You're staring at a training report showing 85% course completion. Pretty good, right? But as the leadership meeting approaches, you begin to feel that familiar knot in your stomach. You know someone is going to ask: "How is all this training actually improving our business?"
You've taken the first step by investing in a modern learning management system. But are you making the most of it? Most organizations set up an LMS but completely overlook one of its most powerful features: analytics. And it’s key to knowing if your training programs are hitting the mark or missing their targets.
In this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn why LMS analytics matter, what they track, and how they can equip you with concrete answers that’ll impress even the most skeptical leader.
What is learning analytics?
Learning analytics is the process of collecting and analyzing data from learning activities to make smarter decisions about training programs. It turns raw numbers into actionable insights that show what's working and what isn't. With this information, you can better meet learner needs, prove the value of your programs, and keep improving your approach to learning and development.
Why should you use LMS analytics?
You pour time, energy, and money into developing strong training content. Wouldn't you like to know if it's working? The reality is that most teams create courses and share them with staff but struggle to measure their effectiveness. When leaders ask for proof of ROI, they scramble to provide anything beyond completion rates and survey responses.
LMS analytics solve this problem. They show you who's taking the courses, where people get stuck, and which ones see the best results. Finally, you can answer critical questions like:
- Which training programs actually improve performance?
- What content are people skipping (and should you fix it or scrap it)?
- How does your training connect to tangible business goals?
With these insights, you'll make smarter decisions about where to direct your efforts. You'll stop wasting resources on programs that look good on paper but don't deliver results. Your training becomes something you can confidently stand behind because you have the data to prove its worth.
The evolution of learning analytics
Early LMS platforms offered basic analytics that barely scratched the surface. They simply tracked whether someone clicked through to the end of a module. Better than nothing? Sure. Insightful? Hardly. Those completion stats revealed little about whether anyone actually learned anything or if the training made any real difference.
We’ve come a long way since then. Today's modern LMS reporting and analytics show you exactly which content learners linger on, which sections they revisit, and where they typically drop off. Advanced systems like Absorb provide diverse reporting options—from course completion and test scores to detailed learning activity patterns. You can even schedule automatic reports to run based on your team's needs.
For deeper insights, business intelligence tools like Absorb Analyze take your analytics even further. You can visualize data in customizable dashboards, drill down into specific metrics, and identify exactly when learners need help with particular content.
Why does this evolution matter? Because it reflects our deeper understanding of how people learn. Sitting through training doesn't guarantee learning. Checking a completion box doesn't mean someone can apply what they've learned. Today's analytics measure what truly matters: Did people gain new knowledge? Have they developed practical skills? And most importantly, are they doing anything differently because of what they learned?
Benefits of LMS analytics
Why should you start using LMS reporting and analytics in your organization? Let's look at some of the top benefits.
It empowers you to create better content.
Analytics show which content works and which falls flat. Are sales teams consistently skipping that compliance module? That's your cue to reevaluate it. Notice that a specific customer service simulation drives exceptional satisfaction scores? Time to create more like it.
Data doesn't lie. When you see that a 45-minute video has an average view time of three minutes, you know something needs to change. When assessment questions on a particular topic consistently stump learners, you've identified a gap that needs addressing.
By analyzing these engagement patterns, you can identify content gaps, eliminate redundant material, adjust difficulty levels, and expand successful content formats. The result? More effective learning experiences that meet their objectives.
You’ll elevate the learning experience.
Today's learners expect personalization in everything. Netflix knows what shows they'll like. Amazon suggests products they might need. Spotify creates playlists just for them. Your learning programs should be just as responsive.
Analytics help you tailor your programs. By understanding individual behavior patterns, you can create learning pathways that adapt to personal needs and preferences. It could reveal, for instance, that your employees in sales roles thrive with gamification. On the other hand, your IT department may prefer learning programs with other interactive elements.
You can then customize learning paths, provide targeted recommendations, deliver just-in-time learning resources, and adjust difficulty based on performance. When learning feels personalized, engagement and retention naturally improve.
