eLearning Doubles as a Survey
The standard e-learning program today is great at delivering training and providing important information. Many of the more effective e-learning courses have migrated from their humble beginnings as a mere powerpoint slideshow to incorporate complex video and graphics which enhance the user experience. But, what if the e-learning tool could go beyond just the learning function and capture important information about the collective perceptions, behaviors and concerns of your workforce at the same time?
The beauty of e-learning technology today is its richness of capability. Not only can it provide visually engaging learning as previously mentioned – standard text along with color graphics and interesting video -- but it also uses interactivity in the form of exercises, questionnaires, quizzes and tests. This interaction serves two valuable purposes: 1) enhances the students’ personal involvement in the training which increases interest and retention, and 2) captures student responses which can be turned into critical intelligence used to improve the organization.
In order to maintain the integrity of the training, this valuable data should be protected by aggregating it above the individual level to a department, function, or other grouping.
A well thought out and strategically designed course can obtain hundreds of data points for filtering and sorting into meaningful information. Examples of these data points include items such as race/ethnicity, gender, function (finance, sales, etc.), job level, seniority, and many others. The aggregated data can be used to determine specific areas for improvement or to establish best-in-class that can be leveraged or reapplied across the organization.
This data can also be used at a very granular level without revealing the respondents’ answers. For example, according to the Gallup Group, we know that people accept employment based on the company itself but leave based on negative experience with their boss. So, if the satisfaction rating of the Black Women category, for instance, with their immediate manager is low, you can take proactive steps to address the issue and improve retention of these valued associates.
Another example of how to make good use of respondents’ answers and turn it into meaningful action is to probe workplace issues to determine if there are any barriers that are negatively impacting productivity. Moreover, you might filter by workgroup to discern which groups are experiencing the most barriers as well as solicit suggestions for improving productivity from the participants.
A third example of how to utilize the data for valuable insight is to better understand respondents’ collective views on proposed company-wide initiatives so that the implementation is more effective. For example, if you learn that the vast majority of your organization feels that homosexuality is a lifestyle choice rather than based on genetics, you would likely experience significant backlash within the company if same- sex partner benefits are implemented. Knowing this, you may still choose to deploy the new benefit plan, but you would be better equipped to properly position the initiative as well as deal with the anticipated feedback. This information, then, would enable you to be much more proactive and efficient in handling such cases.
One critical element for getting the most out of this data is deploying courses through a Learning Management System (LMS) that is flexible and customizable to meet an ever-changing environment. A standard LMS will collect basic user information such as identifying characteristics like name, company ID, etc., and then report completion of courses as well as scores on pre and post tests. What we’re talking about is enhancing the LMS to be able to collect and report additional data points as well as have the ability to sort by various filters so that the data can be aggregated. For example, in just one of our courses, we collect and report almost 100 different data points, from how comfortable users feel about workplace situations, to what characteristics they view as important when promotions are granted.
The effort to build a powerful, dynamic LMS system is well worth it. The program can be used to deliver e-learning or stand-alone surveys, or even measurable reinforcement messages sent via email to participants that continually monitor learning retention, actions, and behavior change as a result of the training.
The variety of questions that can be included is unlimited and they can take many forms, such as open-ended, true/false, multiple choice, etc.
By taking full advantage of today’s technology through imbedding questions and interactive exercises into your e-learning tools, you will not only dramatically enhance the user’s learning experience, but will also gain very valuable and usable insights into your organization.
TO learn more about how Diversity University can provide quantitative information about the culture of inclusion in your workforce, through exemplary elearning, contact our office today at 513-236-2170.
8/1/2009