The Key to Proving the ROI of Learning and Development

Coursera’s Trena Minudri shares the mindset needed for proving learning ROI in this excerpt from the How to Evaluate the Business Impact of Learning playbook. 

By Trena Minudri, VP & Chief Learning Officer, Coursera

Learning matters. The rapid pace of technological advancement, including the arrival of generative AI, underscores how learning is more than just a “nice to have”—it’s a mission-critical driver of success. 

Research shows that changing technologies is one of the top three priorities behind learning and development (L&D) investment. And from 2022 to 2023, there was a 51% increase in agreement that executive leadership considers learning a strategic business function.

Despite the strategic value of learning, only a small handful of companies are evaluating the impact of their learning initiatives on business outcomes. It’s not that leaders aren’t using any forms of measurement; it’s that they are often over-indexing on engagement metrics (like course completion rates) instead of telling a story that illustrates how learning is increasing productivity, reducing costs, and supporting mission-critical business priorities.

As the L&D field continues to evolve, I’m inspired by the innovative ways learning leaders are enabling people to build skills at organizational, team, and individual levels. What’s more, new generative AI-based solutions like Course Builder reveal the promise of AI in accelerating and scaling learning. With so much opportunity ahead, we do a disservice to our field when we are unable to demonstrate the value of learning.

Ultimately, this is how we preserve and increase our budgets, secure our place as strategic partners, and ensure that we’re able to continue driving organizational impact: using language and measures that resonate with the C-suite. 

For many, it can be difficult to know where to start. What metrics matter? What skills are needed to meaningfully report on these metrics? Who can help with surfacing and reporting key data?

That’s what this guide intends to answer. With insights from Coursera and our customers like Mayo Clinic and Siemens, you’ll learn how to better measure, understand, and articulate the inherent value of investing in skills development.

In this time of change, when business leaders are looking to us to help their organizations keep pace, we have a critical opportunity to make a new name for corporate learning. Let’s make the most of it.