It’ll give you the hard data to prove ROI.
Another compelling benefit of analytics is that it helps you prove that your training investments pay off. Training budgets are often among the first cut during tough times. Why? Because traditionally, these programs lack concrete ROI metrics.
LMS analytics change that. You can show cost savings from faster training, performance gains after specific courses, reduced compliance risk, shorter onboarding, and skill gap closure. When leadership sees these numbers, your training initiatives become a strategic investment with measurable returns.
Imagine walking into your next budget meeting armed with clear data showing that employees who completed your customer service training increased satisfaction scores by 25%. Or that your new safety program reduced incidents by half. That's the power of analytics-driven ROI conversations.
Learning will keep getting better.
The training landscape isn’t static. What worked last year might not today. Your organization changes, technology evolves, and learner expectations shift.
Analytics enable an agile approach to learning, where you continuously refine and improve based on real data. This creates a virtuous cycle: deploy training, gather analytics, identify improvement opportunities, implement changes, measure results, repeat. Using a data-driven approach keeps your training programs relevant and effective year after year, evolving with your organization's needs rather than growing stale.
Types of learning analytics
When most people hear "LMS analytics," they picture basic reports like test scores. These metrics matter, but today's analytics go much deeper. Let's break down what's possible with the different types of learning analytics.
Descriptive analytics
Descriptive analytics show what’s already happened in your training programs. Think of it like checking your grades after a test. You see the score but not why you got it or what you'll score next time. This includes details like completion rates, time spent on modules, and assessment scores. These metrics transform vague feelings into solid facts that kick-start real conversations about performance.
Diagnostic analytics
After knowing what happened, the next logical question is "why?" That's where diagnostic analytics come in. They help you understand the reasons behind your learning outcomes by identifying patterns and relationships in your data.
Diagnostic analytics might reveal that learners who struggled with a particular module lacked prerequisite knowledge, or that content accessed during certain times shows better retention rates. By examining correlations and causal factors, you can pinpoint why certain outcomes occurred and address the root causes rather than just the symptoms of learning challenges.
Predictive analytics
Now we're getting into the exciting metrics. Predictive analytics uses your existing data to forecast what's coming next. They help you get ahead of learner behavior instead of simply reacting to trends. Imagine knowing which employees might drop out of a program before they do. Or which skills gaps will pop up next quarter. That's predictive analytics in action.
Using sophisticated algorithms, these tools can spot learners who need extra support, suggest personalized learning paths, and predict skill needs based on performance patterns. This shifts you from reactive to proactive, addressing issues before they impact your business.
Prescriptive analytics
The most advanced form of learning analytics doesn't just predict what will happen—it recommends what you should do about it. Prescriptive analytics provide specific recommendations for optimizing learning outcomes based on all available data.
For example, prescriptive systems can adjust content difficulty based on a learner's performance, recommend interventions for struggling learners, or suggest the best learning sequence for different learner profiles. These analytics don’t just inform. They guide action that drives continuous improvement in your learning programs.
The most important learning analytics metrics to track
By now, it’s probably clear by now organizations have access to vast amounts of data at their fingertips. Feeling overwhelmed by all the possible metrics? To help you focus your efforts, here are the key indicators that can help you gauge learning effectiveness:
Completion rates. Not just who finished, but how quickly and where drop-offs occur. Look beyond the percentage to understand the patterns.
Knowledge retention. Post-training assessments tell only half the story. What about 30, 60, or 90 days later? Track knowledge over time to identify when refreshers are needed.
Engagement depth. Time spent learning isn't enough. How are learners interacting? Are they downloading resources, participating in discussions, or revisiting content? These behaviors reveal true engagement.
Performance impact. The holy grail of metrics. Connect training completion with actual job performance indicators. Did your sales training really boost close rates? Did compliance training reduce incidents?
Learning path effectiveness. Which sequences of content lead to the best outcomes? Some learning paths may be more effective than others for specific roles or skills.
