the state of learner experience, engagement, and solutions ...€¦ · development is a primary...

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The State of Learner Experience, Engagement, and Solutions 2020Gain insights into how to improve the learning culture, technologies and strategies

Sponsored by:

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The State of Learner Experience, Engagement, and Solutions 2020

Contents

Executive Summary

The Key Drivers of Organizational Learning in 2020

Learner Experience, Engagement and Culture

The Role of Learning Metrics

Today’s Organizational Learning Ecosystems

Technologies in Today’s Learning Ecosystems

What Matters Most in Learning Technology

The Capabilities and Features of Today’s Learning Technology Systems

The Primary Weaknesses of Today’s Learning Systems

Comparing LMS and LXP Systems

Differentiators of Top-Notch Learning Cultures

The Future of Learning

The Learner Experience Paradigm

Key Takeaways

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Executive SummaryThe Learning and Development (L&D) industry is big business in today’s U.S. economy. In 2019, training expenditures—including payroll and spending on external products and services—hovered around $83 billion.1

It’s not just a big business but a changing one. That is, organizations are shifting the way they spend their training budgets as they adjust to evolving expectations and preferences among learners as well as L&D professionals.

To learn more about how the landscape is evolving, we surveyed 300 human resources (HR) professionals to investigate the following:

● levels of overall learner experience, engagement, and learning success

● core factors that drive organizational learning

● the various types of learning strategies and how technology is leveraged

● key components of the organizational learning ecosystem

● what top-notch learning cultures do differently from other organizations

About this Survey

The State of Learning Experience, Engagement, and Solutions Survey ran during January and February 2020. We gathered 300 usable complete and partial responses from HR professionals in virtually every industry vertical.

Respondents were located all over the world, but the large majority of them reside in North America, especially the United States. The participants represent a broad cross-section of employers by number of employees, ranging from small businesses with fewer than 50 employees to enterprises with 20,000+ employees.

1 2019 Training Industry Report (2019, November/December). Training. Retrieved from https ://trainingma g.com/sites/default/files/2019_industry_report.pdf



Below are major findings from the study:

Major Finding One: Most responding organizations (83%) use at least one learning technology for the purposes of providing learning to employees and/or other stakeholders. Among those that do:

● 83% use face-to-face instructional opportunities such as classes or on-the-job training

● 63% have at least one learning management system (LMS)

● 50% have an organizational learning hub or portal

● 47% use authoring tools (cloud or desktop) to design internal learning content

● 30% use a performance support system

Major Finding Two: Among those that use at least one learning technology:

● only about two-fifths (39%) say they are satisfied with their learning technologies

● only 24% agree that their learning technologies are well integrated with one another

● only 26% say their learning platform is integrated with their Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system

● 59% say they are able to take advantage of the functionality of their current systems



Major Finding Three: Although so many are dissatisfied with their learning technologies, a majority believe that their learners experience positive outcomes; few, however, have good metrics and analytics that can verify such outcomes.

● Among all respondents:

� 69% report a positive learning experience � 65% say employees are engaged in learning � 64% report that learners learn successfully

● Few, however, report that they have “good metrics” in these areas:

� just 13% have good learner experience metrics � just 10% have good learner engagement metrics � just 14% have good learner success metrics

Major Finding Four: Learning metrics are often based on low-value criteria such as classroom attendance and survey instrument.

● Among those that measure learner engagement:

� 65% use classroom attendance � 50% use a survey instrument � 41% use achievements (e.g., badges)

● Among those that measure learner success:

� 59% ask learners about how they feel about their learning experience

� 59% determine the degree to which a learner’s on-the-job behavior changed

� 51% ask learners to gauge how much they’ve learned

● Among those that measure learner experience, organizations typically rely on surveys, feedback, attainment of learning objectives, and amount of time spent in learning.



Major Finding Five: There are three widely-cited drivers of learning in today’s organizations:

● 76% cite new skills development

● 67% cite career development

● 51% cite regulatory compliance

Major Finding Six: When asked to identify their five most important learning-system capabilities, participants most commonly cite the following, all of which are key to the experiences of learners and/or learning professionals:

● 73% cite learning engagement

● 70% cite ease of use

● 53% cite intuitive user interface

● 52% cite customizable reporting

● 45% cite collaboration tools

Major Finding Seven: The five most widely cited weaknesses of today’s learning systems are:

● lack of collaboration features (50%)

● not easily customizable (41%)

● poor integration with other systems (40%)

● not mobile friendly (32%)

● outdated interface (28%)



Major Finding Eight: Compared to the learning cultures in other organizations, companies with top-notch learning cultures are more likely to:

Major Finding Nine: What is the future likely to bring?

● enjoy higher satisfaction levels with their learning systems

● be able to take advantage of their systems’ functionalities

● invest in features related to artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality and learner collaboration

● Three-quarters agree that their learning will improve in the near future

● Seventy-one percent say the core driver for future learning strategy will be the learner experience

● More learning will occur on mobile devices (62%)

● Learning will become more personalized (66%)

● Micro learning will become more common (46%)



The Key Drivers of Organizational Learning in 2020

Finding: More than three-quarters report that training for new skills is the predominant driver for learning

What factors drive learning in today’s organizations? The top three are:

● New skill development (76%)

● Career development (67%)

● Regulatory compliance (51%)

The emphasis on developing new skills reflects the speed of change and the diminishing half-life of many skills. To compete, many businesses must constantly reinvent what they do and how they do it. Changing internal job roles requires firms to morph and adapt accordingly. In addition, when we consider the influx of new employees into organizations, it is no surprise that new skill development remains as the most important learning driver. This is likely why so many more participants chose new skill development over skill maintenance.

