No doubt you’ve recently come across an
article or blog that lists features and functionalities to clearly define
the differences between LMS and LXP.
Everyone’s talking about it. And
the LXP market continues to expand, and expand, and expand…But let’s not lose
sight of why this is the case. While an LMS provides robust features to enable
effective and efficient administration of learning, when it comes to the LXP
it’s all about the learners. And by learner, we mean employees. And by employees, we mean organisations’ most
valuable (and most difficult to find and keep) resources.
The Modern “Modern Learner”
Back in 2017, Bersin by Deloitte introduced us to the Meet the Modern Learner infographic. Those of us in the learning industry were shocked to find out that on average, these overwhelmed, distracted, and impatient learners only had 1% of their work week to devote to training and development. That translated to only 24 minutes a week!
And during the brief time they did have to learn, these modern and tech savvy learners wanted to be empowered. They wanted to control their own learning destinies. They wanted learning on the go. They wanted to collaborate. And they wanted it NOW.
Fast forward 5 years, and today’s modern
learner might be more adapted to and less overwhelmed by constant distractions
and rapid advances in technology, but not too much has changed with regards to
what they want. Except maybe their
expectations are even higher!
LXP’s: Putting the learner first
The smart AI algorithms built into world-class consumer experiences like Netflix and Amazon, drive powerful personalisation features like recommendations and showing what other customers have purchased – all based on what the consumer is, well, consuming.
And while technically, LXP’s have been
around for about 7-8 years, the same advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI)
and Data Analytics that power Netflix and Amazon have more recently enabled
LXP’s to serve up more robust, personalised, and holistic learning
experiences. To put it simply; LXP’s
learn about the learners, and in turn, options are presented in a more
“consumer-focused” way.
7 Key Learner Benefits of an LXP
Yes, companies still need to push out compliance learning and learning recommendations to address foundational development needs. But learners desire to control their own destiny. And they expect to be able to pull learning that’s just for them and served up to them, based on their habits, their needs, their preferences and their goals.
While LXPs have a multitude of enhanced features and functionality, some of the most popular and beneficial features that appeal to learners include:
- Serves up highly
personalised learning recommendations based on learner preferences, habits
and goals
- Allows for social
collaboration via tools like discussions, ratings, reviews and comments
- Enables “open
sourcing” and access to multiple types – or modalities – of learning from
multiple sources
- Goes beyond
corporate-required training and provides holistic learning options for
enhanced employee professional and personal development
- Provides
portability of learning through the use of badges, which allow learners to
take their learning with them as they advance their career and/or pursue
other opportunities (but hopefully they stick around)
- Provides learning
paths that are tailored to the learner, fully customisable and easily
updated
- Allows learners
to easily access learning on a multitude of mobile and personal devices –
anytime, anywhere
5 Ways LXP’s Attract and Keep Employees
Today, finding qualified workers is more challenging than ever. Keeping them is even harder. Engaged employees are happier. Happier employees stay longer. And the overall goal of investing in a personalised, enhanced, and interactive learning experience for employees is to keep them engaged.
Some highlights of how LXP’s can help companies attract and retain employees, include:
- Learning
opportunities continue to be at the top of the most desired list for job
seekers. Organisations that are known to invest in their employees and
help them grow are more likely to attract qualified candidates.
- Delivering
learning on the go and within the flow of work means that learners get the
information they need when they need it.
This helps decrease downtime and increase productivity.
- Many skills
today, especially IT skills, have a much shorter shelf-life. So continuous, adaptive learning is even
more critical for helping employees increase and maintain their knowledge,
which increases their value to the organisation and in turn gives their
companies a competitive edge.
- LXP’s drive
collaboration. To stay motivated and interested in their work, today’s
employees need to feel connected, listened to and heard. And they also
like learning from their peers and sharing ideas and information quickly
and easily.
- LXP’s deliver enhanced reporting that tracks more than just utilisation and uses visual dashboards to reveal learner preferences, analyze learning impact and provide ROI. In turn, this provides organisations with more useful and actionable data to help focus drive learning investment where it’s needed most.
Both LMS and LXP have their place. And while they can easily be delineated by listing the specific features and functionality, the intrinsic value of the LXP - focusing on the learner - cannot be overlooked. In other words, LMS puts learning in the hands of the administrator, while LXP puts learning in the hands of the learner. The learner gets what they want most – the ability to control their journey and focus on their wants, their needs and their goals. In turn, organisations are rewarded with more engaged, self-directed employees who collaborate, create, and innovate.