E-learning courses have considerable advantages over traditional teaching. From scheduling flexibility, to more current methodologies, and even more affordable access to education. However, completion rates are sometimes not as high as a trainer would want. The term “completion fatigue syndrome” has been coined, a way of naming the demotivation that some students experience when taking a course that doesn’t require them to go to class and thus it’s harder for them to be consistent.
A low rate of completed courses has a two-fold negative impact on educational centers and language centers. On the one hand, you have the financial failure of the training, and on the other, the disservice that such data does to the center’s reputation.
Professors Kuan-Chung Chen and Syh-Jong Janghave stated in their “Motivation in online learning: Testing a model of self-determination theory” study that “(…) high dropout rates were becoming the main concern of online educators”. A few years later, this concern remains a fact; however, educational technology such as the one developed by CAE Computer Aided Elearning effectively combats it.
Increasing the completion rate in e-learning courses is easy if you have the right tools. The trainings that CAE has as partners and its more than 40 years of experience in the sector offer access to the most advanced tools for online learning, including coaching, which encourages student participation and interest in the course.
Elearning: How to Increase Completion Rates in E-learning Courses
How can you increase the completion ratio? CAE’s authoring tool and Voluxion platforms (LMS, LCMS, VCR) contain the keys necessary for effective training that will keep students interested from beginning to end.
#1 Curated, relevant and customized content
Focusing the course’s methodology on its completion (reducing the syllabus or making it easier) does not give good results. In order to keep students interested in the course, the information must be relevant to them and the contents should be customized to their needs. Microlearning is the best ally for this, since it allows you to program specific learning nuggets that make the course relevant.
#2 Mechanisms of intrinsic motivation
Intrinsic motivation must come from the course materials. The content should be interesting and the exercises should pose a fair challenge, contributing to increase completion rates in e-learning courses.
#3 Mechanisms of extrinsic motivation
Gamification is an excellent strategy to keep students motivated. Games with rewards, recognition as you progress through the course and the possibility of comparing yourself with the rest of your classmates in the leaderboards keeps students more involved in the course.
#4 Variety of formats
Another key point for effective e-learning training that guarantees high completion rates is the variety of content. Videos, images, practical exercises, grammar lessons, hobbies…the more variety of interactive formats you have, the more entertaining and fun the course is for the student. The LCMS Voluxion allows you to quickly create 100% interactive exercises and tests and also add your own materials.
#5 Social factor
Add social activities that will create a sense of belonging to the group and will let students interact with each other, despite not attending classes, which helps motivate students and increase completion rates in e-learning courses. Voluxion has the option of an online student community (worldwide or your own) with message threads, forums and live chats, available 24/7 all year round.
With the right tools, online training can ensure your students will complete their courses. CAE’s expertise and advanced tools from its solutions provide the best opportunities to transform your courses into a success and allow you to maximize your business and enhance your reputation.
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