ERIC Number: EJ1017128
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Jun
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1537-2456
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Disconfirmation of Expectations of Utility in e-Learning
Cacao, Rosario
International Journal on E-Learning, v12 n3 p229-247 Jun 2013
Using pre-training and post-training paired surveys in e-learning based training courses, we have compared the "expectations of utility," measured at the beginning of an e-learning course, with the "perceptions of utility," measured at the end of the course, and related it with the trainees' motivation. We have concluded that what motivated the trainees was their long-term end-in-view of improvement. The expectations of the trainees were thus more related to the future utility of a course than to their current job. The trainees perceived the absence of training as a violation, by their employers, of the "psychological contract," due to the loss of "future utility" the course would provide. Higher levels of "final motivation" were obtained at higher levels of "future utility" and when expectations were surpassed. Our conclusions stress that e-learning courses are not always just-in-time solutions. This can inspire training managers to plan courses having in mind the future uses the trainees expect, rather than their current jobs or needs.
Descriptors: Educational Technology, Computer Uses in Education, Training, Expectation, Learning Motivation, Workplace Learning, Foreign Countries, Portuguese, Surveys, Outcomes of Education, On the Job Training, Program Effectiveness
Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education. P.O. Box 1545, Chesapeake, VA 23327. Tel: 757-366-5606; Fax: 703-997-8760; e-mail: info@aace.org; Web site: http://www.aace.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Tests/Questionnaires; Reports - Research
Education Level: Adult Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Portugal
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A