metrics are needed for intelligent systems.

Despite boasting of these tools, several LMS fail to measure up. Online training providers and schools are now looking into external metrics measuring tools to integrate in their existing LMS infrastructure.

Why?

Where does the monthly payment for this LMS go to?

We agree you manage tons of data and we appreciate the exponential size of the storage this LMS provides. But why doesn’t it have the correct tools built in to measure the value and meaning of this data stored in its servers?

If an LMS is sophisticated enough to create enriching courses, surely it can have some more coding in place to provide desirable reports based on proliferous data.

Before you read any further, halt right there! If you are a TalentLMS user you don’t have to look for external metric measuring tools! The most “in-demand” of the metrics is just at your finger-tips.  Direct feedback that can be collected via a survey like a rating for the course or the instructor or a survey is built into the system. Talentlms includes surveys that can be used to collect meaningful feedback for learners – and tools to analyze the results to gain insight.

Plans to measure the relatively tricky element, the ROI are also underway. This is one of the most time-sensitive metrics. It builds on data collected at periodic intervals. For example, survey results and simple polls collected by training managers on “how would they rate the training program’s performance improving capability” and other specific questions with three responses “Excellent”, “Okay” or “Poor”. Answers from polls can easily be analyzed (over time) and displayed as a “ROI Rating for this Course”. Job impact rating is also desirable and again, is time sensitive. Data for Job Impact Rating can only be collected from managers and senior managers.

In this article we discuss what kind of metrics we need from an LMS to make our ROI worthwhile.

LMS Metrics And How To Measure Them

The need for training measurement support tops the list. An LMS can include tools that measure the following about a training course:

• Overall rating of the training course:

  Overall rating is a one word answer: “Excellent” “Good” or “Fair”. Such ratings improve learner enrollment and provide opportunity to instructional designers to improve their courses.

• Post-event survey results:

  These are basically for instructional designers and trainers. They can be specific questions related to the course, enabling designers to improve increments after each event delivery.

• Instructor ratings:

  Very essential to the instructor to fine tune their course mentoring. Also important for marketing the instructor as the mentor of a course.

• Job Impact:

  as discussed above

• Learning Effectiveness:

  This is a bit abstract but can be dealt with specific questions like requesting for emotional or affective responses. The confidence, excitement, anxiety, empowerment and curiosity or boredom learners feel, describe the effectiveness of the learning materials.

• Return on Investment:

  as discussed above

• Overall satisfaction:

  This is popular and again needs a single word answer. Using non-conventional answers like “awesome” “phenomenal” “brain wrecker” etc. add to the appeal of this metric. 

On the whole, the ability of a metrics  measuring system integrated in a LMS can be enhanced by adding operational and performance tools that yield the degree of learning transfer to work context and the ability to demonstrate value of a learning content to senior members of the organization.

LMS are power social networking tools. Their essence lies in the capability to create community of practice (COP). If developed and implemented effectively, LMS can serve as a talent attracting pool. Certain data measurement tools have to be in place to develop, attract and retain talent within the learning community. Measuring unstructured data and providing valuable notifications to mentors working behind the scene is also desirable. This is done through qualitative analysis – a step that frees up processing time by humans for more creative tasks, thereby reducing administration tasks and increasing data use. LMS metrics can also measure performance and align it with business objectives to describe outcomes at a given time.

The possibilities are endless, given the volume of data sifting through servers. Analytic tools programmed in LMS can create a world of difference in how learning and teaching takes place within the organization.