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Who Learns from Computer-Based Training?

© Audrey Choden

Some training professionals swear by Web-based training. Others swear at it. Proponents believe that Web-based training gives learners more control over the timing and pace of instruction. Opponents think that learners are less likely to complete Web-based training.

Does computer-based training really work? Is it suitable for everyone? What type of learner benefits from computer-based training and why? That is what Kenneth G. Brown, a University of Iowa professor, wanted to find out.

Brown conducted a study of 78 technical employees who volunteered to take a problem-solving course over the Intranet at the corporate training facility of a Fortune 500 manufacturing company. (Note: Brown refers to self-paced computer-delivered materials as computer-based training throughout his report.)

His findings, published in Personnel Psychology, should cause organizations eager to jump on the Web-based training bandwagon to pause before making the big step. The premise behind Brown's study is that since computer-based training development is expensive and time consuming, organizations should focus their efforts toward employees who benefit the most from it.

Assumptions

Computer-based training allows learners to choose what they want to learn and when they want to learn it. This means that when learners take a course, they have to make choices about how much time they will spend learning and practicing. Brown presumed that certain choices lead to effective learning. He wanted to find out if it is possible to predict which learners will make the right choices. These choices involve practice level, time on task and attention.

Brown claimed that these choices are determined by individual differences in goal orientation. He used two categories of goal orientation: high mastery and high performance. Individuals with high mastery orientation believe they can improve their abilities and show persistence in the face of difficulty. High mastery oriented individuals will spend more time learning, examining material and practicing than one with lower mastery orientation.

Individuals with high performance orientation believe their abilities are fixed and they focus on demonstrating competence. They monitor their progress by focusing on their performance levels as indicated by feedback and on the implications of that feedback about their abilities. They will worry more about their performance and focus more attention on how they are doing relative to others. This diverts attention away from the task, increasing off-task attention that can interfere with learning. Off-task attention means the learner is thinking about something other than the task. Brown relied upon self-reported attention measures. According to Brown, mastery and performance are independent and have situational and dispositional components. An individual's orientation can be used to predict learning choices.