Mapping Your Ecosystem: Uniting Content and Data across Systems

As your organization’s learning ecosystem expands and evolves, it can quickly become unmanageable with the strongest thorns in your side being compatibility, content accuracy and data visibility. We’ll help you understand how to bring together learning content and reporting data from all your platforms into a healthy, scalable ecosystem.

1. Chris Tompkins, Rustici Software
Mapping Your Ecosystem:
Uniting Content and Data
Across Systems
Day 1 / Wednesday, October 8, 2025
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET / 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM PT

2. What we will be talking about
●What is a learning ecosystem and why use one?
●Identify technical considerations in managing multiple systems
–Review common learning tools and platforms
–Compatibility and Portability
●Strategies to connect content and data
–Identifying internal stakeholders
–Navigating Procurement

3. About Rustici Software
eLearning technology experts
since 2002
We help connect content and
platforms across the eLearning
ecosystem, leveraging our
expertise in SCORM, xAPI, cmi5, LTI,
and AICC.

4. Why do you have an ecosystem?
●There isn’t one platform that met all your needs
●Desire to invest in off-the-shelf products (Buy vs Build)
○Alignment to commercial roadmaps and innovation
○Lack of vendor lock - standards based
●Advanced reporting and measurement features
●Flexibility for future
○Ability to swap out and plug in new technology

5. The old ecosystem
System

Report

Content

6. Common tools and systems
Systems
LMS
LCMS
LXP
HRIS
Intranet
CRM
Badging and credentialing


Data
xAPI
APIs
LRS
BI tools
Databases
CSV
Skills
Business metrics





Content

eLearning courses (CBT)
Videos
PDFs and documents
PowerPoint
VR/AR experiences
Games
Simulation
Live training

7. The real ecosystem
“On average, organizations use 25 different learning technologies.*”

*Source: Emerald Works,
“Back to the Future,” Feb. 2020

LMSs
LCMSs
Mobile
Apps
LXPs
/
LEPs
TMSs
/
HCMs
CRM
Authoring
Tools
Off-the-
shelf
Content
Libraries
AR/
VR
Custom
/
Bespoke
Content
Data
Analytics /
Business
Intelligence
Platforms
LRSs
Databases
LAPs
Excel
Power
Point
Decks
Games
Badging
and
Credentialing

8. What the reality is really like
“You cry…you lose sleep at
night. After a few years you
think you know most of them...”

- Global Head of Learning Systems

9. Bringing order to the chaos

10. Centralizing the content and inputs
Common tools and content sources:
●Authoring tool outputs
●Learning Content Management Systems
(LCMS)
●Off-the-shelf content
●Videos
●Simulations/Virtual reality

Benefits:
●Version control and content accuracy
●Streamlined content administration
●Content analytics
●Cross system compatibility

11. How analytics improve content
UTILIZATION
Which courses are
getting used?

Most accessed titles
and topics

Catalog
management

EVALUATION
How is your course
performing?

Completion and
passing stats

Content feedback


ADVANCED
EVALUATION
Is the content
working as
designed?

Question/answer
level detail

Page/element
interaction

INSIGHTS
Where do we
prioritize?

Development
investments

Gap analysis

12. Corralling the data and outputs
Common reporting tools:
●Learning Record Store (LRS)
●Learning Analytics Platform (LAP)
●Business Intelligence (BI) tools

Benefits:
●One system of record for learning data
●Data portability between tools and
platforms
●Report outcomes and metrics
alongside training and learning data
●Enable more advanced analytics

13. Understanding learning analytics


Learning
Experience


Learner


Learning
Program
Gain insight to overall
learning programs,
compliance programs,
pathways, and aligning
L&D initiatives to
business objectives.
Understand a
learner or group of
learners. Ensure
organizational
readiness and
compliance.
Understand more
about a specific
learning activity.
Maximize
effectiveness and
spot problems.


Learning
Platform
Measure adoption,
usage, learner
sentiment and overall
effectiveness of
components of your
ecosystem.

14. Applying analytics in an ecosystem
MEASUREMENT
What happened?
What are people
doing?

How are people
interacting with your
learning content?

How are they
performing?


EVALUATION
Why it happened?
Is that good or bad?

How are people, resources,
and programs performing
against benchmarks?

Are they better or worse
than they were before?



ADVANCED
EVALUATION
Why it happened?
(just a little deeper)
Why?

What are the reasons for
good and bad
performance?

What’s different about your
most successful people,
resources, and programs?

PREDICTIVE &
PRESCRIPTIVE
What would
happen if I do X?

Based on your data, can
you predict what a
successful person,
resource, or program will
look like?

What do you need to do
differently?

15. Identifying your stakeholders
Data
●Instructional Designers
●L&D department
●LMS administrators
●IT
●Systems administrators
●GRC

…Everyone






Content
●Instructional designers
●L&D department
●LMS administrators
●Content developers
●Program managers
●Product management

16. Taking inventory
What to ask your stakeholders
●Who will be impacted by this effort?
–Learners, Administrators, Content Authors, Decision Makers, Executives
●Who owns each functional hub?
●Are there existing relevant systems or data to consider?
–HR, Performance Data, Sales Data, Employee Reviews, etc.
●Which systems, tools and data are involved and who are those owners?

17. Navigating procurement
What to ask your vendors
●What are the tools and platforms capable of?
●Do the tools meet the needs of all stakeholders?
●Can the data be exported or shared in a non-proprietary way?
●What systems have native integrations with our tools?
●What technologies are available to integrate these tools and systems?
●Does the vendor offer multiple tools intended to be integrated?
●Avoid silos!

18. Future proof your learning ecosystem
“When a new technology emerges, the right
question is how it can empower you to do what
you’ve never been able to do before or
substantially better. 'A question like that is a
good way to break through the shiny object
syndrome. If you can't answer that question
clearly, why would you spend the money?'"

— David Kelly, The Learning Guild

19. Key takeaways
Things to remember as you get started
●You will have multiple tools in your organization; think long term.
●Collaborate with stakeholders.
●Adapt to & integrate other Enterprise tools that exist outside of the L&D
department.
●Identify low hanging fruit first; everyone loves an easy win.

20. Real world use cases
One tool with many jobs
Centralization
Extended
Enterprise
Multinational
Associations LMS Helper EPIC content

21. Have questions? Ask me anything!
Email
[email protected]

Learn more
rusticisoftware.com | scorm.com | xapi.com

Visit https://info.rusticisoftware.com/analyticsconference
for our eBook, digital worksheet, a copy of the slides
or would like to talk 1:1 about your learning ecosystem.
Chris Tompkins