A little time pressure

Where self-study is delivering lower completion rates than the classroom, one answer is to design the e-learning to more closely resemble its face-to-face equivalent. Rachel Forsyth is Senior Lecturer in Flexible Learning at Manchester Metropolitan University, where she contributes to the development of 1200 staff: “In a survey of academic staff, nearly half of respondents told us that the reason they failed to attend staff development courses was because they were at inconvenient times. A similar proportion declared that they would be interested in using open and distance learning methods.”

Workshops were offered in traditional face-to-face style and as online learning, with equal numbers of takers. However, with the online version, although 70% finished most of the activities, only 15% completed all the set tasks. Forsyth: “There was some concern that online learning might be less effective for staff development, but comments from participants suggested that the problem lay with the design of the course. People were only too well aware of the irony that it was sometimes easier to find a whole day for a face-to-face workshop. It was clear that participants were disappointed in their own ability to manage their time flexibly. To address this issue, the online courses were redesigned to take place over a very short time period, when participants were expected to concentrate on the workshop material and activities.”

The redesign has solved the problem of low completion rates, without influencing effectiveness. In fact, the online courses have become sufficiently popular to justify removing all face-to-face sessions from the programme. The removal of so much flexibility may not be an ideal solution, but it seems that for many learners, flexibility is a tool that’s still too hot too handle.

The motivation matrix

	Incentives	Disincentives
Tangible	Eligibility for job advancement Direct financial or non-monetary benefit Certificates and qualifications	Repaying fees to your sponsor/ employer Wasting fees paid personally Lack of necessary qualifications / prerequisites for advancement
Social	Recognition from tutors and managers Recognition from buddies and peers Breaking the conditions of your ‘learning contract’	Being seen to fail Letting down your buddy or group
Personal	Sense of satisfaction Increased ability	Guilt Sense of failure