New skill development can be driven both by organizational needs and the needs of individual employees for professional development. Dr. Heidi Scott, HR.com's Chief Learning Officer (CLO), states, "The skill development focus is sorely needed for organizations, leaders and/or employees who have business foresight. The evolving jobs of the future will be filled by people who have remained invested in their learning and skill development."

More than two-thirds of participants agree or strongly agree that career development is a primary organizational learning driver. From the organizational perspective, career development is important for securing a talent pipeline for key job roles and ensuring talent bench strength. From the individual lens, career development is a key employee engagement lever that reinforces employee retention and drives productivity. Career development planning and design sometimes require a more personalized approach to learning. This, of course, has immense implications for organizations’ learning strategies and the learning technologies they adopt.



Regulatory compliance is the third most widely chosen driver for organizational learning. More than half of all participants acknowledge that compliance is an ongoing requirement for mitigating financial and legal risks, and it needs to be addressed consistently through employee education. This fact is especially true for highly regulated industries such as healthcare, pharmaceutical, manufacturing and government-related organizations.

We believe regulatory compliance training is not going to go away. However, how L&D goes about designing, developing and delivering it will evolve, as other key findings in this report reveal.

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

76%

67%

51%

34%

26%

23%

New skill development

Career development

Regulatory compliance

Skill maintenance

Greater agility

Return on investment

Survey Question: What three factors are most important in driving learning in your organization (Select up to three)

Less than a quarter of organizations cite return on investment (ROI) as one of the top three drivers for learning



Learner Experience, Engagement and Culture

Some useful definitions to keep in mind:

Learner Engagement: For our purposes, an engaged learner is someone who is active in their learning, motivated to expend effort, and eager to participate in their learning.

Learner Experience: The learner experience is a "broader umbrella" than learner engagement and includes how, when, where, and why a learner learns. It also includes interactions with instructors, coaches, mentors and other educators. It comprises everything in the learner's journey but often boils down to whether or not the learner believes they've had a good or poor overall experience in regard to 1) an organization's learning processes, systems and architectures, and 2) their own learning outcomes.

Learner Success: For our purposes, learner success is the degree to which a learner acquires and utilizes the knowledge that the organization wishes them to have.

Finding: The good news is that a majority believe employees are learning successfully and are engaged with learning

Learner experience is an inclusive and holistic view of how employees interact with learning (see sidebar for definitions). To understand how to optimize the learner experience, we need to consider overall processes, systems, content and culture.

Many organizations feel confident that their learners have a positive learning experience (69%), are engaged (65%), and experience learning success (64%). However, as we will explain in detail later in this report, few organizations have solid learning metrics for measuring these phenomena.

69%

65%

64%

They have a positive learner experience

They are engaged with learning

They learn successfully

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

46%

45% 20%

49% 15%

23%

Agree Strongly Agree

Survey Question: To what extent do you agree with the following statements about learners in your organization?

Strong optimism about the learning experience and success may not be well-supported by metrics



Finding: The bad news is only about two-fifths say their organizations have a top-notch learning culture

Despite the relative successes of learners in about two-thirds of organizations, only 41% of participants agree or strongly agree their organizations have a top-notch learning culture.

What does such a culture entail? We believe that organizations with great learning cultures can be deemed “learning organizations.” In a learning organization, learning is embedded throughout in terms of management practices, supporting HR processes and learning technologies. It also encompasses organizational values, behavioral norms, leadership style, management decision-making, communication practices and supporting HR processes. This finding is supported by our earlier research in our Supporting the Modern Learner report, where only 35% of the study’s participants said that learning is a part of their company culture to very high or high extent.2

Dr. Heidi Scott, HR.com's CLO, states, "L&D leaders can help drive a learning culture by understanding the organization's goals and objectives and by creating learning opportunities that are directly tied to helping the company reach those business goals."

2 HR.com Research Institute (2017). Supporting the modern learner: Creating great learning cultures for today’s diverse, multi-faceted workforce. Retrieved from https ://w ww.hr.com/en/resources/free_research_white_papers/skillsoft-supporting-the-modern-learner-oct2017_j94rtwfh.html

Strongly disagree Disagree Neither agree nor disagree Agree Strongly agree

0 20 40 60 80 100

8% 29% 23% 30% 11%

Survey Statement: We have established a top-notch learning culture

Many organizations see themselves as a top-notch learning culture

Note: Due to rounding, data does not equal 100%.



The Role of Learning Metrics

Finding: Learning metrics continue to challenge HR and L&D professionals

Robust learning analytics are essential to any learning strategy and its execution. However, only 14% of respondents have the robust learning analytics to measure learner success. Metrics are just as bad or worse for learner experience (13%) and learner engagement (10%).

