How To Create An Effective eLearning Grading Scale
An eLearning grading scale might not be the first thing you consider when designing your online training strategy. However, it’s a fantastic motivator and a great way for corporate learners to assess their own performance. We know that simply completing an online training course is not enough. There’s very little satisfaction in that, for a start. It’s unlikely to make a corporate learner want to pick up the next module and do their best. Corporate learners want to aim towards a learning goal and see how far they have come given all their time and effort. Likewise, your online instructors, facilitators, and administrators must be able to not only gauge employee progress but also measure the effectiveness of your eLearning course design.
Tips To Design A Flexible eLearning Grading Scale That Works For Corporate Learners And Admins
The first thing to know about an eLearning grading scale is that it doesn’t have to appear rigid or like an exam assessment. The Instructional Designer needs to create an effective methodology that underlies every online training activity. It doesn’t matter what words, numbers, or letters you actually use to describe that scale during online training. A percentage or school-style A-D grading might work well for a formal online assessment the corporate learner has to study for. It won’t work well to describe the progress through a series of microlearning online training tasks, though. Pick your eLearning grading scale carefully and be clear about your learning objectives. Carry it all through your online training consistently. When setting an eLearning grading scale, here are 5 key rules to follow so you always get it right.
1. Keep It Consistent
If you’re using different elements to meet one learning objective, an eLearning grading scale provides an accurate overall score. For example, you might have one or more online training courses, a face-to-face session, and three microlearning online training elements. Across all of these, you need to decide to weight for each element. Decide a consistent scoring methodology that will apply across each element. Then map that across to whatever descriptions you decide to give to your eLearning grading scale (see point 2). The eLearning grading scale in the background will guide your corporate learner appropriately through each different module within an online training course.
2. Choose The Right Descriptions For The Front-End To Describe Employee Performance
Once you have come up with the weighting for each element and overall scale, you can describe them however you like. You might want to use words like “Try again / Good try / perfect” or similar for simulations or games. Then you might prefer to use formal mechanics like percentages or A-D grading for longer assessments. A quick 1-10 for grading in quizzes, being clear which end of the scale is good, would work well. Choose the best way of describing performance for each element and map it back to your established grading methodology.
3. Be Clear About Learning Objectives
An eLearning grading scale is only truly effective when a corporate learner can use it to measure their own progress. They must be completely aware of their own learning objectives. Make sure you set up individual online training paths for every employee. Allow for the tracking of scores and make clear how they are measuring up against a set baseline. That might be an average score from their peers or an expected “pass” grade set by the project team. Just make obvious in which ways an online training course or microlearning element is helping an individual meet their learning objectives. You should also connect the evaluation methods to real-world applications so that corporate learners have context.
4. Tie It Into Desired Behaviors
The goal isn’t to simply ace the exam or complete the simulation without making any errors. The primary aim is to evaluate corporate learners based on the desired behaviors and outcomes. For example, they receive the maximum number of points by displaying specific skills or showing that they’ve bridged a knowledge gap. You should also develop a scale for qualitative assessment methods that demonstrate how well corporate learners can apply the information and skills in a practical context, as these are often the best indicators for performance behaviors.
5. Get Your Entire Team On The Same Page
Every admin, manager, and online instructor should understand the eLearning grading scale and how it will be used to evaluate employee performance. You might even consider creating online training tutorials or walkthroughs that explain the grading process, as well as how they can use the results to provide corporate learners with ongoing support. What constitutes a ‘passing’ grade, and what can they do if a corporate learner fails to meet the minimum criteria? In addition, provide regular updates regarding new analysis tools or methods you’re using to monitor their progress.
An effective eLearning grading scale can create a sense of achievement, motivation, and even healthy competition in an eLearning environment. Employees that reach the top grades can be recognized in an appropriate way. Those that fall below the average can be sensitively handled to ensure they are meeting their learning goals. Everyone can benefit from knowing how well an individual is progressing. Analysis at a team or salary-grade level can glean important performance management information. If your L&D team is serious about achieving a highly-skilled workforce, then you need access to accurate results. The more scientific an eLearning grading scale, the better you can assess your progress. Similarly, the more appropriately you can describe progress at a corporate learner level, the better their motivation and engagement.
You’re on the hunt for a new LMS that can help you monitor employee performance and avoid compliance violations. But is a Learning Management System with a built-in assessment engine really worth the investment? Read the article 7 Benefits Of A Built-In LMS Assessment Engine to discover why to use a built-in LMS assessment engine to evaluate employees performance and your online training strategy.
