| Abstract: | This study investigated whether active learning within computer‐based training courses can be measured and whether it serves as a predictor of learner‐perceived course quality. A major corporation participated in this research, providing access to internal employee training courses, training representatives, and historical course evaluation data. Twenty sample courses were subdivided into 1,884 time‐based instructional events and categorized by eight design principles for learner engagement: attend, organize, recall, practice, interact, apply, explore, and absorb. This analysis produces a quantitative pattern for the cognitive activity a course encourages within the learner, summarized as the active learning index. A regression model, with the active learning index as a predictor variable for learner‐perceived course quality, resulted in a correlation coefficient of .83 (r2=.69) and a p‐value <.0001. These results suggest a framework for quantifying the active learning components in computer‐based training courses and guiding the work of instructional designers toward higher‐quality courses. |
