E-learning has outgrown its initial inertia and emerged as a popular learning platform, but a learner behavior study by e-learning company Edureka claims that more than 50% of e-learners, drop out before completing the course. The report goes on to show that although upskilling has gathered importance due to the decreasing lifespan of technical skills, low course completion rates continue to plague the e-learning industry. 

The survey conducted by Edureka was aimed at understanding the modern Indian IT Professional’s relationship with learning on the job and their behavior when it comes to learning. The online survey was conducted among 339 Indian IT professionals who were interested in online courses. 

5 KEY FINDINGS 

1. Almost half of all IT professionals who start learning on their own, regularly give up without completing the course 

2. Inability to motivate themselves and lack of hands-on guidance are two crucial reasons why most learners quit.

3. Ease of access is a very important factor for IT professionals when they pick their learning platform.

4. Most technology professionals prefer a high level of interactivity & engagement when they learn.

5. Indian IT professionals don’t mind spending on quality learning and support.

According to Vineet Chaturvedi, Co-Founder, Edureka, “Low course completion rate is a critical problem that plagues the e-learning industry, but it’s often forgotten in the race to acquire more customers. As the industry matures, completion rates will define the adoption of e-learning among professionals. Tech learners need constant motivation, high level interactivity and engagement from learning platforms. Today’s e-learning platforms need to offer the best of both worlds – online learning’s inherent convenience and ease of access with offline’s real-time interaction and engagement. Our report has revealed key behavioural insights that gives a roadmap to building better digital learning platforms for the industry. We’re also proud to say that our live, online, instructor-led learning model has helped us achieve the highest course completion rate in the e-learning industry.”

According to a KPMG and Google study, India’s online education market is set to grow to $I.96 billion and around 9.6 million users by 2021, with reskilling and online certification being the largest category standing at $93 million. A separate study by FICCI-Nasscom & EY states that 9% of the country's 600 million estimated workforce will be deployed in new jobs that do not even exist today and 37% in jobs that have radically changed skill sets. An earlier study by Edureka had also found that IT professionals need to up-skill 15-20 times in their career to stay relevant in the industry. In such a scenario, there’s a dire need for effective e-learning platforms that can train professionals on the job. 

E-learning platforms need to rethink learner engagement and course completion seriously as accessibility and affordability will cease to be advantages soon.