Things are somewhat better when we add the percentage of those who have metrics in these areas that “need improvement.” But the bottom line is that most organizations do not have metrics in these areas and, of those that do, most do not have good metrics. This, in fact, calls into question the degree we can trust participants’ optimistic outlook on their own learners’ success, experience and engagement.

Metrics must, of course, be meaningful. Dr. Heidi Scott notes, "If we, as L&D leaders, do not design and deploy training that is directly tied to business goals, measuring 'learner success' may often become a pile of useless data. Learner success must measure the degree to which employees are better equipped and able to do their jobs well."

40%

42%

45%

Yes, we have good metrics

Yes, but metrics need improvement

0 10 20 30 40 50

10% 30%

13% 29%

14% 31%

Learner engagement

Learner experience

Learner success

Survey Question: Does your organization have metrics in the following three areas?



Finding: One of the top measures of learner success is unconvincing

One of the two most widely used measures is based on how learners feel about their learning experience (59%). This measure is problematic because it is based on the subjective experience of the learner and does not guarantee that learning has occurred.

More interesting and convincing is the metric, also used by 59%, of evaluating on-the-job behavior. This likely requires direct observation, manager and team feedback and/or measurement of job output. To do this well probably requires some form of multiple regression analysis to determine the linkage between learner satisfaction and on-the-job performance.

Relatively few respondents measure learning success via return on investment, or ROI. This can be difficult to measure because it assumes that the business results have been identified and that the learning solution or program can be tied to that expected outcome.

59%

59%

51%

31%

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Ask learners how they feel about their learning experience

Determine the degree to which the learner's on-the-job behavior changed

Ask learners questions to gauge how much they've learned

Gauge the business results of the learning experience (e.g., ROI of

learning)

Survey Question: How does your organization measure learner success?(select all that apply)

Few use ROI to measure learner success



Finding: Classroom attendance is the most widely used measure of learner engagement

Classroom attendance is cited as the most frequently used metric of learner engagement. In other words, they measure engagement by who actually shows up for class. As we know, there are many instances where learners are mandated to attend class. In addition, attendance is not the same as attention. Hence this measurement cannot assume learner engagement. As HR.com's Dr. Scott notes, "Butts in seats, or hours in front of computers do not equate to learning, engagement, and certainly not on-the-job performance improvements."

Half of participants report the use of a survey instrument to measure learner engagement. This is a better metric because it at least gets the learner’s impression of their own engagement. The other two most widely cited measures of engagement are achievements (41%) and level completion (also 41%). While these may not be the best measures of engagement, they at least are indicative of a learner’s progress and persistence.

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

65%

50%

41%

41%

36%

29%

24%

21%

20%

17%

11%Newsfeed activity

Question answering (e.g., respondingto others' questions online)

Leaderboards

Question asking (e.g., askexperts or colleagues questions)

Response rates

Frequency of logins

Online activity

Level completion

Achievements (e.g., badges)

Via survey instrument

Classroom attendance

Survey Question: How does your organization measure learner engagement?(select all that apply)

Two-fifths report using badges and level completions to gauge learner engagement



Finding: In general, HR professionals are most likely to view employee feedback as a good way of measuring learning experience

We asked HR and L&D professionals, “What do you consider the best ways of measuring learner experience?” and asked them to write in their responses via an open-text box.

Although their responses vary widely, many organizations allude to gathering feedback from learners, sometimes via surveys. For example, one alluded to “post session learning activity surveys” while others allude to “feedback surveys” and “verbal feedback.”

Others are looking at performance and learning objectives as a metric. For instance, one respondent notes that they “compare past performance with the performance after 3-6 months of the training.” Another writes, “We have a group of IO Psychologists working to develop a measurement plan and system based on learning objectives and competencies.”

Still others look to time spent in learning. One respondent cites “time engaged in learning activities tests projects and events consequence of learning activity forms.” Another notes, “The fidelity of the learner, how many times the learner back [sic] to the learning subject or the learning experience.”

In short, organizations take a variety of approaches to measuring learning experience, from survey and verbal feedback to time spent on learning to changes in performance. We look forward to coalescing these various responses into a structured survey question we can ask L&D professionals in the future.

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Today’s Organizational Learning Ecosystems

Finding: Some form of technology plays a role in 84% of surveyed learning ecosystems

Learning technologies have become commonplace in today’s organizations. Fully 84% of respondents say their organizations use at least one type of learning technology.

84%

3%

13%Don’t know

Yes

No

Survey Question: Does your organization use any technologies for the purposes of providing learning to employees and/or other stakeholders?



Finding: Face-to-face instruction remains the most common component of learning ecosystems

We asked respondents what is in their learning ecosystems. Within the context of the survey, we defined a learning ecosystem as follows:

A learning ecosystem consists of all the people, processes and resources that are available to learners who work for or partner with an organization. The ecosystem tends to include, among other assets, organizational learning and development technologies, both integrated and stand-alone.

Even among organizations that use learning technologies, face-to-face instructional opportunities remain the most common component (83%), followed by learning management systems (63%). We also asked whether organizations have a learning platform, which we defined as “a technology that allows organizations to house and integrate online learning products and services.” Among those with a learning technology, about half report having an organizational learning hub or portal. Fewer have authoring tools, performance support systems or learning content management systems (LCMS).

