Student motivation is key in “self-directed e-learning (SDEL)”
environments. Self-directed, in many
cases means that students and direct themselves to turn off or leave the
instruction if they no longer feel it is useful. The authors suggest using a
combination of the 5 principles, ARCS and ALT to fully motivate and engage
learners. They suggest using real-world tasks with increasing difficulty in
practice. Although, these methods should
ideal be used in most course types, they are especially important in an SDEL
environment, because without direct instructor contact, these strategies are
how the student will be reached, and made to feel like their learning is
important.
One of the most important thing I felt the author mentioned was
making sure there are no broken links to instruction. This can be hard to keep
track of when using outside resources, but it is imperative. There is nothing more frustrating to a user
then to be in the middle of learning, then to click a link they are directed
to, only to find out it is no longer working. If a course instructor or
developer has not taken time to make sure their instruction works properly, why
should the learner care to continue? They no feel their time is wasted, and
will most likely abandon the instruction.
I agree with the conclusion where it states that most people who
chose SDEL do so for connivence and time purposes, and go into the course
self-motivated. However keeping them
there is where the real art of instruction comes into play.
Kassie,
ReplyDeleteI have done targeted Level 4 analysis for online courses for the navy and I found the attrition and completion rates to be very telling. For the two non-compulsory courses I reviewed, completion rates were 25% or lower. I wanted to send questionnaires to all who had enrolled in the courses, but my customer did not want me to go that far. It was a money thing; the customer decided they knew the answer for the low completion rate without getting feedback from the students. (They decided intentions and motivation were good for enrollment, but that motivation was lacking for completion since the courses were free and non-compulsory.) For the one required course I reviewed, the completion rate was over 90% after 6 months. I was not allowed to send a questionnaire for it either.
Kevin