What story does the data from your test prep LMS tell you?
Does it just show course completions? Or is it telling the story of how your program changes learners’ lives?
There's no doubt that professional certifications can change someone's life. They allow people to pursue their dream careers. If your learners fail, they may lose out on the chance to be promoted or find themselves stuck in a job that’s unfulfilling. Your learners look to you to provide them with the tools they need to succeed, like certification training or a test prep program. They look to you to teach them test-taking skills, lower their anxiety, keep them on track, and, of course, offer high-quality learning materials.
It’s a big job. The question is: does your learning management system (LMS) give you the data you need to succeed?
Read this blog post to find out what data you need from your LMS to make your test prep candidates successful.
Learner-Centered Metrics
You put your learner at the heart of your program. However, online learning puts up a screen between you and your learner. Luckily, data analytics can overcome the screen to show you what matters to your learner. In fact, it gives both you and your learners better feedback than in-person classes because your test prep platform can track every question and every interaction and provide real-time insights into learning, performance, confidence, and more.
Empower Your Learners with Data
Learners don’t care about how we use data to improve content over the long term. They want to improve their lives by learning the material and passing your exam as quickly and efficiently as possible. Empower your learners by giving them access to data on their strengths and weaknesses.
Take it a step further by focusing on confidence. BenchPrep tracks confidence because research shows that people only make the right decision consistently if they’ve reached mastery. Even if they get the right answer on the practice exam, doubtful learners risk choking on the big day. By highlighting areas of low confidence, you help learners get it right on test day, not just the practice exam.
Many test takers sign up for test prep courses because they’ve previously failed the exam. Learner confidence metrics help you prove that your courses build confidence and proficiency. Most free courses only offer a video. Your proven method, backed by your LMS data, promises to lower their test-taking anxiety and write the exam with confidence.
🔎Learn more about how ACT improved course engagement with data-driven decisions in our case study, “Taking Digital Learning to the Next Level.”
Stay in Tune with Your Learners
Data allows you to make truly learner-centered content. This content isn’t determined by a panel of experts during a content review. It’s decided by the answers your learners give while using your platform.
You’ll be able to see which questions most learners get incorrect, which topics prove the most challenging, and where learners lack confidence. With this data in hand, you can improve your content. You might not be able to make the test any easier. But, you can make the content as easy as possible to learn.
Plus, GMAC found that a fully digital platform allowed for quicker updates. No more waiting for the publisher to re-print out-of-date materials. It’s accomplished in minutes. You’ll keep test prep materials up-to-date effortlessly.
Online Learning Platform Usage Data
All companies start with best practices in user experience, but your data helps you refine it.
Here are a few questions to get you started thinking about user experience:
- What features do successful learners use?
- Do learners prefer certain modalities (text, audio, or video)?
- What devices are they learning on?
- Would they like a microlearning platform?
For test prep companies, it’s particularly useful to think about how successful candidates use the platform. Then, you can create onboarding that encourages all candidates to make the same choices.
For example, BenchPrep found that the average online discussion participant is 15X more active in our online learning platform than those learners who don’t participate in discussion boards. Obviously, people that study more perform better. Do your successful candidates use the platform differently than non-successful candidates? Can you push all learners towards more successful behaviors?
Plus, on-demand learning appeals to a larger market segment. It worked for GMAC. They grew their test prep courses by 133% when they switched to BenchPrep’s on-demand platform.
🔎Find out more about how GMAC leveraged a digital platform for phenomenal revenue-growth: GMAC Case Study: Prep that Sets the Pace for Triple Digit Growth.
How to Move Your Learning Business Forward with Data
Data often feels endless. Or worse, we feel like we might be missing out on a big insight because we didn’t look hard enough.
The biggest advantage to data is staying close to our customers. Unlike in-person classrooms, online learning is mediated by the platform. Data gives us a chance to see how our learners navigate this new world. It helps you make your test prep candidate experience the most effective for your learners. It moves you from insights to action.
What do you learners need you to change in your test prep experience? How can your platform change the game for the nursing student who has failed her exam three times?
Data gives you insights into your specific learner population. More importantly, it points the way for changing their experience for the better.
At BenchPrep, we create engaging, online prep experiences that lead to higher pass rates and lower dropout rates while helping you scale your test prep business. To learn more about how we can power your digital test prep program, request a demo today.
