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Nudging learners to complete their online courses

SDGs Impacted

a2i developed MuktoPaath - a free e-learning platform in Bengali - in 2016. It was created as a low-cost solution to upskill teachers across the country. However, it has since branched out to different target groups, including students and migrant workers. Nonetheless, a percentage of learners did not complete their MuktoPaath courses. A research revealed that there is often a gap between learners’ intentions to study and their actions. Limited time, and unexpected barriers and distractions mean that intentions often do not translate into behaviours. As a solution, this case study shows the implementation of a three-arm Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) to evaluate the impact of a planning tool and additional SMS reminders. The team assessed the effect of the planning tool on the proportion of MuktoPaath courses completed within three months of enrolment.

Impact / Outcome
Although the planning tool alone did not have a significant effect on MuktoPaath course completion rates, the combination of planning tool and the SMS reminders was found to increase course completion by 2.6 percentage points, from a baseline of 35.5 per cent in the control (an effect which rises to 15 percentage point when looking only at learners who completed the planning tool). This translates into an additional 171 courses completed on MuktoPaath throughout the duration of this trial, helping teachers and learners develop new skills.
Funding sources
Public
Key Metrics
Increase number of learners that complete their MuktoPaath courses
Locations
India & South Asia, Bangladesh
Sector
Education
Intervention lever
Policy
Operating model
Fully public
Target population
Youth
Year published
01 January 2020

The EDISON Alliance

A World Economic Forum Initiative