Here's how you can measure the success of your E-Learning program with key metrics.

With any good Learning Management System, you should be able to retrieve course data and see user progress, note if people tend to drop off at a certain point or report issues with a certain section. You may also wish to look at the duration (how long users spend in the course)-- excessively short times may indicate boredom and the learner just skipping through material (consider restricting navigation, adding knowledge checks at each section to keep engagement up, etc.) and excessively long times may indicate people walking away for periods of time (long, unskippable videos).

It is important to look at engagement metrics as they often speak to the amount of I interest your learning program is generating. Keeping than eye on these key numbers can assist with your understanding of where adjustments are needed in the course.

Platform statistics can be good indicators; however, correlation is not causation. A long time spent on the platform may reflect that learners see good value in the content, but it could also mean that your search is ineffective, long loading times, timeout errors that require the user to log back in repeatedly, etc. To have a better picture, combine statistics and look for trends, and understand what causes a drop in the total number of searches (the search engine got better, or people are on winter holidays, etc.).

While heatmaps and eye trackers are not standard in LMS solutions, using assessments as a content checkpoint tool can provide both a qualitative and quantitative perspective on learner engagement, pointing out where there is room for content improvement.

Learner feedback is critical to your success. Make sure you have an easy way for people to report technical difficulties (and capture the browser detail, location, etc.) and keep those distinct from content feedback. Tracking and storing those is an excellent way to retain records of future course updates to streamline production and make people feel valued-- when they see you taking action on their feedback and including it in the next revision, you show that their voice matters and they become more likely to pay closer attention in the future.

When first setting up a training, I rely on Cathy Moore's Map It strategy and ask about the specific and measurable behavior the requestor is looking to influence. Oftentimes, that turns a general complaint ("people keep propping the dock door open!") into something actionable and measurable ("reduce the number of safety check failures for inappropriately open doors by 25% in the quarter following training").

Measuring the success of your e-learning program is crucial, I would add that aligning your content creation strategy with the aim of delivering performance support or The 5 Moments of Need will go a long way to address Knowledge Retention and Business Impact, Remember when you learnt how to be effective in your role the most? It doesn’t start and finish with a course, support your colleagues with all the knowledge and resources they need via a digital coach, EPSS or digital adoption platform.