Based on the results of Brandon Hall Group’s most recent Learning Measurement Study, it appears that most organizations consider the completion of a course to be the best indicator of learning effectiveness. Learning leaders will stand on the mountain top and shout: “90% of the people who enrolled in this class completed it! Mission Accomplished!” 
Unfortunately, this piece of data tells us nothing. We don’t know if the learners even liked the course, let alone whether they actually learned anything, or are doing things differently based on what they learned.
High-performing organizations are much more likely to use more strategic metrics, including specific business outcomes to measure learning. They are also more likely to take advantage of tools like the Kirkpatrick Model for measurement. We will deliver a Research Spotlight webinar on this topic at 1pm EST Sept. 14 that takes a look at what companies are doing, and strategies for getting better.
The measurement discussion leads us to another discussion around how learning impacts performance. Without the proper metrics in place, companies may never know how much or how little impact they are having. Learning has the potential to have a bigger impact on both individual and organizational performance than anything else in the business.
You can join us for another webinar at 1pm EST Sept. 20 that looks at the nexus of learning and performance. This session will focus on a learning model with performance as the central outcome, as well as the role of learning consultants as performance consultants.
And what kind of content leads to a positive learning impact? We’ll host another webinar at 1pm EST Sept. 15 that looks at the benefits of an “always-on” content model. Much in the way people are consuming more of their content in an on-demand environment, picking and choosing what they want and when they want it, learning content is also seeing a shift away from large courses that take forever to build to a more a-la-carte approach.
This series of webinars will help organizations better understand how learning can influence performance, as well as how they can do a better job measuring just how effective their learning is. I look forward to seeing you there and answering any of your questions.
–David Wentworth, Principal Learning Analyst, Brandon Hall Group
@DavidMWentworth
