Industry Research: The State of Learning Solutions and Learner Engagement

 
        

With the advancements in digitization and technology, the learning landscape has seen a drastic change in the past few years. To gain a better understanding of the current learning and development (L&D) trends, technologies, and learner engagement, HR.com conducted an exclusive study on the state of learning solutions and learner engagement in today’s organizations.

Only 17% of respondents strongly agree that their L&D function is excellent, while another two-fifths moderately agree (38%). Achieving a top-notch learning culture is a higher bar to reach. Just 16% strongly agree that they have established a top-notch culture of learning, with another 31% moderately agreeing.
 
 

Participants ranked the top three factors that are most important in driving learning across the organization. About 70% identified skills development and a little less than two-thirds (63%) say career development is important in driving learning. The third most widely cited factor is regulatory compliance, cited by about half (48%) of organizations.

For the purposes of this study, an engaged learner is defined as someone who is active in their learning, motivated to expend effort, and eager to participate in their learning. It is generally assumed that engaged learners are more successful learners. Only 22% of HR professionals strongly agree that learners tend to be engaged (22%), although another 45% moderately agree.

Forty-five percent don’t measure learning engagement at all, and another two-fifths said these metrics need improvement (39%). Less than one-fifth said their organization has good metrics
(17%).
 
To the degree organizations have learner engagement metrics, they tend to rely on classroom attendance (64%). Survey instruments (56%) are the second most widely used metric. Other metrics include question answering (43%), response rates (42%), online activity (41%), question asking (41%) and frequency of logins (26%).

Participants were asked to select the five important learning-system related capabilities. Learner engagement (73%) and ease of use (73%) rise to the top. These two categories are, of course, related. If a system is hard to use, learners are less likely to be engaged, which makes it more difficult for learners to learn successfully. Along a similar vein, roughly half want an intuitive user interface (49%), which tends to result in greater ease of use. About half also want customizable reporting, probably because such reports can help organizations develop and track learning engagement and success metrics.
 
Most HR and L&D professionals want more from their learning technologies. Only a small percentage of respondents (15%) strongly agree that they are satisfied with their learning technologies, and just 33% moderately agree with this statement. One central reason for this dissatisfaction is, apparently, a lack of integration among systems. Without key integrations, organizations can struggle because they lack real-time learning data and because ease of use is hindered. Moreover, they cannot easily connect learning outcomes with other business outcomes.
 
When asked to indicate the learning capabilities present in their technology solutions, over two-thirds chose online courses (67%). Such courses tend to be at the heart of most learning systems. One bit of good news is that mobile learning, user dashboards, and personalized learning are capabilities enjoyed by well over a third of respondents.

When asked about which performance-related features are included in the learning system, the top answer is certifications, included in about half of participant organizations (53%). In fact, most are unaware of the overall “learning impact, of their system” with less than one-fifth (18%) even measuring it. Just two-fifths (39%) have a system that includes individual development plans (IDPs) and less than one-third (28%) can shed light on employee skills gaps.
 
Given these findings, it is possible and perhaps likely that most L&D professionals as well as direct supervisors do not have a clear picture of how learning impacts performance. Probably, this lack of clarity is one of the reasons many learners are disengaged and L&D is not as effective as it could or should be.

Communication has become increasingly mobile, and most HR professionals believe that even more learning will occur on mobile devices (69%) over the next three years. This gives learners greater freedom to get just-in-time learning on their own mobile devices, typically making for a more engaging learner experience.
 
About half think LMS will become part of a larger learning platform. Nearly as many believe micro-learning will become standard on most platforms. Over a third foresee greater usage of artificial intelligence and augmented and/or virtual reality.



Looking ahead three years, nearly two-thirds (63%) say there will be better ways of measuring learner success, creating greater learning personalization and allowing for more career development usages.

In the area of L&D, higher-performing organizations are more likely to:
 

For top suggestions on how organizations can improve their learning solutions, learner engagement and overall learning effectiveness, check out the key takeaways and download the complete report.
 

 
* Higher Performers: These represent respondents who indicate that they strongly agree or moderately agree that, overall, learning and development is excellent at their organization.