Management Department, University of Colorado, Denver, CO 80217-3364, USA.
J Exp Psychol Appl. 2010 Sep;16(3):281-92. doi: 10.1037/a0019968.
Although online instruction has many potential benefits, technical difficulties are one drawback to the increased use of this medium. A repeated measures design was used to examine the effect that technical difficulties have on learning and attrition from voluntary online training. Adult learners (N = 530) were recruited online and volunteered to participate in a 4-hr training program on using computer spreadsheets. Technical difficulties were inserted in some of the training modules in the form of error messages. Using multilevel modeling, the results indicated that the presence of these technical difficulties impaired learning, such that test scores were lower in modules where trainees encountered technical difficulties than in modules where they did not encounter technical difficulties. Furthermore, the effect on learning was greater among trainees who eventually withdrew from the course than among trainees who completed the course. With regards to attrition, pretraining motivation provided a buffer against dropping out, especially when trainees encountered technical difficulties. Learning also predicted attrition from the subsequent module, such that attrition was higher among trainees with low test scores in the previous module. The current study disentangles some of the implications of technical difficulties and suggests that organizations should provide trainees with the technical support required to overcome technical difficulties in training. Furthermore, the findings contribute to our theoretical understanding of the implications of interruptions on performance in online training.
虽然在线教学有许多潜在的好处，但技术困难是增加使用这一媒介的一个缺点。本研究采用重复测量设计，考察了技术困难对自愿参与在线培训的学习和流失的影响。成年学习者（N=530）通过网络招募并自愿参加一个关于使用计算机电子表格的 4 小时培训计划。在一些培训模块中以错误消息的形式插入技术困难。使用多层建模，结果表明这些技术困难会影响学习，例如在遇到技术困难的模块中，测试分数低于没有遇到技术困难的模块。此外，在最终退出课程的学习者中，这种影响对学习的影响比完成课程的学习者更大。关于流失，培训前的动机为退出提供了缓冲，尤其是当学习者遇到技术困难时。学习也预测了随后模块的流失，因此在前一个模块中测试分数较低的学习者的流失率更高。本研究阐明了技术困难的一些影响，并提出组织应该为学习者提供克服培训中技术困难所需的技术支持。此外，研究结果有助于我们从理论上理解在线培训中中断对绩效的影响。
