On a self-paced learning platform, requiring users to book study slots in advance increases the frequency from 1.01 to 1.33 active days per week, whilst making the server load predictable.
An online course followed at its own pace does not provide the same motivation as a live class, and makes the server load unpredictable. A team proposes on arXiv a "commitment system": the learner reserves his study slots in advance, the teacher sets an hour budget for the course, and those who fully use their slot earn extra viewing hours.
What the data show
The experience covered two courses followed successively by the same learners, the reservation being activated only for the second. Participants did study in 86.8% of reserved slots, and the median learner placed 95.5% of his study time in his own reservations. Regularity has increased from 1.01 to 1.33 active days per week.
The commitments made on the same day were better met than those made two days before (88.8 per cent versus 62.5 per cent), a classic illustration of the difference between intent and deed. Intended secondary effect: a platform load that can be anticipated and capped.
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