Barriers to learning directly impact learner engagement and the learning process as a whole. They range in complexity and include both practical and emotional barriers to learning. Which means there’s no single silver bullet solution. But with better understanding and a few strategies up your sleeve, there’s a lot you can do to break them down. And even stop them before they start to take hold.
This chapter looks at some examples of barriers in learning. It addresses how to overcome the learning obstacles that threaten learner engagement from three different perspectives:
- workplace learning obstacles
- online learning barriers
- personal barriers to learning
But first, some background.
What are barriers to learning?
A barrier to learning is anything that prevents learners from fully engaging in the learning process in terms of both the content and the experience
In an adult learning environment, barriers to effective learning are varied and often unpredictable. Think, for example, of an employee who hasn’t received the preparation notes for a training workshop. Or a learner who cannot complete their final online assessment because of a poor wifi connection. How about someone who failed a previous training assessment and is scared it might happen again? These are just a few examples. But there are many more that can be considered barriers in learning.
When learners can’t fully participate in a learning activity, emotionally or practically, they can’t be truly engaged in the learning process. This leads to training that fails to meet its targets. And employees who aren’t properly equipped to do their jobs or progress into new, more challenging roles.
Here are examples of barriers to learning, divided into three broad categories: personal barriers to learning, barriers to learning in the workplace, and learning obstacles associated with online training.
Conquering the barriers to learning in the workplace
In the workplace, barriers to learning mainly stem from the social and physical working environment. They represent a series of everyday challenges that aren’t only counterproductive but also have a negative effect on an employee’s ability to engage in their training or the wider learning environment.
The most common learning barriers that employees face can be split into three main categories:
- lack of community
- a distracting office environment
- limited access
To better understand how those challenges work and what we can do to address these barriers to learning, let’s break them down one by one:
Examples of learning barriers in the workplace
1. No sense of community
The challenge: When individual learners feel part of a wider community, learner engagement grows. This is because training becomes more than an isolated task for individuals. Instead, it translates into a shared purpose. It connects to team development and organizational goals, not just personal objectives. It also fosters collaboration, support, and motivation among employees.
How?
Learners who feel part of a community are more likely to engage actively in discussions, share knowledge, and support each other’s development. But social engagement in learning doesn’t come naturally. It takes ongoing commitment and planning from both employers and employees.
The solution: Make the most of the onboarding period by actively showing learners how they fit into the company’s bigger picture. And allow your new hire’s peers to participate in the process, too. Discussions can help create a sense of community, so make them part of the learning process.
If entire departments or teams undergo the same training, encourage learners to share their experiences in meetings, online chat rooms, or message forums. Finally, integrate active online learning communities into courses.
2. Distractions and lack of time affecting focus
The challenge: When asked to explain why engaging employees in learning is challenging, 40% of executives cited time constraints (“everyone is too busy”) as a top contributing factor.
In the modern workplace, learners often have little opportunity or time to fully focus on learning. Open-plan offices, loud colleagues, construction on a nearby building, and visitors having a tour are all distractions. And that’s not all. Workdays are also flooded with numerous forms of digital, verbal, and written communication. Phones ring, email notifications pile up, and meetings run back to back.
Trying to zone in on training while surrounded by all this isn’t easy. This explains why 64% of employees tend to multitask (for example, reply to emails and check notifications) when watching an online training session. With multitasking the norm rather than the exception, learners read notes without absorbing their essence and listen to presentations without paying attention to the content or message.
The solution: When possible, remove distracting factors from the workplace and the learning environment. And promote the importance of engaged learning across the organization. Explain to employees and management how critical it is for learners to be focused to engage with learning. That way, you foster a culture of respect for the needs of others.
Consider creating a separate space, free from noise and disruption, for learners to complete their training. Combine this with a “focus hour” where learners can ignore their phones, log out of their email, and reserve time in their calendars to concentrate on learning.
Did you know? 87% of remote employees are more likely to complete training if they have dedicated time during their workday for it.
3. Limited accessibility
The challenge: The modern workplace is typically rich in diversity. And all the better for it. But with that diversity comes both responsibility and challenge. Training needs to be accessible for all, no question.
This expectation is unequivocal. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy. It takes ongoing commitment, consideration, and careful forethought from L&D teams to maintain full and comprehensive accessibility.
