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

Why? Many don't know how to be effective self-learners. Rather, they're unprepared and have cultivated their habits in classrooms dominated by instructors. But there's hope in ensuring a successful program.

First, provide meaningful content. Designers should tailor courses for a range of learning preferences, and that requires the participants' involvement. They should be able to try out what they've learned, and help them identify what they know and don't know--critical for the success of independent learning.

Another way is to guide learners into making the appropriate decisions and avoid situations in which their confidence could be lowered. Provide prerequisites and detail where the learners are, what they've done, and what's to come.

The authors go on to suggest other ways to ensure that employees won't terminate e-learning prematurely, and they comment on enhancing learners' awareness of the learning process.

Allison Rossett, professor of educational technology at San Diego State University, is the editor of the ASTD E-Learning Handbook and co-author of Beyond the Podium: Delivering Training and Performance to a Digital World. Rossett received ASTD's 2002 award for Workplace Learning and Performance; arossett@mail.sdsu.edu.

Lisa Schafer is a founder of Collet and Schafer, a firm that improves clients' organizational performance through the application of technology. Schafer is currently pursuing her MA in educational technology at San Diego State University; lhschafer@colletandschafer.com.