Outputs-Based & Inputs-Based CPD: How Does the LXP Do Both?

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is a term that has been thrown around a lot in recent months, particularly in “professional” spheres such as accountancy, law and education.

CPD comes with a host of benefits when it comes to workplace learning opportunities, and it’s something that has been top of mind during our lead-up to the launch of Learning Pool Platform.

Yet traditionally, CPD focused on maintaining expertise solely within these professions, existing as an extremely elite opportunity for a minority of workers.

Times are changing…

Not only does the Learning Experience Platform offer more in terms of user experience, personalized learning and smart recommendations than the traditional LMS, but it has also begun to embrace the CPD approach.

Establishing a new trend among digital learning opportunities, the LXP invites CPD into the standard workplace, centering on the growth of skills pertinent to every individual and their job role.

By embracing this approach, organizations ensure that learning is not only beneficial to the company’s growth but to every learner and their career goals too. The impact this investment has on an organization is also proven, with employees demonstrating how they learn and grow alongside the organization they work for.

When taking into account CPD and its methods, it typically sits in two separate approaches, depending on requirements (for example Professional Association Standards). These approaches are:

Inputs-Based CPD

Refers to time (i.e. how long did the learner take to complete an activity assigned to them?)

Outputs-Based CPD

Focuses more on what the learner is getting out of the learning experience (i.e. what skills might they have learnt that can be applied to practice during the the workday?)

The LXP expands upon the ‘apply’ and impact’ elements of the traditional CPD model by increasingly accounting for the more practical side of workplace learning (Image Source: CIPD)

Research stipulates that professionals are eager to move away from purely traditional inputs-based measures, such as logging the hours spent doing an activity, as this doesn’t indicate whether or not any learning has truly taken place.

Instead, outputs-based methods look at what learners are actually gaining from these learning opportunities, and whether there has been any impact on practice.

By investing in CPD, organizations can ensure learners are able to maintain and enhance their competence throughout their career. And in using the LXP, organizations can still track how long learners are spending on learning (and whether the hours spent reduce over time), but it also features advanced outputs-based measures, guaranteeing that learners get the most from their learning experience.

These include:

1. Goal-Based Learning

With the LXP, learners have the opportunity to set specific learning goals that they believe will help them advance in their career. Learning thus becomes much more personalized to the individuals needs, achieving more in terms of professional development than via more general training.

2. Reflections

Allow the learner to provide feedback on their learning experience, and the activities they have participated in. What have they learned? How do they plan on putting this new knowledge into practice in the workplace? Do they feel ready to mark their goal as complete, or do they require further learning materials and activities?

3. Smart Nudges

The LXP uses levelling, notifications and light-touch gamification to encourage engagement, ensuring learners are completely invested in the learning opportunities provided.

As more organisations are focusing on impact of learning, using an LXP that allows a balance of both quantitative (how long spent on learning) and qualitative (what did you learn & how did you implement) measurement means you can create more engaging learning and personally effective experiences for learners – as well as gaining insights for impact analysis.

Related: LXP vs LMS