How Data Science Can Revolutionize the Way We Train

Data science is revolutionizing the way we budget, hire, and market. Shouldn’t it also revolutionize the way we train our teams?

Leveraging data science to boost your learning and development (L&D) initiatives can make your programs more effective and more time efficient.

Here’s how.

Gathering Data

Many companies are already investing in analyzing data and prioritizing data initiatives like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). According to the International Data Groups’ CIO Tech Poll: Tech Priorities 2019, 60% of IT leaders say that AI/ML is considered to be the most disruptive technology, and 40% expect AI/ML to have a positive impact on their business in three to five years.

Additionally, in last year’s report, 60% of CIOs predicted their spending on analytics to increase in 2018.

Data can make organizations nimbler and more efficient. It can also make your L&D training programs more effective by gathering information about team members and analyzing data about your training initiatives.

To pinpoint skills your team members lack, areas that need improvement, and areas in which members excel, you’ll need to gather data about:

  • job performance
  • L&D activity (rate of success and/or failure)
  • application of skills X months after training

This data can be gathered via:

  • assessment processes
  • third-party tools

What to Do with All That Data

We know what data can help us achieve, but how do we make it actionable? After all, initiatives like ML, virtual reality/augmented reality, network science, and AI can produce loads and loads of data, which can be overwhelming.

This is where data visualization comes in. It can help the non-data analyst better understand what the data is communicating. Using graphs, charts, maps, and other visuals, you’ll find out how your team members:

  • prefer to learn (game-based learning, videos, podcasts, etc.)
  • retain knowledge
  • apply new skill
  • perform in relation to other team members
  • effectively use their training in their jobs

Why does data visualization work? Well, according to researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, the human retina can transmit visual input at roughly 10 million bits per second. Data visualization takes advantage of the brain’s ability to recognize images and patterns and make sense of them quickly.

The Long-Term Benefits

By utilizing data science to unearth what an individual knows, what they don’t, and the best way to engage them, you may also be able to predict who will succeed and who may need additional support, training, and resources.

Ultimately, leveraging data science to boost your training programs can have big results. Individual team members can be better understood in relation to their team as a whole, their division, and the organization. Data science can also support a results-driven culture, giving team members a specific path to success.

Additionally, data science findings can reveal more practical solutions and create more high-performing groups. By identifying how teams are spending their time and locating the source of inefficiencies, data can help organizations take a step back to refocus on the individual and develop a more purpose-driven workplace.