Figuring out how all of this data can help your organization to make significant improvements is key here! Staying current and ensuring continued success is no easy feat. To see a good return on investment with your eLearning strategy seems almost impossible today without using Big Data.
Careful planning and design, based on actual data, means training can be a better experience and results can be improved and eLearning concepts simplified.
Data-driven learning at a glance
To stay ahead of the curve in this day and age is not easy, as technology is developing at a staggering rate. Companies are turning to data-driven learning time and time again in order to keep their online training relevant and effective.
It is now commonplace to be able to track, report and analyze every element of our daily lives, from the number of steps that we take to how we feel at different times of the day through social learning. This improved learner interaction. Why not do the same with how we learn?
What does this mean for companies?
Why Use Big Data In eLearning?
The opportunities to analyze data in regards to how people learn are endless. Big data allows us to assess what we do and how we do it. In order to achieve better results in the future, companies are using their learning data to improve their online courses and make them more interesting to learners.
This is helping companies to change the way they think and engage better with their learners. They can find out what makes their learners tick and reap the rewards.
Let’s get down to it. There are five main types of Big Data:
- Predictive Data: this is the most commonly used type of Big data and consists of an analysis of what might happen. It’s the kind of data that companies use to recognize patterns and harness for future decisions.
- Prescriptive Data: this type of data shows what should be done next based on the data being received.
- Diagnostic Data: this data looks at what has happened in the past and why, and is very effective for implementing positive change in the future.
- Descriptive Data: this data describes what is happening now based on incoming data. This is fast Data and works to deliver information in real time, with accurate results. The West Japan Railway System, for example, uses cameras which give off signals that show intoxication, which in turn helps to stop deaths from people falling on the tracks.
- Outcome Data: this type of data looks at consumer data and what influences the decision of said consumer. This allows you to understand your customers better and make educated choices in the future, based on their preferences and behaviors.
Big Data helps companies understand their learners
In the same way that companies apply big data in order to genuinely try and understand their shoppers, in the case of e-commerce, organizations that invest in training can use eLearning big data to get insights about their learners. Once they have achieved this, the possibilities are endless.
With the information they accumulate, they have the ability to create tailor-made training experiences and unique courses. Courses incorporating different techniques such as blended learning will work in the right circumstance. This is because they have been made with eLearning big data under considerations improve their effects on the learner in terms of engagement, knowledge retention and overall training satisfaction. That’s a win-win situation!
In simple terms, data-driven learning is effective in measuring and then improving upon existing eLearning methods that are being utilized to create exciting, appealing training possibilities.
Data-Driven Learning isn’t a quick fix
The importance of data-driven learning is obvious, although the effects may take some time to clearly be clearly seen, This is because it is a long-term strategy. Results aren’t immediate because they hinge on data rolling in and analysis coming up with decisions.
The aim of learning data is to minimize learner dissatisfaction. This will improve the efficiency of any company’s learning programs and provide a much-improved training strategy!
No matter how big or small, companies do need to realize the true benefit of investing into learning data as this is the future of eLearning technology. The main benefits of big data in eLearning are many and varied, but here are just a few:
· Personalizing the learner experience: companies that use eLearning big data can create a training program designed with their own learners in mind. This, in turn, means that the learners absorb the information they are provided more efficiently and in a way which adheres to their own learning style.
· Identifying causes of failing elements: if a company sees bad results from their learners, then gone are the days of speculating what could be going wrong. The future of eLearning technology means that big data can be used to pinpoint exactly where the issue lies and work towards solving it.
· Generating new training methods: big data in eLearning means that you can gain an insight into which methods work and which don’t. If nothing is working to the level required, then it enables you to adopt new techniques which will allow your users to learn effectively.
· Improving engagement: This benefit is kind of a catch-22 but in a good way. Improved engagement will bring in more information. The training results will demonstrate this and can be used to create new training material with more of the elements that keep the users engaged.
Learning Data can lead to personalization
Tailored courses based on learning styles, competencies, and skills
Although it might alienate some people, big data and what comes with it allows companies to assess the behavior of learners in a more detailed way than ever before. From this knowledge, come insights and the power to create uniquely tailored programs to suit your learners.
In turn, trainees will remain more focused, improving the KPIs set to measure how effective the training really is and reduce the effort needed to create and institute training programs in the first place. No one loses!
To get into the nitty-gritty, new developments in technology such as the Tin Can API allow you to understand your learners easily. The learning data you get means you can create personalized courses based on the way that your learners learn or what skills they have and lack.
Through creating specific courses designed with your learner in mind, you can access their mindset further, gaining even more learning data!
Personalization means that all the training courses you create are relevant and will be successful in training in the most succinct way imaginable. From experiential learning to microlearning courses depending on what best suits the individual’s needs.
Track your success and “monetize” your eLearning
With results, you have hard evidence and can show people the benefits, even if they don’t have a clue about learning data!
We have established that data-driven learning allows you to measure success. From the learning data, you can run an analysis and understand what is working within your organization and what is not.
If you discover that the new course you purchased or developed is not delivering in terms of giving you the test results you were looking for, then it is time to think about replacing or enhancing it. You can enhance courses by setting measurable objectives for your learners to complete or trying a new technique.
If you see that your learners have more success when they use gamification techniques, incorporate more of this into the course content. Perhaps certain groups of people achieve more when they complete training on a more regular basis. The numbers do not lie and therefore offer you the chance to measure the success of your corporate learning strategy with ease.
Another benefit of learning data is that you can use it to show your board or team members the hard facts if you need they need convincing. Numbers speak for themselves!
To wrap this up…
Data-driven learning provides a deeper understanding of how eLearning works for everyone. Those who are not familiar with more cutting-edge eLearning techniques can easily get acquainted. Those who are familiar with such techniques can fly. This can lead to the upskilling of employees and an improvement in your overall workforce.
With firm data that has been extracted from real-life situations, anyone can gain access to the world of eLearning and will understand why changes may be required. If the customer service team are under-performing when it comes to handling a certain style of client request, the feedback and time scores may reflect this.
If the course related to this section is lacking, the test results will demonstrate low scores, and department heads need to be made aware of them. Anyone can understand the correlation and what actions are to be taken here.
Big Data is the future and you should look into it to improve eLearning in your organization!
