7 Unexpected Benefits Of Investing In An LMS With Built-In Survey Engine

7 Unexpected Benefits Of Investing In An LMS With Built-In Survey Engine
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Summary: Do you need to gather eLearning feedback on a grander scale? Looking for ways to pre-assess online learners without formal eLearning assessments? In this article, I explore the many benefits that are up-for-grabs if you invest in an LMS with a built-in survey engine.

Benefits Of Investing In An LMS With Built-In Survey Engine You Should Consider

There is a multitude of reasons for gathering survey data. From fine-tuning your eLearning course design and pinpointing areas for improvement to identifying how much your online learners know so that you can cover the essentials without being redundant. In fact, survey engines are so versatile that many Learning Management Systems now offer them as part of the package. Are they worth adding to your must-have list? Below are 7 unexpected benefits of investing in an LMS with built-in survey engine.

7 Overlooked Advantages Of LMS With Built-in Survey Engines

1. Quickly Customize Questions And Responses

You already have enough on your plate as it is. The last thing you need is to have to create surveys and questionnaires from scratch, complete with targeted questions and responses. An LMS with built-in survey engine typically features templates and question types so that you can quickly customize; take, for example, rating scale and true/false formats. This also means that virtually anyone on your L&D team can create their own surveys based on specific concerns or KPIs.

2. Offer Follow-Up Recommendations

You can also set up your survey to automatically adjust their learning path or recommendations based on the responses. For example, the survey reveals that the online learner lacks the necessary safety compliance knowledge or that they don’t feel their communication skills are up to par. Immediately following the survey, a list of targeted activities and microlearning online training resources shows up on the screen giving them the opportunity to bridge gaps autonomously and continually improve their performance.

3. Collect Data While There’s Still Time To Act

An LMS with built-in survey engine allows you to set a specific time frame for completion. For instance, online learners are only able to fill out the survey for the next 30 days. This is beneficial for two key reasons. Firstly, you can gather actionable insights while there’s still time to act. Such as before the eLearning course begins so that you’re able to customize the eLearning content based on your findings. The second perk is the more accurate metrics. The survey will be closed after the official date range, meaning that you can gather Big Data in a timely manner instead of waiting for ‘stragglers’ to chime in.

4. Develop Surveys That Align With Your Image

Your survey, polls, and questionnaires are an essential part of your eLearning course. As such, they should reflect the look and feel of your current eLearning course design. Not to mention, your brand image. An LMS with built-in survey enables you to personalize the template to achieve the desired aesthetics. You can also develop distinct surveys for different departments, job roles, user groups, or other key criteria. For instance, online learners in your sales skills online training take surveys that reflect their personal interests and professional traits.

5. Bring Outside Users Onboard

Most LMS platforms with built-in survey engines give you the opportunity to distribute surveys to outside users such as those who haven’t installed the software or aren’t considered active users. This comes in handy if you’re trying to gather data from prospective online learners or entice them to sign up for your eLearning course. For instance, in cases that you want to find out what they’re looking for in your next eLearning course or which topics they’d like to see added to your catalog. Another application for this is polling online learners who’ve dropped out or simply completed the eLearning course. This enables you to collect data regarding their eLearning experience and how it can be improved moving forward.

6. Personalized Surveys Based On Curriculum

Yet another perk of investing in an LMS with built-in survey engine is being able to customize surveys based on the curriculum, as well as make surveys mandatory for eLearning course completion. For example, online learners must complete the wrap-up survey in order to receive the certificates, while personalized surveys enable you to assign specific questions/responses to individualized learning paths. For instance, a corporate learner is participating in your customer service online training. But they would also like to pursue other skills or abilities that tie into other departments. Curriculum-specific surveys can help them identify which paths they should take without venturing too far out of their comfort zone or too far away from their job roles and duties.

7. Gather More Detailed Insights

The most significant advantage of investing in an LMS with built-in survey engine is that you can gather more detailed analytics and insights about your online learners, as well as aspects of your eLearning course design that may need to some work. Instead of focusing on creating surveys from the ground up, you can spend more time and resources evaluating your findings. Not to mention, use the built-in LMS reports to analyze your findings by specific demographics. Like user group, geographical location, and background. Plus, all of your analytic tools are now in one location. You can even view survey data as graphs and charts thanks to the LMS data visualizations.

Conclusion

An LMS with built-in survey engine may seem like a luxury item. However, these are just some of the reasons why a survey engine may be a ‘deal-breaker’ feature. It allows you to gather more detailed analytics, conduct follow-up analysis, and pre-assess your online learners. That way, your eLearning strategy can also be custom tailored to the audience and their unique needs. Don’t hesitate to reach out to LMS vendors regarding their survey engines to see if they meet all your requirements. For example, do they allow you to distribute surveys to outside users or only those registered within the system? Are you able to customize the look of the survey, and do they have a broad range of question formats?

What’s the point of an LMS if no one gets any benefit from using it? Does your current LMS pass the test, or is it time to look for a new system that can deliver a better User Experience? Download our free eBook The Complete Guide For Choosing A User-Friendly LMS That Fulfills Your Business Needs to discover why LMS User Experience really matters, the differences between LMS User Experience and usability, the advantages of using an LMS that ranks high in usability terms, as well as the top quintessential traits of a user-friendly LMS.