Tell your impact story with GenAI

Many learning and development leaders are upskilling and identifying strategies to enable their learning teams with GenAI. And they should. A study conducted by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) found that customer support agents using a generative pre-trained transformer (GPT) AI tool experienced a nearly 14% increase in productivity. This evidence suggests that GenAI's potential benefits span across the information economy, enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of roles centered around the creation, use, or exchange of information.

Generative AI (GenAI) is emerging as a pivotal tool for augmenting content creation, but did you know it can fundamentally enhance how we measure and improve learning outcomes? From my hands-on experience with machine learning and AI in designing knowledge bases in the flow of work and driving personalized content based on real performance and coaching indicators, I have witnessed the transformative power of these technologies. This was before the recent boom in new SaaS tools leveraging GenAI, which continues to emerge on a weekly basis.

Let's elevate the conversation from a content creation tool. What can GenAI do for us as learning leaders to make data-driven decisions and impactful strategies to drive a culture of learning? Through the lens of the Kirkpatrick Model, a standard framework for evaluating training programs, the potential of GenAI becomes even more compelling. Here's how GenAI can revolutionize each of the four levels of the Kirkpatrick Model:

Level 1: Reaction

GenAI can significantly enhance how we measure learners' initial reactions, often through surveys and feedback forms. Traditionally, analyzing such data to identify trends, sentiments, and themes has been time-consuming. However, GenAI can automate this process, swiftly combing through vast amounts of feedback to pinpoint learners' perceptions and engagement levels. This not only expedites analysis but also provides deeper insights into the effectiveness of the learning experience from the learners' perspective.

Level 2: Learning

At the learning evaluation level, GenAI can play a critical role in assessing the extent to which participants have acquired the intended knowledge, skills, and attitudes. By leveraging GenAI as an assistant for instructional designers to create more dynamic and interactive assessments, we can move beyond traditional multiple-choice formats to evaluate learning outcomes more effectively.

Even more importantly, GenAI can be used to prompt learning post-event through personalized emails or support or build effective management prompts to ensure the topic is reinforced in the flow of work. Connect learning and coaching to assist performance.

Need learning measurement to become more meaningful? Use AI

Level 3: Behavior

Evaluating how well learners apply their new skills and knowledge in the workplace is crucial. GenAI technologies can facilitate the creation of experiential assessments and scenario-based training, enabling a more accurate measurement of behavioral change. We can also use GenAI as a data scientist to confirm if metrics are moving, work that has taken me hours of manual labor and hundreds of excel spreadsheets in the past. By analyzing performance data and KPIs in conjunction with GenAI, we can gain insights into how effectively training interventions translate into practical application on the job.

Level 4: Results

Finally, GenAI's impact on measuring the ultimate results of learning programs—such as improved performance, higher productivity, and contribution to organizational goals—is perhaps the most significant. GenAI tools can analyze your performance metrics, (for example: sales data to quality indicators), providing a direct link between training interventions and business outcomes. This capability allows organizations to demonstrate the ROI of their learning and development initiatives more convincingly.

The journey towards incorporating GenAI into learning and development is filled with opportunities to make learning measurement more data-driven, personalized, and impactful. By harnessing GenAI tools as a strategic partner, we can unlock new dimensions of learning effectiveness, ultimately demonstrating the value of learning impact to the learners and business leaders we serve. As we embrace GenAI consider how its capabilities can transform your learning and development analysis, research, strategic initiatives, and most importantly, measure results. What will be your first step in harnessing GenAI to unlock new dimensions of learning effectiveness?"