When did you last check in with your learners? Planning and executing a learning experience takes a lot of time, effort, and strategy. But without an equally thoughtful learner feedback strategy, you could be missing out on insights and data that could improve the experience.

Feedback is one of the best tools for understanding your learners and designing learning that inspires real change. But what’s the right framework for thinking about learner feedback? And what tools and methods are best for collecting data and insights?

Let’s talk about how to get meaningful feedback from your learners to help you evaluate and improve your learning experiences.

What is learner feedback?

Let’s start with defining learner feedback. Learner feedback includes both qualitative and quantitative data collected from your users about their learning experience. Quantitative data is statistical information that can be measured and is recorded using numbers. Qualitative data focuses more on words, descriptions, and ideas that can’t necessarily be measured—often, qualitative data is used to answer the question “why?”

Quantitative data is immensely valuable for noting things like success rate for a learning element or overall percentage of satisfaction. Qualitative data then adds a layer of richness to learner feedback that helps us understand their unique experiences. For example, you might find that many learners are struggling with low scores on a certain skills assessment (quantitative data). You can then conduct interviews with learners (qualitative data) to understand why and begin to uncover what’s not working.

Learner feedback could take the form of active solicitation with a specific objective in mind, or it could happen more passively. Passive feedback is a great way to listen for issues you’re unaware of while also cultivating a curiosity-driven, ‘open door policy’ with your learners.

The benefits of learner feedback

In the workplace, we solicit feedback from our leaders and peers so that we can avoid mistakes and improve. The same logic applies to learner feedback: asking for their opinions, experiences, and ideas helps us build more effective learning. Let’s look at a few of the benefits of collecting learner feedback.

Create a feedback loop

Learners should function as partners—after all, you’re creating the training experience for them. When you’re willing to listen to learner feedback and implement change, it makes learners feel heard and shows them that their opinions are valuable. This feedback loop can boost learner engagement and ensure you’re building experiences that truly work for your learners.

Curb biases

Without learner feedback, you’re likely relying on your own assumptions to diagnose problems and make decisions. Assumptions are the enemy. When we make assumptions about our audience or about problems, we are injecting our own biases into the equation. Assumptions jeopardize our chances of success on a given project. Feedback ensures that we are framing our thinking with facts, not assumptions.

Build rapport

Learner feedback is also a great way to build rapport with learners. When you show people you care, they’ll be more inclined to trust you and share with you again in the future. You can build trust with your learner audience by gathering feedback, acting on it, and following up with learners to share how you addressed their concerns.

Show your work

That last point is important: it’s not enough to simply implement the change learners asked for. Sometimes your hard work doesn’t speak for itself—it’s important to deliberately close the loop with learners and take the time to show them exactly what changed as a result of their feedback.

It’s also worth mentioning what not to do with feedback. One of the biggest missteps you can make is to ask for learner input and then do nothing with it. It may have the opposite impact and erode trust.

The Kirkpatrick Evaluation Model + feedback

The Kirkpatrick Model’s four levels of learning evaluation is a helpful framework for measuring the success of a learning experience. After you design and execute a training, you’re probably wondering about its effectiveness. Did the training do what it was supposed to do? Did the learners learn what they needed to? Is it making a difference in business objectives?

The four levels of Kirkpatrick’s learning evaluation can help guide your feedback initiatives: Reaction, Learning, Behavior, and Results. In other words, how has the learning experience impacted the performance of your business, learner behavior, learner knowledge, and learner reaction?

Here are a few ideas for using the Kirkpatrick Model as a framework for gathering learner feedback.

Levels 1 and 2: Reaction and Learning

The first two levels of Kirkpatrick’s Model are all about understanding the user experience (reaction) and gauging what was learned (learning).

You can gather feedback at this stage by building it directly into the learning experience or LMS. Keep a pulse on learner reaction by including feedback tools like pre- and post-training surveys, star ratings, or comment boxes. To gauge learning outcomes, deploy tools like quizzes and assessments, knowledge checks, and other post-training tools that help measure knowledge and skill levels.

Levels 3 and 4: Behavior and Results

Here, we’re looking at whether learner behavior has changed and whether you’ve achieved the result you’re after. These levels need to be measured outside of the learning environment because it usually requires more time for these deeper changes to take hold.

How can we meaningfully measure behavior change? Remember, knowledge gained doesn’t necessarily equate to behavior change. Try testing behavior change with scenario-based learning, evaluating training metrics and annual review scores, or doing on-the-job observations.

When gathering feedback at the results level, you’ll want to look at KPIs and other strict measurements. Did ROI increase? What about customer satisfaction? Did workplace incidents go down? The data you gather here can inform your approach to gathering qualitative learner feedback.

Field observations and interviews for qualitative feedback

Quantitative data alone isn’t enough to provide comprehensive learner feedback. Field observations and interviews are great tools for gathering qualitative feedback to guide and inform your learning efforts.

Field observations allow you to do a ride-along with your learners to watch what they do and how they do it. Regularly shadowing your learners helps you understand their challenges and their day-to-day habits. Observation gives you a greater foundation to design learning that meets their needs and fits their routines.

From there, interviews—such as focus groups and one-on-ones—allow you to gather detailed, qualitative feedback to delve deeper. What motivates your learners? What are their biggest challenges? Interviews are an opportunity to build on your observations by learning who your learners are as people and how to improve your efforts.

Feedback is about making change

Learner feedback is the secret sauce to creating incredible learning—but only if you’re committed to truly making change. Before you invest in collecting learner feedback, ask yourself: Are you ready and willing to change?

Innovative, fresh learning comes from a constant loop of learner feedback. Our Strategy team is always collecting, measuring, and analyzing learner feedback to guide our learning efforts. We don’t have all the answers: our goal is to truly serve our learner audience, and that means we must learn from them, too.