Because the concept of “learner experience” has become more important in the L&D community in recent years, we also asked about learning experience platforms, or LXPs. We found that only 11% of respondents say their companies use LXPs. We explore the differences between LMSs and the LXPs later in this report.

During Our Current Crisis

As this report goes to press, the world faces a growing health crisis from the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. HR.com's Dr. Heidi Scott notes, "As our world faces such an unheard of modern crises, more employers will be pressured to leverage virtual learning. Almost overnight, traditional instructor-led training is being wiped away as the mainstay of training employees. Although it's too soon to know if this is short-term or long-term development, it is certainly changing the way many L&D professionals view the benefits of virtual learning."



83%

63%

50%

47%

30%

17%

11%

11%

8%

0 20 40 60 80 100

Face-to-face instructional opportunities (classroom, on the job training, etc.)

Learning management system (LMS)

Organizational learning hub or portal

Authoring tool (cloud or desktop)

Performance support system

Learning content management system (LCMS)

Learning record store (LRS)

Learning experience platform (LXP)

Other

Survey Question: What do you believe is in your organization's learning ecosystem? (Select all that apply)

Only about one-tenth currently use LXPs

Com

pone

nts

of L

earn

ing

Ecos

yste

ms

Percentage of Use

Note: This data is restricted to organizations that say they have at least one learning technology.



Technologies in Today’s Learning Ecosystems

Finding: Few organizations are satisfied with their current learning technologies

Among the HR professionals in organizations with learning technologies, only 39% are satisfied with those technologies. A larger percentage, 42%, say they are actively dissatisfied in their systems. This indicates that most organizations still have a long way to go in terms of purchasing, implementing and using learning technologies that work well for them. Even among respondents to this survey, who understand their learning systems better than most, only 59% say they’re able to take advantage of the functionality of their current system.

Disagree Neither agree nor disagree Agree

0 20 40 60 80 100

42% 18% 39%

23% 22% 56%

17% 23% 59%

I am satisfied with our organization's learning technologies

I am confident in L&D's ability to recommend good learning technologies

I am able to take advantage of the functionality of my organization's current system

Survey Question: To what extent do you agree with the following statements about learning technologies in your organization?

More disagree than agree that they are satisfied with their organizations’ learning technologies

Note: In this graph, strongly agree and agree have been combined into agree, and strongly disagree and disagree have been combined into disagree. Due to rounding, not all data will equal 100%.



Finding: Less than one-quarter of participants report that their learning systems are integrated with other L&D technologies

Why are so many dissatisfied with learning technologies? One factor may be a lack of integration. Just 24% agree that their learning technologies are well integrated. More than half actively disagree.

Sometimes stand-alone systems are the best available options, but poor integration limits the ability of L&D specialists to produce good reporting, provide flexible learning options, and create a consistent learning experience across multiple systems.

Disagree Neither agree nor disagree Agree

Our learning technologies are well-integrated with one another

Our learning platform is integrated with our Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system

0 20 40 60 80 100

46% 28% 26%

53% 22% 24%


Note: In this graph, strongly agree and agree have been combined into agree, and strongly disagree and disagree have been combined into disagree. Due to rounding, not all data will equal 100%.



What Matters Most in Learning Technology

Finding: HR professionals are most likely to cite learning engagement and ease of use as being crucial components of their learning systems

Our research indicates that the most widely-cited important capability of our learning systems is the ability to effectively engage learners (73%). Other top-five important capabilities include ease of use (70%), intuitive interface (53%), customizable reporting (52%), and collaboration tools (45%).

We view most of these capabilities as related. That is, ease of use and intuitive interfaces are required to keep learners engaged in learning. A system with an arcane interface will not be widely used and will not engage learners over a period of time. Similarly, collaborative features make today’s social media highly engaging, and L&D professionals would like to make learning collaborative as well, partly to improve learning but also to engage learners.

Customizable reporting is a capability that can be leveraged to improve the experiences of L&D professionals as well as learners. Learners are better able to gauge their own learning performance. Meanwhile, L&D professionals are better able to provide reporting to the larger organization, thereby communicating the impact of learning as well as areas that need improvement.



73%

70%

53%

52%

45%

34%

29%

29%

22%

20%

12%

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Learning engagement

Ease of use

Intuitive user interface

Customizable reporting

Collaboration tools

Customer support

Wide breadth of offerings

Brand integration

Data migration

Multi-platform capability

The Experience API

Survey Question: Which of the following learning system-related capabilities are the most important to your organization? (choose up to five)

For now, few organizations view The Learning Experience API as one of the most important capabilities



The Capabilities and Features of Today’s Learning Technology Systems

Finding: Most learning systems are still conventional and lack more modern capabilities

We asked participants about which features their learning systems have. We discovered that most of today’s systems are surprisingly conventional to the point of almost being antique. Most have the standards of online courses (74%), learner assessments (64%), course management (65%), and the ability to track progress (56%).

These basic functionalities are most often represented in the LMS. Indeed, when we only look at organizations that have an LMS, the numbers rise across the board. For example, they become 81% for online courses and 75% for learner assessments.

