Some of the burning questions being asked are how effective is the adaptive learning compare to non-adaptive learning, how do we know if adaptive learning is improving the employees, and how can one measure the ROI?
Over the years, many companies have opted for adaptive learning which meets the unique needs of every employee through feedback, pathways, and resources rather than the one-size-fits-all non-adaptive method.
Before you can measure the ROI, there are few things you must keep in mind.
Key factors to keep in mind when measuring ROI
Determine measurement before training begin
Course training measurement should be done when setting out your company training goals.
It is also important that measure is done not just for the duration of the course training but also before and after the course training.
A meaningful measurement will give an insight into how you can effectively use the course training to improve the objectives of your company.
Effective measurement and improvement will help to scale up your ROI of adaptive learning.
Training cost estimates
Thorough estimates of all your total training costs should be done. Some expenses are often overlooked or sometimes go unnoticed therefore record keeping is advisable to track all your total training expenditures.
Expenses like money spent on instructional design, third-party instructor training fee, off-site training center, travel cost, cost of incentives should be taken into consideration.
Establish benchmarks for pre-training comparison
In order to properly evaluate the ROI of adaptive learning, you need to have a clear picture of a recent state of performance to measure against after the course training.
Pre-assessment helps to discover employee skills. The knowledge they have about the course will help adaptive learning by personalizing course training to suit all company employees.
Analyzing the ROI of adaptive learning
Overall training cost
It reduces the cost of training of employees by cutting down the cost of training. Compared to traditional learning, adaptive learning saves money on the cost of office paper and teaching materials.
Money is also saved on classroom rental costs, travel, and hotel expenses incurred by sending employees for training among others.
Time
With adaptive learning, employees can learn at their own pace, and at any time they feel is best for them. It helps the employees to better manage their time.
The traditional learning means an employee will drive a distance in order to attend training. Time is wasted on travel while driving a long distance.
Learner retention
Adaptive learning boosts employees learning retention through continuous learning recharge function. Employees can revisit course training to refresh their memory.
Employee engagement
Employee engagement is worth more than gold for every company. Adaptive learning increases employees’ engagement in many ways.
Through active teaching and adjusting to individual needs, learners become more focused on the training. Better engagement boosts learning retention and mastery.
Company morale and reputation
The company boasts of the quality of improvement seen in their employees. This helps to boost their confidence and the trust they have in the employees.
Young job seekers seek out companies that offer training. Career development opportunity is a major deciding factor for many job seekers.
Calculating the ROI of adaptive learning
For the money spent during the cost of employee training, company leaders must calculate the ROI of adaptive learning to know if it really works.
The ROI of adaptive learning can be calculated with a basic formula.
ROI = (net profit/total investment ×100) %
Or
ROI = (net monetary benefits of training/total cost of training × 100) %
To effectively calculate the ROI, the company must calculate the total expenses of the training. This is why record-keeping is crucial at every stage of the course.
Money spent on course material (online or offline), software expenses, third-party educator fees, rental fees, lost revenue when employees were in training and post-training assessment fee should not be overlooked.
The total cost per employee can be calculated by dividing the total cost of training by the number of participating employees.
Since training does not generate direct money for the company, one major challenge in calculating the ROI is how to effectively determine the monetary benefits from a course training.
You should look out for the indirect impacts of the training on the company’s income over time. Cost savings activities of the training should also be critically analyzed.
For example, employee engagement, company morale and reputation, and time-saving cant be converted to the money value but can improve the company over time.
Conclusion
When calculating the ROI of adaptive learning, consider this in your calculation:
- Less time wasted in the course training.
- Potential learning gains.
- The joy of the company.