ONLINE TRAINING: how to keep motivation strong when zapping is the new norm?
Talking point
Can motivation, which is a decisive success factor for a training course, be maintained from a distance?What we know
Our lifestyles and our fragmented digital practices increase the risk of diluting our motivation for distance-learning courses, as shown by the high drop-out rate for MOOCs.Moreover, the question of how to keep school students motivated in the digital age is a broad-based issue that has the French national education system worried and is not specific to the education and training community.Philippe Carré devised a model that presents the different motivations of the learner. These motivations are seldom unequivocal: it is more a matter of working out which of the many motivations is the «dominant» one.It is easy to deduce from this model that these motivations should always be taken into consideration when designing a training programme, since they underpin the achievement of all of the objectives the learner has set for his training, whether implicit or explicit.In addition to working out what prompts an individual to train, it is interesting to note that there is often a misunderstanding in companies, which might explain, at least in part, the gap between the course design and the way its users perceive it. In his motivation model, Philippe Carré underscored the difference that often exists between HR departments’ motivations and employees’ motivation when courses are being organised. HR departments often have economic objectives (cut costs, sell more, etc.) while employees are more motivated by a desire for greater personal fulfilment in their work or a desire to increase their value on the job market (vocational objective). The annual Cegos survey has even revealed the predominance of the «professional operative» motivation (do one’s work better) over the career advancement motivation.What we think about it
MOTIVATION CAN’T BE FORCED The learner has to be involved and made to feel personally responsible. One of the success factors for a course lies in its «co-construction by the learner himself». The good news is that e-learning modules, more than any other course format, provide ways to engage the learner and support him through to the end of his training:- Needs targetingcan now be refined using the various online evaluation and self assessment tools. Right from the beginning of his training, the learner can be guided directly to a suitable learning path for his level of competency, with a very clear picture of the benefits he can expect to reap.
- Defining learning objectives is made easier by the use of specific online training modules. For example, a video will show a specific movement, the learner can join an online community to tap into other people’s knowledge or obtain explanations, etc.
- Answers to specific situationscan be provided more rapidly. Tutoring by subject matter experts, either online or in classroom situations, and either synchronous or asynchronous, has become an increasingly common feature in companies’ blended training programmes. In 2011, tutoring by subject matter experts was a training method used in 20% of the blended training projects entered in the e-Learning Excellence Awards (a ceremony organized by Cegos which distinguish for 6 years the best multimodal learning systems). This percentage has steadily risen, reaching 60% of the projects entered in the 2014 edition.
- There is greater responsiveness to changes in job fields and knowledge, to suit people’s character and psychological makeup.
- Personal Knowledge Management is a key skill, and one of the foundation skills identified in the training & development Reform. Quite apart from the legal requirements, it is a skill that allows the company to benefit from all of its employees’ individual initiatives.