This may explain why—despite best intentions—accessibility issues are still barriers to effective learning in many organizations
The solution: Consider all requirements when designing and delivering training programs, online and offline. Create a checklist and ask yourself these questions when working on different content types and delivery methods:
Language and timezones
Are my learners dispersed across countries and even continents? If so, what languages do I need to translate training content into? And how might different time zones affect access to training?
Written information
Is terminology easy to understand? Have I used plain language or jargon that some learners won’t understand? And have I presented written content in accessible formats such as large print, Braille, and Easy Read? Is the text broken down into manageable chunks using subheadings? Have I used an accessibility checker to identify missing titles and unclear reading order?
Visual content
Have I provided alternative text descriptions for images and keyboard-based navigation? Do I have sign language interpreters to translate live content where necessary? Do I follow the same structure across different pages? Have I formatted hierarchical headings, checklists, and bullet points with screen readers in mind? Have I included symbols and text, as well as textures or patterns, instead of block colors in graphs and charts?
Multimedia content
Does multimedia content include audio descriptions, captioning, and visual cues?
In-person training
Is the venue accessible in terms of parking, room access, and facilities? Is information about the event accessible, and does it provide the right level of detail?
Digital content
Do my learners have access to assistive technologies, adaptive hardware, or alternative input methods to effectively navigate digital interfaces? Are there opportunities for asynchronous communication? (For example, text-based communication, like emails, messages, and discussion boards) Does important information (system notifications, errors, warnings, and outcomes, for example) stand out for people with visual impairments?
Eliminating the barriers to online learning
eLearning is fast becoming the norm in terms of employee training. And there are good reasons for this. But there are still learning barriers associated with training delivered digitally. So, how do you address these?
The first step to overcoming the barriers to online learning is to examine them from a learner’s perspective. Does technology hold them back from engaging with content? Do they feel alone on their learning journey? Are they bored, even? Here are some of the most common learning obstacles and tactics you can use to overcome them.
Examples of learning barriers in online learning
Lack of technical skills
The challenge: Not every adult learner is tech-savvy. Your employees will all have different degrees of technical experience. And different levels of confidence. All of this will impact how they interact with the content and the learning platform.
Similarly, not all learning management systems (LMSs) are designed to be user-friendly. When learners struggle to navigate the platform, they waste precious time and energy that should be spent on learning.
The solution: Create simple tutorials showing how to use your LMS. Learners who dread the fully online experience usually appreciate a more personal walkthrough of the system, either in-person or through a recorded webinar they can refer back to.
Even better, choose an LMS that puts user experience first. Opt for one that is intuitive, easy to navigate, and supports different user types. If you take your time choosing the right LMS from the get-go, the less time you’ll need to spend training employees to use it.
Isolation
The challenge: Even when learners experience a sense of community in the workplace, they can still feel isolated when they’re alone at their computer screen. Actually, isolation is one of the most common fears when it comes to online learning.
The solution: Overcome this learning barrier by making social features, like discussions, a key element of your course design strategy. Incorporating team competitions, group work, and leaderboards can further reduce feelings of loneliness.
Technical issues
The challenge: Poor internet connectivity, outdated technology, or unfamiliarity with digital tools can disrupt online learning, causing frustration and disengagement.
The solution: Online training demands a tech-forward approach. Provide learners with the right digital toolkit and keep checking in to ensure it’s current and meets requirements. Ensure all learners know where to go for technical support if needed.
Overcoming personal barriers in learning
Tech, and increasingly AI, may be able to relieve some of the burden of designing and delivering employee training. But no amount of tech can do the learning for your employees.
Simply put, learners aren’t robots. They’re humans with individual emotions, experiences, instincts, and reactions. Which means every learner brings their own personal challenges and mindset to the training table with them.
Here are some examples of the most common examples of barriers to learning employees might experience on a personal level.
Emotional learning barriers can be complex. They can’t be resolved with a checklist or an extra dollop of funding in the training budget. They take time and thought to overcome. But with the right strategy and continued commitment, even the most deep-rooted personal learning barriers can be broken down.
