What to do about e-dropouts: what if it's not the e-learning but the e-learner?

T+D, June, 2003 by Allison Rossett, Lisa Schafer

Am I anticipatory? Look around the bend and imagine what might hinder your progress. Top-priority projects and family crises often lurk just out of sight. Successful e-learners anticipate distractions.

Cisco's Speicher sums it up this way: "You don't have people contained, and you can't control the distractions--coffee, phone, and such, With e-learning, you don't go through the same transition like you do when you go into a classroom." He suggests that e-learners prepare for e-learning just as they would for the classroom: Turn off the telephone or forward calls, use the restroom, dispense the coffee, and dispense with the chit-chat. Many organizations have produced environmental cues, such as yellow tape and signs on top of computers, to warn colleagues that employees are participating in online learning.

Talk to management

Just as e-learners profit from looking inward, they'll benefit from talking to their managers about any proposed online learning. It wouldn't hurt any e-learner to pose these questions before raking an e-learning course: What is your perception of the relationship between this online experience, my career, and our unit goals? Learners should understand the relationship of those resources to current and future trends and priorities. ft's best to know in advance whether the topic is germane to company goals, relates to performance appraisals, or is important to advancing one's career path. What kind of support is available? When learners falter, it's helpful for them to know what resources are available, such as coaches or support from their manager. In addition, learners should know whether employers will provide time at work for e-learning or recognition for contributing to online communities and online knowledge bases.

What choices exist? Learners should ask management which learning paths and online resources have been most fruitful. A little investigation of other units will help learners discover recommended combinations of face-to-face activities and online resources, or which strategies boosted success.

Does e-learning work? It's helpful to hear the e-learning success stories, but pay particular attention to e-learning failures. Learning from others' mistakes is a painless way to get the most out of any e-learning.

Click or quit

E-learning critics point to flabby programs, an ambivalent audience, and high cost. But e-learners are the crucial link in e-learning success. When people go online to learn, they often make bad choices, including a propensity to become e-dropouts. Ecstasy about e-learning and references to anytime, anywhere often turn off busy people who say, "Not now, perhaps later."

There are tangible strategies to increase the likelihood that people will participate, persist, and learn. First, strengthen your e-learning programs for the people who stand to benefit most. It's a reasonable place to start taking advantage of technology for learning and support.

RELATED ARTICLE: Executive summaries

In spite of the plethora of books and articles on e-learning, recent studies show that many learners aren't finishing their courses. Often, the problem isn't with the courseware, but with the learners. The authors say that's because employees aren't engaged in the activity.