Content relevance. Which learning assets get referenced repeatedly during actual work? Track how often employees return to job aids or resources when performing tasks.
Remember: the best metrics answer your most pressing business questions. Start with what matters most to your organization, then expand your measurement approach as you mature.
Ready to turn your learning data into business impact? Watch our on-demand webinar to discover which metrics truly matter to leadership and how to connect training activities to performance outcomes.
[WEBINAR] Beyond course completions: Metrics that drive business results
How to implement an LMS analytics strategy
Having powerful analytics tools is just the beginning. You also need a well-defined, thoughtful strategy behind them. Here are four key steps to get you started.
Ask the right questions
Before diving into reports, get clear about what you really need to know. Which training programs actually deliver ROI? Where do people get stuck? How does completing training connect to job performance? Which content formats keep people engaged?
Clear questions lead to insights you can use. Without them, you'll drown in data without finding anything that helps you make decisions. Too many organizations do this backward. They generate every report their LMS can produce, send massive spreadsheets to everyone, and then wonder why nobody finds the information useful.
Avoid this trap by understanding the business problems you're trying to solve. Worried about low completion rates in compliance training? Focus there. Want to boost customer satisfaction through better onboarding? Look at that connection specifically. Need to speed up product knowledge training as you onboard new employees? Track time to proficiency.
Know what “good” looks like
Analytics only make sense when you have something to compare them to. Set baseline metrics for completion rates, assessment scores, time to competency, and engagement levels.
These benchmarks give your numbers context. Is 75% completion good? That depends on your historical average, what's normal in your industry, and what you're trying to achieve. Without reference points, numbers float in a vacuum. With them, even small changes tell you something meaningful about progress or problems.
Try creating both internal and external benchmarks. Compare teams against each other, current performance against past results, and your organization against industry standards when you can find them. This gives you the fullest picture of what your data means.
Get the right insights to the right people
Different stakeholders need different information. Executives want ROI and big-picture impact. Managers need to see how their teams are doing. Instructional designers need to know which content works.
Customize your reporting for each audience. Build relevant dashboards, highlight metrics that matter to specific roles, and frame everything in terms of what they actually care about. This approach dramatically increases the chances that your analytics will drive action instead of being ignored. The best LMS platforms make this customization easy, allowing you to show or hide columns, reorder information, and include custom data fields relevant to your specific reporting needs.
Take action with what you learn
There’s no point collecting data if you don’t use it. Set up regular reviews where you analyze trends, spot opportunities, create action plans, make changes, and measure results. This approach ensures your analytics drive continuous improvement rather than just documenting what's happening.
Even the fanciest analytics won't help if you don't act on what they tell you. Make action a non-negotiable part of your process. For every insight, identify specific steps you'll take. For every trend, determine how you'll build on positives or address concerns.
Final thoughts on learning analytics
Learning management system analytics bring measurable insights to training programs. They provide the insights needed to create more effective courses, demonstrate business impact, and continuously improve.
The difference between organizations that simply have an LMS and those that see its true value often comes down to how they use analytics. If you're new to learning analytics, start small. Focus on a few key metrics that align with your most pressing business needs. As you grow comfortable with data-driven decision-making, expand your analytics approach.
Want to try Absorb’s reporting and analytics capabilities for yourself? Book your free trial today.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most important LMS analytics metrics to track?
Focus on completion rates, assessment scores, engagement metrics, time-to-proficiency, and performance correlation data. The most valuable metrics connect learning activities to actual business outcomes, showing how training impacts real-world performance.
How can LMS analytics improve employee retention?
LMS analytics identify skill gaps, personalize development paths, and measure learning engagement—all factors directly linked to retention. By showing employees you're invested in their growth with data-driven learning experiences, you create stronger connections that make external opportunities less appealing.
What is an LMS analyst?
An LMS analyst specializes in interpreting learning data from training platforms, translating metrics into actionable insights, identifying trends, and helping organizations optimize their learning experiences. They bridge the gap between raw data and strategic training decisions.
