How LMS Learning Path Functionality Promotes Professional Development

According to a 2016 article by Clear Company, 87 percent of Millennial employees said professional development was very important to them.¹ Since Millennials make up nearly half of the workforce, employers should take note of their desire for professional development. Also, it’s important to understand that theirs is not the only generation of employees that wants more opportunities for development/training. The Guthrie Jensen Global Training Consultants blog says that 76 percent of employees are looking for career growth opportunities.² One way employers can provide workers with the professional development they want is by fully utilizing LMS learning path functionality.

An LMS Delivers Employee Training

A learning management system, or LMS, is a computer software program that delivers, tracks, and reports on training. Its key purpose is to train a company’s employees, members, and volunteers. LMS training is effective, quick, engaging, and incredibly convenient. Read our "What is an LMS" page to find out more.

What is LMS Learning Path Functionality?

If you’ve never used an LMS, you may be surprised to discover that is has numerous functions that make training easier. For example, a common LMS function is mobile learning. Mobile learning allows employees to access training materials via mobile device at any hour of the day, from any location.

Another LMS function, one that promotes professional development, is learning path functionality. An LMS with learning path functionality enables system administrators to design and assign specific learning paths to specific employees based on their training needs. It also allows administrators to create a sequential order of delivery for courses and materials, which means each learner’s path can be tweaked for maximum impact. This type of functionality helps administrators track employee training progress and hold learners accountable for it, increasing program engagement.

How LMS Learning Paths Promote Professional Development

LMS learning path functionality, often referred to as “LMS learning paths,” develops employees professionally by…

1. Keeping them on track with training -- Starting something such as an employee training program is usually easy. It’s continually participating in it that busy employees find difficult. When an employee is following a learning path, administrators can see if he or she is regularly accessing training materials. If learners are avoiding training, learning path designers can find out why by asking direct questions. Perhaps the material is too easy or difficult for a learner. Whatever the issue is, administrators can quickly rearrange a learning path to better fit an employee’s training needs and keep him or her on track with training.  
2. Ensuring comprehension of training -- Almost anyone can pass an online training course. Even so, that doesn’t mean that person will comprehend the material or gain new skills. A well-designed learning path will help guide employees into a linear learning experience in which they master training materials and concepts in small steps. These small steps add up to big learning as well as training comprehension. An LMS learning path helps guarantee that training sticks with a learner long after an eLearning course has been completed.  

“With online learning path functionality, you can create a sequential order of delivery for courses and materials. The course/material sequence can also be allocated to select users or user groups. You can set eligibility requirements for more advanced courses. More advanced courses become available only after users finish previous courses or materials, and users can only access content assigned to their online learning path.” -- TOPYX

Learn more about Learning Paths

Want to find out more about what LMS learning path functionality is and how it develop employees professionally? If so, read What is a Learning Path? The Benefits of eLearning in Corporate Training.

References:

1. Clear Company. 5 surprising employee development statistics you didn’t know. https://blog.clearcompany.com/5-surprising-employee-development-statistics-you-dont-know.

2. Guthrie Jensen. Statistics that prove the value of employee training. https://guthriejensen.com/blog/statistics-employee-training/.