Self-directed learning is an easy solution to employee training, but that doesn’t make it the best approach to workplace learning. For more content like this, check out Acorn Labs: https://acornlms.com/enterprise-learning-management

1. Why You Should
Be Wary Of Self-
Directed Learning
Opinion Piece

2. What is self-directed learning?
Self-directed learning is a learning process where the
responsibility to learn falls on the individual learner, rather than
an external source such as a trainer.
It’s also known as autodidacticism, in which the individual
becomes responsible for planning, carrying out, and evaluating
their learning practices.

3. Why is it popular?
It’s not hard to see why people have taken the leap towards
self-directed learning.
In a workplace setting, it takes the pressure off supervisors to
be available to teach and guide at all hours of the working day
and shifts the responsibility of learning to the individual
employee, who can take the time to learn at their own pace.

4. Self-Directed
Learning
Pitfalls

5. Not Enough Time
Without a trainer or teacher to guide learning, it’s up to
the individual to find time to fit learning into their busy
schedule, which adds unnecessary stress to the learner's
schedule.

6. Not Knowing Where To Start
Beginning a new topic can be overwhelming, particularly
when there are numerous options to choose from. This
feeling of being overwhelmed can be demotivating,
resulting in a lack of effort towards learning.

7. Lack of Feedback
Self-directed learning allows for flexibility, but it also
means that there is no one to grade the learner's
progress or provide feedback on how to improve.
This lack of feedback can make it difficult to gauge the
effectiveness of the learning process.

8. Lack of Motivation
Motivation is crucial for completing self-directed
learning.
When individuals lack interest or enthusiasm, they won’t
have the drive to seek out new learning opportunities,
making it difficult to learn effectively. Education that is
undertaken begrudgingly is not as effective.

9. What is guided learning?
Guided learning is exactly the opposite of self-directed, in that
an external source is tasked with directing the individual’s
learning process.
It could be suggesting areas of study, providing resources and
learning materials, or giving feedback on goals met. The
important part is for the individual to receive some form of
guidance to keep them on track in their own education.

10. Why we advocate for it
Guided learning can be a leading driver of causation in L&D
ROI.
We want users to be self-directed when it comes to how and
when they learn, but we also want users to be directed
towards relevant capabilities based on business outcomes.

11. Why we advocate for it
Strategic impact can be clearly demonstrated with the guided
learning approach – but it’s not easily done, if at all, with
purely self-directed efforts.

12. You can learn more about this
topic by checking out the full
article:
https://acornlms.com/enterprise-learning-
management/self-directed-learning