But more modern features are often absent. Only 40% have mobile learning features, a proportion that rises to only 50% for those with an LMS. Just 39% have personalized learning, 34% have micro-learning, and 7% have the Experience API.

We believe that too often systems are not properly synced up with strategic needs such as personalization and customization. Legacy LMSs were designed as learning content warehouses with core path logic and with limited customizable interfaces. As we reflect on the two top drivers for organizational learning—new skill development and career development—we worry that many, and perhaps most, current systems lack the robust functionality to provide individualized learning.



74%

65%

64%

56%

51%

43%

40%

39%

34%

30%

9%

7%

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Online courses

Course management ability

Learner assessments/tests

Reports that track progress

Ability to customize

User dashboards

Mobile learning

Personalized learning

Micro-learning

Learning Record Store (LRS)

None of the above

The Experience API (xAPI)

Survey Question: Which of the following does your learning system have? (select all that apply)

Even today, most learning systems still lack mobile learning, personalized learning and micro-learning

Reported system capabilities (percentage)

Note: Data excludes those that answered “Don’t Know,” who were 4% of respondents.



Finding: Course certifications remain the basic means of evaluating performance, whereas learning impact gets short shrift

We asked about the performance-based features of learning systems. Such features are, after all, relevant to L&D’s ability to measure learner success as well as the learner’s ability to understand and celebrate their learning progress.

We found that certifications (69%) are the most widely leveraged method for assessing learning performance results. Individual Development Plans (IDP) are used by 48%, and employee skills gaps can be identified by 44%.

Certifications can reflect a mix of content completion and knowledge testing. These may not be robust enough, particularly if the organization is seeking to measure work behavioral change and impact on business results. IDPs are useful tools for ongoing development conversations, but they often focus on completed learning activities (e.g., coursework). Again, they may not be associated with work behavioral change or performance improvement/development.

Fewer than half of participants (44%) conduct skill gap assessments. This raises an important question related to L&D effectiveness; if new skill development is the primary driver for organizational learning, how do L&D professionals determine what skills are lacking? Without a valid means of assessment, it is like the proverbial “throwing spaghetti at the wall” to see what sticks.

Less than one-third report measuring learning impact. Learning impact is associated with measuring behavioral/performance shifts that affect business results. Overall, aside from certifications, few organizations leverage their system’s performance assessment abilities.



69%

48%

44%

31%

22%

20%

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Certifications

Individualdevelopment plans

Employee skill gaps

Learning impact

Dynamic goals

Social recognition

Survey Question: Which of the following performance-related features does your learning system include? (select all that apply)

Less than one-third understand the link between learning and business results

Reported performance-based features (percentage)

Note: The data in this graph does not include the responses “None of the above” and “Don’t know.”

HR.com's CLO, Dr. Heidi Scott, states, "L&D professionals will typically be familiar with Kirkpatrick's Four-Level Training Evaluation Model, which includes four ways to measure L&D success: reaction, learning, behavior and results.

The last two are key. Yet, L&D measurement typically begins with learner 'reaction.' Why? Because it is easier! And perhaps we in L&D like the ego-boost of seeing that people are 'happy' with our training. Yet most of us also realize great training can result in a huge ROI for an organization, so it often makes sense to focus more on measuring the effectiveness of training from that standpoint."



Finding: Organizations develop content both internally and externally

All organizations have unique cultures, strategies and requirements that impact their skill development needs. Therefore, most organizations must customize learning content to fit those company needs. Traditionally, L&D functions have relied on internal staff and technology resources to design and develop their content.

78%

60%

Agree Strongly agree

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

49% 29%

41% 19%

We provide learning content produced internally

We provide learnning content produced externally

Survey Question: To what extent do you agree with the following statements about learners and learning in your organization?

Organizations are more likely to develop content internally



Finding: Learning courses and videos are the most commonly created content

Content creation is an integral feature of learning systems. We asked about the kinds of content that can be created for technology-facilitated systems. The most common content are elearning courses, created by 54% of all organizations with learning technologies and 62% of those with an LMS.

Forty-one percent create videos which, presumably, can be used in a variety of ways, from incorporating into elearning courses to simply posting on the company intranet. Nearly as many curate content (39%) and 36% create blended learning, which typically involves blending electronic media and traditional face-to-face teaching.

Despite the fact that collaboration tools are among the five most important capabilities of learning systems, relatively few organizations create collaborative development tools or processes (23%).

54%

41%

39%

36%

30%

23%

16%

15%

6%

21%

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Creating elearning courses

Creating videos

Curating content

Creating blended learning

Aggregating content

Creating collaborative development

Creating simulations

Creating games

Creating xAPI

None of the above

Survey Question: Which of the following other capabilities does your learning system have? (select all that apply)

Few organizations create games via their learning systems

Reported system capabilities (percentage)



Finding: More than one-quarter of participants report no collaboration features at all

We inquired about the degree to which learning systems have collaboration features. Group chats represent the most common collaboration features (41%), followed by webcasts (30%), and web conferencing (28%).

Considering that collaboration is among the five most important features of learning systems, it is surprising that more learning systems do not have a broader spectrum of collaboration features.