Examples of learning barriers on a personal level
Negative experience
The challenge: On the path to learning, most of us have had at least one experience that’s sparked a general distaste for learning. Whether unprepared tutors, poorly designed online courses, or inaccessible and uninspiring conferences, a bad experience can foster one of the trickiest barriers to effective learning. It can even leave adults doubting their ability to learn new skills.
Unfortunately, a history of bad learning experiences is a powerful emotional learning barrier that can’t be easily undone. But concerns and misperceptions can be identified and addressed early on to spark gradual improvements.
The solution: Create a learning environment where learners can regularly and safely share their experiences and voice their concerns before and during their course. Use a survey at the beginning to ask learners what they value in learning and what they prefer to avoid in their learning experiences. Align their personal development goals with the course outcomes so that they understand the true benefits of learning engagement.
Age or tenure
The challenge: Sometimes, employees who have been in their posts for a long time lose enthusiasm for learning. This can also be the case for employees reaching the end of their working lives. Some believe they are too old to learn new tricks. Others may be put off by new technologies or a “what’s the point?” attitude.
This particular learning barrier is one of a group of motivational barriers. And it can be one of the hardest to overcome because the mindset associated with it is deeply ingrained. But there are tactics you can use to address the challenge.
The solution: Use adaptive learning platforms to create personalized learning paths that tailor training content based on employees’ individual experience, learning pace, and preferences.
Offer training in various learning formats (videos, interactive sessions, self-paced courses) to accommodate different learning styles and preferences. Underpin this by supporting flexible training schedules and self-directed learning.
And encourage mutual learning and engagement by offering reverse mentorship programs where experienced employees share their knowledge while also learning different skills from younger employees.
Lack of relevance or purpose
The challenge: If learners don’t find training material relevant or aligned with their personal or career goals, they will likely question its purpose. And, as a result, struggle to engage with it.
As far as barriers to learning learning barriers go, a lack of purpose can prove to be the most harmful of all. Without knowing a good reason to learn new things and develop, adult learners simply can’t engage in the learning experience.
The solution: Avoid “training speak” and clarify learning intentions and goals from the start of the training session. Link these with your company vision, values, specific workplace goals, and your employee’s personal learning objectives. Show how desired training outcomes relate to each employee’s role and their success in that role.
For example, in sales training, use the opening material of a sales course to explain to learners how mastering negotiation principles will help them improve their sales numbers and commission by 10-15%.
Did you know? Learners who set career goals are four times more likely to engage with learning.
Learning styles
The challenge: Every learner is unique and will prefer some training methods and teaching styles over others. A persistent mismatch between teaching style and learner preference can hinder engagement. And prove one of the most common learning barriers.
The solution: Use a self-paced, blended learning approach. Combine different teaching methods and formats to empower learners to engage with content in ways that suit their preferences. And incorporate asynchronous learning options into the course format so learners can choose when and what they study and how often.
Cognitive overload
The challenge: According to a TalentLMS and Vyond L&D trends survey, long training sessions top the list of obstacles to learning. When too much (complex) information is delivered within a short period of time, the brain becomes overloaded and shuts down. A rapid and relentless pace of learning can overwhelm learners.
The solution: To overcome this learning barrier, break down complex information into manageable, bite-sized pieces. Distribute it over time. And cover a single concept (no more) in each microlearning session. This spaced learning approach prevents cognitive overload. It also allows learners to revisit key concepts, which aids retention and understanding.
Lack of previous knowledge
The challenge: When learners lack the background information needed to succeed in a training course, they may feel confused or overwhelmed. This can make it difficult for them to engage with the material or progress effectively.
The solution: Conduct pre-assessments to gauge knowledge levels and pitch content accordingly. Apply a step-by-step, scaffolded learning approach where you start with simpler concepts and gradually introduce more complex ideas. Offer additional resources like tutorials, guides, or review materials that learners can access to build their foundational knowledge before or alongside the primary learning content. And ensure a supportive learning environment.
Engaging learners despite the barriers to learning
When learners are prevented from fully participating in learning, the many benefits of learner engagement can’t be realized.
As we’ve seen, overcoming learning barriers isn’t simple. It takes a multifaceted approach to address all of the different types of barriers to learning. But by identifying and addressing learning barriers in the workplace, in online courses, and on a personal level, learners and businesses can maximize the learning experience. And reap the benefits that full engagement brings to both.