eLearning Readiness

PALAMA eLearning UnitGuillaume Kruger

October 2011

Public Administration, Leadership and Management Academy

SOUTH AFRICA

Road map for this discussion

1. Introduction2. Conceptualising eLearning 3. Business advantages of

eLearning4. How does it work?5. What does it take?

• Locally and internationally universities and corporate training and development institutes utilise ICTs for learning

• The Electronic Communications and Transactions Act was passed in Aug 2002– The act started with the basic premise that digital

communications are no less valid than paper-based communications

Introduction

Introduction

• What is eLearning?• What are the business

advantages?• How does it work?• What does it take?

Conceptualising eLearning

What is eLearning?

eLearning is used as an umbrella term to refer to training interventions and

materials that optimally utilise ICTs to

support learning.

Benefits of eLearning include:• Reduced (or no) travel and accommodation costs• Limited time away from the work place• Access to capacity building interventions irrespective

of time and distance• Flexibility in terms of the number of participants

enrolled per course offering• Flexibility in terms of the scheduling of course

offerings

What are the business advantages?

Benefits of eLearning include:• Enhanced retention and throughput

– Interactive course design– Individualized learner support (admin, technical & academic)– Tracking and reporting of learner progress– Flagging of at risk participants and mediation

• Centralized knowledge management• Acquisition of knowledge and skills that can be useful in

other areas of participants’ lives

What are the business advantages?

What are the business advantages?

Actual costs:Material developmentFacilitation of learning

Assessment of evidenceModeration

Ancillary costs:Duplication of materials

CateringTravel and accommodation (facilitator)

Travel and accommodation (participants)

Capacity development costs

between 40 and 60 %

How does it work?

Face-to-face (f-2-f)

Classroom based

Fully technology-mediated

Blend of f-2-f and technologies

How does it work?

Fully technology-mediated

Blend of f-2-f and technologies

Administrative f-2-f supported by technologies

Technology-mediated

supported by f-2-f

Face-to-face (f-2-f)

Classroom based

multi-media on a storage device

web-based technologies

mobile technologies

Learners Facilitators / Administrators

• Access information• Interact

(content/facilitator/peers)• Demonstrate competence

• Orientate learners• Provide access to information• Interact with learners• Assess evidence• Provide feedback• Track and report on learner

activity

How does it work?

What does it take for a Learner?

Know

ledg

e an

d sk

ills

A supportive institutional environment

Abili

ty

Space

Will

Comm

itment, culture and ethos

PERFORMANCE

I can! I want to!

I am allowed!

Basic ICT knowledge and skills

Willingness to participate in

eLearning initiatives

Access to technologies and sponsorship

What does it take for an Institution?

Human Infrastructure

Technological Infrastructure

Organisational Infrastructure

Human Infrastructure

• Course designers, developers, facilitators• Assessors • Moderators• Verifiers (quality assurance body)• M&E practitioners (monitoring and evaluation for

continuous improvement)• Administrators

Human Infrastructure

• eLearning project managers - role is to coordinate the above, ensure strategic decision making to promote the uptake and relevance of eLearning. These role players have to be competent with specific qualifications in technology-mediated learning

• Outsourcing…

Outsourcing…

• Development of effective eLearning materials requires large pools of intellectual capital, diverse expertise and scarce skills, as well as expensive resources including technological hardware and software.

• The formation of such teams varies considerably, depending on the nature of each project.

Outsourcing…

• For these reasons, the technical design and development of eLearning materials are outsourced and rigorously managed.

Outsourcing…

Advantages include the following: • Outsourced solutions can significantly cut costs;• Teams are scalable on demand; • Service provider teams typically work with many

different kinds of projects for various clients. This equips them with the knowledge and skills to propose new inputs, which is valuable in the fast-changing field of ICTs;

Outsourcing…

Advantages include the following: • Service providers are contractually bound to complete

projects according to specified standards; and• Outsourcing allows the eLearning unit to focus on core

strategic goals, such as the alignment of training and development with identified training needs, evaluation of training and development results, future plans and change management.

Outsourcing…

Advantages include the following: • The above-mentioned benefits are based on the

assumption that competent and appropriate service providers can be contracted.

Technological Infrastructure

• Learning Management System (basic requirements of the ETQA) – functional requirements

• ERP (i.e. integrated systems from quotation to certification)

• Large numbers, require automated procedures

Organisational Infrastructure

• Importance of eLearning being mainstreamed (not an additional extra)

• Plan to integrate from the start…

eLearning implementation strategy

Phase 12009/10

• Understand the context• Initiate a community of eLearning practitioners• Develop a short to medium term action plan for eLearning• Match capacity building needs with available eLearning tools and platforms

Phase 22010/11

• Conduct an eLearning environmental scan• Develop a draft eLearning implementation strategy • Adapt and/or develop monitoring and evaluating tools for eLearning• Pilot, monitor and evaluate eLearning programmes• Develop at least xx new eLearning programmes• Establish an LMS for the roll out of eLearning in the public service• Elevate the community of eLearning practitioners

Phase 32011 to 2013/14

• Develop at least xx new eLearning programmes• Roll out piloted programmes to scale• Monitor evaluate and report on eLearning programme performance• Update the eLearning environmental scan• Review and revise the eLearning implementation strategy

• Development costs of highly interactive multi-media materials (e.g. simulations)

• Limited access to technologies for capacity building purposes

• Technophobia• Limited understanding of the success factors for

eLearning• Lack of guidelines and regulatory documents

What are the key challenges?

• Use existing, approved programmes for eLearning delivery– Learner guide– Facilitator guide– Assessor guide

Learning programme materials development

• Employ qualified – Facilitators*– Assessors– Moderators

Learning programme delivery

Main considerations

• Delivery approach• Policy development• Selection of courses for eLearning • Design and development strategies• Implementation infrastructures• Evaluation of eLearning • Change management in the organisation

• Participant orientation (before)• Secure login• (User verification for submission of learner evidence)• Access to information• Channels of communication• Formative assessment with feedback• Assignment drop-box

eLearning platform: functionalities

• Participant support: academic, administrative and technical (during)

• Tracking and reporting– Tracking of learner progress– Flagging of at-risk learners– Record keeping of interaction, submission of

evidence, assessment results and feedback– Follow-up with at-risk learners

eLearning platform: functionalities

• Moderators can access assessed student evidence online

• Verification can be facilitated by means of an on-site visit with a demonstration of the online “classroom” and activities, and/or

• By means of remote access

Moderation and verification

What courses are available?

• Bid Committees (PFMA)• Bid Committees (MFMA)• Inventory Management• At least 10 new courses are being developed for

roll out in the 2011/12 financial year• Fully technology mediated courses include:

– Excellent Customer Service for Frontline Staff– Introduction to Monitoring and Evaluation– SCM for the Public Service

The question to ask…

is not if ICTs should be used, but how available technologies can be used most

effectively to support training and development in the Public Service.

Contact details

Director: eLearningGuillaume Krugerg.kruger@palama.gov.za