In some cases, L&D professionals need to do more to use their ingenuity. Dr. Scott states, "It is incumbent on us as L&D professionals to think outside of the box and explore how to leverage the tools we already have. That way we can create greater social learning and collaboration within our learning ecosystems."

41%

30%

28%

27%

23%

21%

16%

29%

0 10 20 30 40

Group chat

Webcasts

Web conferencing

Coaching features

Real-time discussion amonggeographically dispersed people

Enterprise social networks

Virtual or augmented reality

None of the above

Survey Question: Which of the following collaboration features does your learning system have? (select all that apply)

Twenty-nine percent say they have no collaboration features in their learning systems

Reported system capabilities (Percentage)



The Primary Weaknesses of Today’s Learning Systems

Finding: A lack of collaboration is the most widely cited weakness of today’s learning systems

Assessing the overall vitality of the organizations’ learning systems involves studying both capabilities and reported weaknesses. A lack of collaboration is the most widely cited weakness of today’s learning systems, cited by half of respondents. This makes sense in light of other findings from the survey, and it indicates that many organizations need to find ways of making their systems more collaborative.

The other three most widely cited weaknesses—lack of integrative abilities, mobile friendliness, and customizability—are also indicated in other portions of the survey. These are clearly areas where many organizations will need to focus to boost learner experiences and cultivate a better learning culture.

0 10 20 30 40 50

50%Limited collaboration functionality

41%Not sufficiently customizable

40%Poor ability to integrate with other systems

32%Not mobile friendly

28%Outdated interface

28%Not easily scalable

24%Performance bugs

21%Not cloud-based

19%Lack enough compliance features

13%Slow load speeds

8%Other

8%We have no weaknesses


Rigid legacy systems may be limiting innovation

Reported system capabilities (Percentage)



Comparing LMS and LXP Systems

Finding: LMS remains the system backbone of learning ecologies, but Learning Experience Platforms may be one answer to the collaboration deficit

In recent years, L&D professionals have increasingly discussed how to improve learner experience and boost learner engagement. The technology most closely associated with learner experience is the one often referred to learning experience platforms, or LXPs. According to 2019 research by Josh Bersin,3 the LXP market is valued at $300 million and growing at a 50%+ rate each year.

To gain a better understanding of LXPs and how they differ from LMSs, we asked respondents to identify which characteristics they associated with these two technologies.

Although some have argued that LXPs are designed to be advanced content delivery portals, our research suggests that LMSs are still more widely seen as the backbone of learning systems. LXPs, by contrast, are still an emerging technology. In fact, only about one in ten of respondents to this study utilize an LXP.

We discovered that there are only three features that participants were more likely to associate with LXPs than LMSs:

● fostering social interactions among learners (48% for LXPs vs. 32% for LMSs)

● facilitating personalized learning (44% for LXPs vs. 43% for LMSs)

● permitting user-generated content (38% for LXPs vs. 36% for LMSs)

Participants were more likely to associate all the mentioned features of LMS. See the graph below for the complete list of features studied.

3 Bersin, J. (2019, March 8). Learning Experience Platform (LXP) market grows up: Now too big to ignore. Josh Bersin.com. Retrieved from http s://jos hbersin.com/2019/03/learning-experience-platform-lxp-market-grows-up-now-too-big-to-ignore/



We should note that we asked this question of all respondents who use learning technologies, including those whose organizations do not use LXPs. When we limit respondents to those who use an LMS and/or an LXP, we discovered that, although the numbers change somewhat, we get the same three associations with LXPs.

However, when we only compare respondents that have both an LMS and LXP, we find that, compared with LMSs, LXPs are more commonly associated with creating learning paths, curating learning content, enabling soft and technical skills development, facilitating personalized learning, fostering social interactions among learners, linking to external resources, making learning content searchable, and permitting user generated content.

We cannot draw definite conclusions here, however, because LXPs are still not widely used and there were only 18 organizations in the sample that have both. Still, this suggests that organizations that use both are most likely to see LXPs as serving a wider ranges of purposes and, therefore, having a greater number of advantages over LMSs.

What we can say with some authority is that LXPs are widely viewed as being better than LMSs at fostering social interactions among learners. Since learning collaboration is viewed as such an important aspect of learning systems—and yet, is seen as a primary area of weakness in today’s learning technologies—more organizations might want to consider an LXP as a way of fostering greater collaboration.



28%62%

26%60%

33%58%

21%54%

36%53%

31%53%

37%52%

38%48%

36%47%

35%46%

44%43%

40%43%

25%67%

48%32%

38%36%

LXP LMS

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Facilitates mandatory training

Houses learning content

Controls learning content

Tracks learner usage

Creates permissions

Enables soft and technical skills development

Offers certifications

Makes learning content searchable

Creates learning paths

Integrates with other systems

Curates learning content

Facilitates personalized learning

Links to external learning resources

Permits user-generated content

Fosters social interactions among others

Survey Question: Which of the following characteristics do you associate with learning management systems (LMSs) and learning experience platforms (LXPs) (select all that apply)

LMS is far more widely associated with traditional learning tasks such as housing and controlling learning content



Differentiators of Top-Notch Learning Cultures

In this section of the report, we compare two cohorts:

● Top-notch learning cultures: These are respondents that either agreed or strongly agreed that their organizations have established a top-notch learning culture.

