Assessing Learning in a Post-LMS World

Learning is on the move. Mobile, social and informal exchanges of information are enhancing or replacing traditional training and course structures. Many new learning modalities depend on content that is not even managed or created by a learning and development organization. On top of all this, economic pressure is rewarding the creative repurposing of content freely available on the Web and from original sources.

If learning events increasingly involve assets individuals don’t own or control, how do learning leaders track and assess the effectiveness of employees’ learning? Simply stated, if it can’t be put it in the LMS, is it still learning? And if it is — in a post-LMS world — how is it assessed?

The phrase “post-LMS world” is not meant to suggest that learning management systems are obsolete. It merely means that assessing learning utilizing an LMS only is becoming obsolete. Like learning itself, learning assessment is also on the move, focusing more on performance than knowledge acquisition.

The original function of the LMS was to simplify how learning was scheduled, deployed and tracked. It was also a tool for managers to validate and report compliance with learning obligations and to prove that specific people in specific roles completed training. Over time, the LMS evolved to support the creation of training plans, curricula development and the management of assets and logistics.

With continued integration with performance management systems, LMSs do more than track and report learning events; they are a component of a comprehensive talent management strategy. Further, many LMSs have become quite complex in their functionality. They provide significant capabilities for users, administrators, learning professionals and managers, but ease of use has plummeted, causing many companies to develop front-end websites or portals to ease the pain.

Why Is the LMS Still Important?
If learning leaders ask employees why their LMS is important, they’re likely to receive many different responses:
• What is an LMS?
• Easy access to class registration.
• Just-in-time learning.
• Proof of completion.
• Repeatability.
• Integrated curriculum relevant to the job or role.