- 4 MIN READ -
As academic institutions and businesses alike have embraced eLearning as a training and educational method, attention has turned more and more toward how eLearning programs can be rapidly improved based on learner experiences and their feedback.
To this end, both educators and learning and development (L&D) professionals have found that utilizing a Learning Record Store (LRS) is the most effective way to collect data about learner performance and use that data to improve eLearning experiences for educators and learners alike.
What Is a Learning Record Store?
Essentially, an LRS is a data storage system that collects learning record statements - basically, data - whenever it is utilized in conjunction with an eLearning program. Learning record statements can only be accurately read using SCORM or xAPI software (read more about xAPI in another article, What is xAPI and Why Should You Deploy It?), which we'll explore later. Right now, it's most important for you to understand why having an LRS capable of storing learning record statements is so powerful.
Raw data on learner actions and performance is stored in an LRS every time a learner takes action. This data can then be read by SCORM or xAPI software as an "actor verb object" statement, or a learning record statement. An example of a learning record statement would be:
"Jenny selected answer option A for question #20 on test #35."
Fortunately, a learner record statement can be infinitely more complex than this example, such as the learner record statement:
"Jenny selected answer option A for question #20 on test #35, completing the test. Jenny took approximately 3.5 percent longer than her peers to complete the test and answered 19 out of 20 questions accurately, placing her in the 97th percentile when compared to the rest of her class. Jenny took the longest on questions 5, 7, 13 and 20. Question 13 was the only question Jenny answered incorrectly. The rest of the class also took longer on questions 7, 13 and 20 than they did on any other questions, and these questions were answered incorrectly by 80 percent of the class."
What can an educator or L&D professional glean from this information? Perhaps that Jenny is a model student, but beyond that, they might also infer that questions 7, 13 and 20 were poorly designed since so many students spent so much time on them and still got them wrong. In essence, employing the use of an LRS is a bare necessity for any organization wishing to get more comprehensive data concerning its eLearning experiences and their efficacy.
Connecting eLearning Experiences Via an LRS
An LRS only reaches its true potential when the learning record statements it stores can be utilized by SCORM or xAPI software to produce actionable, easily readable "actor verb object" data like in the example we provided above. But even beyond this production of actionable data, organizations can still take further steps to use an LRS to its fullest potential.
For example, the learning record statements generated by an eLearning program are capable of being sent to multiple LRS at once. This means that for companies with several training sites, not only can the data gleaned from each training site be sent to every other training site, but that data can also be used to improve eLearning experiences at every training site simultaneously.
Additionally, having an LRS allows you to avoid tinkering with the often complicated and ineffective data storage systems that learning management systems (LMS) often provide to L&D professionals and educators.
In conclusion, utilizing an LMS is the most effective way for both academic institutions and business organizations to analyze the efficacy of their eLearning programs based on quantitative, actionable data, which can then be used to drastically improve said programs.
Here at Lambda Solutions, we believe that using xAPI and LRS technology is the future of eLearning. So, we developed Lambda Analytics, a tool that provides educators with hyper-accurate assessments of xAPI information. Instead of having to sift through LMS data by interpreting learning records yourself, Zoola analyzes those learning records to give you the information you need.
Watch our webinar on how to analyze xAPI with our reporting and analytics solution
If you use an LMS such as Moodle, Totara Learn, or any xAPI compliant platform, and want to maximize the potential of your learners, investing in xAPI and LRS technology, as well as an analytics tool such as Lambda Analytics, is the best way to do so.
We specialize in helping institutions and businesses optimize the efficacy of their eLearning experiences and infrastructures. To learn more about how Lambda Solutions can help you, contact us for a demo.
