Abstract:

In the “new normal” context of corporate training, there is a gradual increase in online asynchronous learning. Asynchronous learning courses are easily accessible, and they can help with the continuous new-skilling, re-skilling and up-skilling needs that workers and those about to enter the workforce have. Understanding how users enjoy online learning courses is useful in order to design training experiences that match learners’ expectations and needs.

In our research, we investigated what happens when users enter an online asynchronous learning course for the first time. We focused on the entry phase, namely the stage that goes from the point of access to the start of the first interactive resource. The entry phase plays an important role in the outcome of the learning process; in fact, if the user does not experience the beginning of a learning path positively, they may not continue.

We selected 10 users, and we analyzed their entry phase: 5 users were instructional experts, and 5 users were interns within a learning company. None of the users had ever experienced the learning course we tested. We applied the think-aloud protocol to investigate the entry phase. Before and afterwards, we used semi-structured interviews to better understand the user’s expectations and considerations. All the sessions were conducted remotely and video-recorded through Microsoft Teams. Once the transcripts were made, the data were analyzed using a qualitative-phenomenological approach and compared with scientific literature in the field of educational software usability.

The results show that most users started the first resource correctly, although all reported they felt lost at first because they did not understand with certainty what action they needed to take first. In fact, all users would have preferred to receive more navigation tips and clearer information. We also noted that all users, before starting the first resource, wanted to explore the other resources of the learning course to find out what was coming next and to grasp what space they were in. Within the studied groups, the comparative analysis of the 10 entry phases allowed us to highlight what are the most frequent actions users take when first accessing the learning course, what are the most common expectations and what are the main problems.

From the discussion of the results, we confirmed the need to provide guiding help and feedback, we highlighted how much the usability of the software affects the ability to understand the content, and we showed that the entry phase contributes to the successful outcome of the training. From an operational point of view, we developed solutions to improve the entry phase of the examined learning course, and, based on these solutions, we proposed a list of useful tips on how to design a user-friendly, and effective entry space.

Keywords:

Corporate training, asynchronous learning, educational software usability, entry phase, instructional design, think-aloud protocol, qualitative research.