Improvement. For learning professionals, that’s our goal, both for ourselves and for the employees in our learning programs. We’re always on the hunt for effective and efficient ways to deliver that improvement. That was one motivation behind our development of Business Impact 2.0, a first-of-its-kind cloud-based software that is purpose built to link instructional design with business outcomes. Impact 2.0 allows you to design, measure, and report on learning program results for data-driven performance improvement.
How Does Business Impact 2.0 Deliver Data-Driven Performance Improvement
Most other learning-industry software focuses either on content creation (authoring tools) or content delivery and management (Learning Management System [LMS]). Business Impact 2.0 focuses instead the best practices of instructional design (ID). Even if you’ve never had formal training in ID, this tool allows you to create effective instruction that improves (and measures) both individual job performance and organizational results.
With our full Business Impact 2.0 software package, you can expect the following:
Better Design
- Standardized design process that allows real-time collaboration between your instructional designers
- Automatic analysis of learning program design quality
- Easy document generation, including training requests, course descriptions, course outlines, facilitator guides, and more
- Simple team management, allowing managers to track both design activities and program quality
Measurable Learning
- Measurement of classroom gains in knowledge and skills, gains to on-the-job improvements, and overall impact on your organization
- Online delivery of student tests or interface with your LMS to capture student data
- Ability to show how employee capability gained in a learning program improved your organization
ROI
- Calculate true ROI by comparing your learning program costs to its benefits
- Automatically calculate development and delivery costs
- Determine the dollar value of benefits with easy-to-use wizards
What Data-Driven Performance Improvements Have Our Customers Seen
Customers that use Business Impact 2.0 measure specific checkpoints in their learning programs.
Those points are pre-training measures, post-training measures, and then transfer measures that indicate if the training transferred to the job. These data points show learning program success as it moves through the phases of impact. Real time data supports collaboration between learning professionals and business unit managers.
For example: When post-training measures reveal program content was learned, but then transfer results show learning was not applied on the job, managers were 85% more likely to investigate environmental factors (lack of time, lack of tools, poor support) as the reason for transfer failure. When data shows students learned new knowledge and skills, but failed to use them at work, it’s obvious the training program is not at fault. Managers like having data they can act on. With this knowledge, they can discover if there are other issues affecting the organization.
Impact 2.0 provides a clear link between assessments (tests) and achieving program objectives.
Learning teams like to use the passing of a test as a benchmark for achievement of course objectives. However, data has shown that students can pass a test (at a given threshold) but still not achieve all the intended results (objectives) of the training. IMPACT connects objectives to corresponding evaluations. More than one question measures a specific objective. The use of multiple questions raises the odds that student test scores will more accurately indicate achievement. This is the only way to verify that the students have learned the intended skills.
Learning programs that don’t cover at least 25% skill objectives (behavior/critical thinking) are 82% more likely to fail at transfer.
Learning programs commonly focus on providing knowledge and less on skill mastery. Impact 2.0 reveals what an oversight that is in course design. Results data shows learning programs that do not include at least 25% skill objectives have a high likelihood (82%) of never changing job performance. When training fails to show how the content provided is used on the job, students are left to their own devices to figure out how to apply it. Data shows this makes it difficult for students to operationalize their learning.
Learning programs that cover 2+ goals or 5+ topics per goal show a decrease in learning by more than 37%.
It seems obvious that when a student is asked to learn too many varied things in one training program, it’s harder for them to absorb anything. Data from Impact 2.0 verifies this. Programs should be designed for a limited amount of very targeted outcomes. Program formatting needs to allow for connection of content to prior knowledge.
See Firsthand How Business Impact 2.0 Works
Every month, eParamus hosts a free webinar that walks through how you can achieve insightful, valuable, relevant and needed training. Sign up for the next monthly webinar here. We keep these sessions small so we can focus our attention on a handful of customers. You can also sign up for a demo to see firsthand how Business Impact 2.0 works. Sign up for the Business Impact 2.0 demo to see this software in action.
Of course, you can always contact us here at eParamus and we’ll be happy to answer your questions about how to create measurable learning programs.
Please follow eParamus on LinkedIn and feel free to connect with me, Laura Paramoure, PhD to discuss the learning challenges you face.