● Lesser learning cultures: These are respondents that either disagreed or strongly disagreed that their organizations have a top-notch learning culture.

Finding: Top-notch learning cultures are much more likely to have collaboration features in their learning systems

Top-notch learning cultures are much more likely than lesser learning cultures to have a variety of collaboration features. For example, top-notch learning cultures are twice as likely to have enterprise social networks and real-time discussion among geographically dispersed people.

31% 14% 36% 16% 36% 22% 36% 22% 26%40%

Top-notch learning cultures Lesser learning cultures

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Enterprise social networks

Real-time discussion among

geographically dispersed people

Coaching features

Web conferencing

WebcastsRepo

rted

sys

tem

cap

abili

ties

(per

cent

age)




Finding: Learners in top-notch learning cultures are much more likely to have good experiences, success and engagement

Top-notch learning cultures have very strong confidence scores when it comes to positive learner experience (91%), especially in comparison to lesser learning cultures (41%). Top-notch learning cultures also have much higher scores when it comes to learner engagement (88%) and the ability to learn successfully (86%).

91%

41%

88%

40%

86%

36%

Top-notch learning cultures Lesser learning cultures

0

20

40

60

80

100

Positive learnerexperience

Engagedwith learning

Learnsuccessfully

Survey Question: To what extent do you agree with the following statements about learners in your organization?



Finding: Top-notch learning cultures are much more likely to be satisfied with their learning technologies

The contrasts between top-notch learning cultures and lesser learning cultures become quite pronounced as we compare satisfaction with technology. Whereas the majority of top-notch learning cultures agree or strongly agree that their organizations are satisfied with learning technologies, the same is true for only 22% of lesser learning cultures.

60%

22%


0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Top-notch learning cultures

Lesser learning cultures

52%

20% 2%

8%


Percent satisfied with their organization’s learning technologies



Finding: Top-notch learning cultures are more likely to have integrated systems

Top-notch learning cultures are much more likely to have integrated learning technologies. Whereas 45% agree that their learning technologies are well-integrated, the same is true for only 5% of lesser cultures. Top-notch learning cultures are also more likely to integrate learning technologies with the larger ERP.

45%

39%

5%

14%


0 10 20 30 40 50

37% 8%

12%27%

5%

14%



Our learning platform is integrated with our Enterprise Resource

Planning (ERP) system

Our learning platform is integrated with our Enterprise Resource

Planning (ERP) system

Top-notch learning cultures

Lesser learning cultures




The Future of Learning

Finding: Three-quarters of participants are optimistic about the future of learning.

Most respondents are optimistic about the future of learning. About three-quarters believe that learning in their organizations will improve over the next three years. This positive view may be a reflection of external factors, such as the emergence of new technologies and learning paradigms, and internal factors such as a renewed commitment to improving employee skills and experiences.

The survey was conducted before the coronavirus crisis grew acute, but Dr. Scott believes it will affect the thinking of many learning professionals: "I believe organizations will invest in L&D in significant ways now, as the landscape of learning experiences has squarely shifted to online and virtual environments. Social collaboration in virtual environments is no longer a nice-to-have; it is a must-have as remote workers truly become the norm."

7%3%

14%

44%

32% Strongly disagree

Disagree

Neither agreenor disagree

Agree

Strongly agree

Survey Question: In your organization, learning will probably improve over the next three years.

Three-quarters agree learning will only get better in the near future



Finding: L&D strategies and tactics will emphasize learner experience and personalization in the next three years

We asked participants about how they feel L&D strategies and tactics will change over the next three years. The three most widely chosen responses are that:

● learner experience will grow more important

● learning will become more personalized

● learner engagement will become more important

The other three responses were also chosen by about half or more of respondents, indicating that a greater emphasis on learner metrics and career development will also be on the agenda over the next several years for many organizations.

In many ways, these trends complement one another. For example, a greater emphasis on personal development and personalization can boost the learner experience. Advancing career goals requires new skills and learning paths, which can be an advantage to employer and employee alike.

71%66% 63%

58%51% 48%

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Learner experience will

grow more important

Learning will become more personalized

Learner engagement will

grow more important

There will be better ways of

measuring learner success

Career development

plans will gain prominence

There will be better ways of

measuring learner engagement

Survey Question: How do you feel L&D strategies and tactics will change in your organization over the next three years? (select all that apply)



Finding: Mobile learning is the most widely cited change for the next three years

How will L&D tools change over the next three years? The most widely cited change is that more learning will take place on mobile devices. This strikes us as a safe bet given that smart phones and tablets have become a normal part of our lives. If organizations are concerned about employee engagement and experience, then allowing them to learn on their personal devices is important. Organizations need to have learning platforms that facilitate delivery on mobile devices.

Nearly half of respondents expect LMS to become part of a larger platform. Of course, this could mean anything from integration with an HRIS or ERP to the addition of a learning portal and/or LXP.

Many also expect to see more micro-learning, a trend that sometimes goes hand-in-hand with more mobile learning. Forty-percent expect AI to become more integrated into L&D, which also strikes us as likely given the need to make learning more personalized and responsive to individual needs.

