> Although I have no idea where to begin. Any ideas?
No one has figured it out. Gamification, prizes, group work, classes w/ deadlines, charge by use rather than subscription. It's really a problem of commitment, whether it's learning or dieting or anything. We have 90% completion rates for courses for our corporate clients because employees are required to finish it. Without some external pressure it's hard to get people to do anything.
Interestingly, a lot of those techniques are extrinsic motivators, which studies have found to actually reduce self-motivation.
(A classic book on the subject is Alfie Kohn's "Punished by Rewards."[1] Dan Pink's TED talk[2] is a entertaining overview of the same concepts.)
That's not to say that I have any answers. But when I tackle the problem, I'll probably focus on intrinsic motivators (love of the material, sense of challenge, joy of solving problems, sense of mastery, etc.) rather than extrinsic motivators (badges, prizes, employer threats).
No one has figured it out. Gamification, prizes, group work, classes w/ deadlines, charge by use rather than subscription. It's really a problem of commitment, whether it's learning or dieting or anything. We have 90% completion rates for courses for our corporate clients because employees are required to finish it. Without some external pressure it's hard to get people to do anything.