Motivation to E-Learn Within Organizational Settings: An Exploratory Factor Structure

Abstract

E-learning is expected to support organizations and individuals so they can become more adaptable and competitive. However, in order for organizations to realize the full potential of this technology, they should create and sustain the right context to foster learning in articulation with business objectives. This requires active participation and engagement of workers. This work explores a variable called motivation-to-e-learn, a key component of this process. Our goal is to identify what motivation-related variables are critical for users’ engagements in the process. To this end, we explored the importance of a set of motivation-to-e-learn variables for a group of participants at our university. From this activity, an exploratory four-factor structure emerged that explains 67% of motivation to e-learn variance. We discuss our results, together with their implications for designing technology-supported learning experiences, lessons learned, and future work. Our contribution is a step toward integrating business processes, learners, and e-learning systems into an effective and harmonious whole.