Determinants of employee dropout in corporate web based learning: a case study on Hilton hotel - Nairobi

Abstract

As corporations continue to migrate to online learning, understanding the learners' perspectives of the challenges hey face is critical to designing training programs and processes that assist employees in becoming successful online learners. The purpose of this study was to determine factors that led to dropout of employees from an e-learning course at the workplace. The study was carried out at Hilton Hotel Nairobi, one of the corporates that provides online learning to its employees. A structured questionnaire was administered to a random sample of the 100 employees, who never graduated. Descriptive statistics were used in the analysis. The findings of this study present diverse factors as reason for dropout from an online course at the work place. While the intensity of each may not be the subject of this study, it is evident that poor internet connectivity; lack of computers, family and work commitments and finally relevance of the course contributed to a larger extend in drop out decisions. Hilton's management in its efforts to support learners should explore ways to motivate elearners and also communicate the differences between instructor-led face-to-face training and self-paced online learning so employees know the similarities, differences, and their responsibilities in the online environment. This study will be valuable to those who work in the training and development field in corporate environment who have recently implemented or who are contemplating implementing self-paced online learning in the near future as a part of their learning strategy. It will provide insights into the novice online learner's real life experiences and validate the factors that they view as triggers of drop out in the online environment.