12 strategies for engaging and retaining learners through compelling online experiences.

eLearning enables us to deliver both learning and information at will—dynamically and immediately; to tap the knowledge of experts and nonexperts and catapult those messages beyond classroom walls and into the workplace; and to know, through the magic of technology, who is learning, referring, and contributing—and who is not.

eLearning helps organizations increase knowledge and improve skills by connecting people, ideas, and information in online courses with engaging interactive content. eLearning can include formal online courses and simulations as well as informal and workflow learning using web conferencing, mobile performance support tools, digital learning games, publications, and podcasts. (Tradepub.com)

“I have been having these two parallel dreams about eLearning. One is rosy and rich with possibilities. The other isn’t quite a nightmare, but it has people running down corridors and bumping into walls.”
Allison Rossett wrote that in 2002 in The ASTD E-Learning Handbook.

The statement is as true today as it was then, even as we welcome social networking, virtual environments, wikis, blogs, and performance support to eLearning.

A good news, bad news story
The good news is plentiful. eLearning enables us to deliver both learning and information at will, dynamically and immediately. It allows us to tap the knowledge of experts and nonexperts and catapult those messages beyond classroom walls and into the workplace. And it let’s us know, through the magic of technology, who is learning, referring, and contributing—and who is not.

Then there’s the bad news. Many simply fail to embrace eLearning. Like the sophomore taking Introduction to Western Civilization via distance learning falling behind on assignments. The customer service representative looks at two of the six eLearning modules and completes only one. The supervisor, who had the best intentions, is too busy with work to be anybody’s e-coach. The executive, also with good intentions, never gets around to listening to the podcasts and is AWOL on a related blog.

Every industry study reveals marked increases in training and development delivered via eLearning, often with disappointing numbers characterizing participation and persistence. Jack Phillips and Holly Burkett (2007) reported grim news about what their studies have shown: “Participants in eLearning programs are less likely to follow through than in an instructor-led program.”

A 2003 study by The MASIE Center found an eLearning dropout rate of about 26%. Although this rate is vastly higher than classroom attrition rates, the MASIE number is optimistic compared to what others have found. Frankola (2001) and Diaz (2002) estimated dropouts at 20–50%, with Flood (2002) pointing to an eye-popping rate of 80%. ...

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Table of contents:
1 A good news, bad news story
1 eLearning 2.0
3 Engagement with the new eLearning
11 Engaged in what?
11 If a tree falls and nobody hears it
12 About the authors
13 Sources

About the Authors:
Allison Rossett, long-time professor of educational technology at San Diego State University, is the author of many award-winning books, including First Things Fast. Rossett offers keynotes and workshops across the globe and is the coauthor of the new book, Job Aids and Performance Support: Moving from Knowledge in the Classroom to Knowledge Everywhere.

Antonia Chan, a Fulbright scholar from Panama, received her MA in educational technology from San Diego State University in May, 2007. She also holds a BS in Computer Science from Universidad Santa Maria La Antigua, Panama. She is currently an instructional designer supporting leadership development initiatives at Qualcomm Inc. in San Diego. Most recently she has been working on mobile learning.

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