47%

46%

40%

30%

28%

24%

59%

10%

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

More learning will occur on mobile devices

LMS will increasingly be part of a larger platform

Micro-learning will become standard on most systems

Artificial Intelligence will be more integrated into L&D

Augmented reality will play a growing role

More gamification will come to market

More stand-alone learning solutions will come to market

None of the above

Survey Question: How do you feel L&D tools will change in your organization over the next three years? (select all that apply)

Augmented reality is expected to play a growing role in one-third of companies



The Learner Experience Paradigm

Based on the various findings in this report, we have put together a model illustrating where we believe the topic of learner experience is headed in the near future. We believe that L&D specialists will be working to enhance learner experience by boosting learning’s effectiveness in all of these areas.

More successful

More developmentalMore and

better

metricsMore collaborative

More

integrated

More curated

Morepersonalized

More mobileand micro

Moreintuitive

LearnerExperience

Moreengaging

More satisfying

technologically

More focused on

culture



Key Takeaways

Build a learning culture. Our research shows that top-notch learning organizations produce results. Shifting a culture is a complex and long-term process so start by assessing your current culture: which management practices, HR policies and learning resources/programs support a positive learner experience and which seem to be the weak links in the chain? Create a cultural blueprint that maps out organizational goals, values and management behavioral expectations and how they relate to the overall organizational learning strategy. What do top-notch learning cultures do differently? Build strong foundations and invest in emerging learning technologies that support successful learner experiences and find internal sources who can champion these learning changes. And, most importantly, be patient and stay focused!

1

Think strategic alignment when selecting new technologies. Invest in a strategic workforce planning process that is anchored in a clear understanding of the organization’s strategic priorities and what key job roles will drive those business results. Focus on those critical roles to build people capability and identify your bench strength or skill gaps in those roles. Blend organizational strategic needs with the learning style preferences of your audience for maximum success. Finally, build assessments that measure behavioral change and performance that you can link to operational results driven by strategic priorities. Coordinate with other organizational areas and programs to ensure that the strategic workforce plan has horizontal alignment across the company.

2

Develop analytical strength. Our research indicates that more than half of learning organizations are committed to improving the use of metrics to measure learning results and success. Developing functional analytical ability requires two parallel strategies: accessing the technology and acquiring analytical skills to utilize the technology. Take small steps; start with basic Excel applications to perform multiple regression analyses and then delve deeper. Also, evaluate what your current technology systems can and cannot assess (i.e., performance-based features). Finally, and most importantly, commit to an L&D development plan to increase staff analytical skills. L&D and HR analytical competency is the foundation for analytical success.

3

What lessons can be drawn from this research? Below are some key suggestions for how organizations might create top-notch learning cultures.

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Support learning objectives. The vast majority of our surveyed organizations already own some form of technology (most employ an LMS). Partner with internal IT, vendors and external specialists to evaluate your current LMS and other HR technology systems to understand where you can create linkages between systems. Focus on the most critical learning needs like skill gaps in strategic roles and build integration there first. As with other capital expenditures, this is a strategic and long-term commitment to excellence that requires your longitudinal vision coupled with your immediate needs and financial constraints.

4

Evaluate current L&D capabilities. Reflect on both the L&D people competencies you need immediately and in the future. Evaluate your functional strengths and what competency areas need development and then adopt a competency framework that fits those needs. Commit to a comprehensive HR strategy to recruit required skills (internally and externally), develop tailored career plans for L&D staff, focus staff development on strategic skill sets, and establish both short-term and long-term succession plans. Regularly evaluate where your top talent is, how they are engaged, and what they do differently. Reward great performance, but also take the time to strengthen lagging performers. The overall team will appreciate your strategic approach.

5

Invest wisely. Continue to assess the most desirable learning platforms for modern learners and be prepared to adapt as the learning climate changes. As micro-learning becomes more mainstream, mobile learning could make sense for most companies. Strategize time-frames of upgrading the LMS to integrate with other technologies. Regularly evaluate the learning effectiveness impact of emerging technologies, such as augmented reality, mobile learning and advanced content delivery platforms (e.g., Edcast and Degreed). Make sure to utilize current tools at your disposal, but also consider baking emerging technologies into future learning strategies, beginning with learners in critical roles or virtual populations.

6

Personalize learning. As career development continues as a predominant driver for learning, customized learning paths will become more critical. Continue to use IDPs to drive development goals and focus, as well as to aggregate the enterprise-wide skill development requirements. Increase the use of AI-driven LXPs to tailor learning content for the individual based on learning goals. Additionally, continue to employ virtual learning platforms, such as mobile learning. Drive personalized, micro-learning content into easy-access learning portals. Flexibility and ease of delivery will continue to be key learning strategies.

7

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eThink Education provides a fully-managed eLearning solution including implementation, cloud hosting, integration, consultation, and management services for open-source Moodle and Totara. Managed by experts, eThink’s total solution provides a dynamic and customizable platform to meet specific institutional and organizational needs. With clients in various industries including Healthcare, Education, Nonprofit, Government, and Corporate, eThink can help all types of organizations to maximize the effectiveness of their eLearning programs for improved business outcomes. eThink also offers LMS and eLearning trainings through eThink Academy, as well as custom content solutions. For more information about eThink Education, please visit www.ethinkeducation.com

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