Live elearning

HACCP: the PFD way
24 hr service, getting food through the warehouse and to the next part of the chain. Need people entering the organisation to get a consistent message for HACCP training also needs to be cost effective for the elearning developers.
Used Gantt charts to make sure they are on track with project. First stage development done in DW and had a signoff from client in terms of broad approach, types of content and pathway. Will then be developed in Flash. (Not sure why – perhaps there’ll be some interaction or animation) Ah – just showed a series of photos that would work better in another format. Quiz at end. Have made spaces for people to insert their own docs, keeping PFD docs in house.

Then it was our turn – One of Lisa‘s lines was ‘when you’ve got tired of saying something, the people who need to hear it have only just heard it’

Glad the day was over! Lots of great stuff happening, but it was a long week.

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Lifeline Eportfolio
Christopher John
Run down of purpose of organisation, how volunteers move through training as telephone counsellors. Staged approach, including induction and targetted training and a buddy process for new starts.
Explained existing approach to elearning to support class based activity. Masterfile got good uptake for discussions. Needed to build on what we already do, so dealing with units beyond pre-service training. Selected four units for eportfolio process. Recognised that the volunteers are already doing this stuff on the phones – aiming evidence could be gather in about five hours per unit.
Process. Making sure the volunteers were engaged, ran forums to help them understand what an eportfolio was and what it might be like to use. Identified ease of access off and onsite, not duplicating what they were already doing, knowing where they were in the process, how much left to do. Tell us what to do, we’ll do it. Seven tasks have been identified, were mapped to units. Then mockup in flowchart form. Very stable workforce and volunteer base. Obviously privacy issues were critical. Showed the flowchart. After that consultation, decided on Moodle over Masterfile because of cost issues. Demo of Moodle site. Grades section to show progress through tasks. Ability to export materials – useful if they want to show to someone else e.g. anther volunteering organisation. Major Issue was confidentiality, so call id is used to cross reference if needed. Simple process for gathering evidence. Next steps: now filling out all the areas and tasks ready. Will be piloting later in year. Other benefit, time reduction for assessor.

The Way e-Forward
David Dilger
Geographical challenges to being a national organisation based in Hobart. Large number of young workers in retail. Bakers – difficult to train in working hours. Franchise – having everything the same every time you go. So training outcomes need to be consistent. Getting to regional locations is very difficult, needed learning for retail and bakers and franchisees. When new franchises being set up, get around barrier of people having to move to Tassie for 6 months. Having difficulty previously with IP and elearning. Gloria Jeans – talked with them about how they went about it. Current Banjos process is time consuming and huge volume of work needed. Also messy work environment.

Gloria Jeans’ Developers were so concerned about losing their IP that it’s got really difficult and tangled! Need to make sure that all of the franchisees can get what they need.

Room for Improvement
Ben Crothers and Robin McLean
Two streams of project – classroom material and work placements. Materials need to be able to support learners in their work placement. DVDs and also RFID tags with learning tables. Pictorial cues with text fire up the video. Robin got a warm mention for his professional video production work Folded toilet paper video shown to merriment. From first trial, made a larger set of photo cards and numbered the sections, easier to read in larger font and larger image size. Multi layered way of doing and learning. Used technology in the classroom to make sure learners were Ok. Some didn’t want to use and others didn’t need to use. First short trial – didn’t get enough information to evaluate so will do more trials that inform more development or implementation. Woolstore can see value for general training. In Phase 2 might work on one of the units like OHS or Work with Colleagues and Customers. Evaluation is going to be the key, will be working with the Uni for evaluation.
Looking at options for wider use of technology e.g. through placing readers in libraries at end of project. Also will have one in place in the training room at the Woolstore (I think).

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Managers on the move with elearning
Janet Fearns and Fiona French
Target group in hospitality where supervisors don’t have time to go to training sessions.

Working with toolbox – stripped out the content and customising it – contextualising, adding in organisation’s own docs, jargon/language changes, assessment based on work tasks specific in that business.

Developed a feedback form for business partner to provide feedback- detailed questions to guide review. Also made sure that recognition was built in. This would be a great document to share with Delta teachers!! Must ask Janet for a copy. Will also be making a generic version for learners from elsewhere. Using selective release to control access to contextualised materials in WebCT. Developed a sitemap to decide how it would be organised. Can also be delivered on CD. Will be adding ARED decision trees, Video, Studymate. Some hardware challenges, time release due to staff changes, TTLine where a lot of time is spent at sea – so looking at CD as the solution.

Rising to the Challenge
Eric Ortman
Abbey’s banner looks great on screen
No other real elearning options available in the market. Partnerships have been taking a bit of time to coordinate – especially organising video shoots on location.
Bakers – diverse contexts – processes different between different plants/ artisan/ retail – capturing on video so apprentices can see all the variations.
What they’ve found is that the apprentices are very hands-on.
The resource will address the underpinning, practical covered elsewhere.
NB: always provide a mouse and speakers!!
Has included audio interviews, video, photos, assessment quiz.

Tooling around with PowerTools
Paul Verhoeven and Jim Rouse
Currently a paper based resource, sharp learning curve. Partnership with Caterpillar. Need a portable resource, both apprentices and semi-skilled workers.

Self-Assessment tool upfront – can go straight to assessment. Combination of media
Targetting tools with high accident rate.
Editing Tools chosen on basis of sustainability – chose CourseGenie/now Wimba Create, this allows for further development by Metals teachers once project finished. Plugin that creates decent html and navigation system from Word documents, packaged as a SCORM package.
Self assessment made in Studymate, including adding in images in quiz questions. Also looking at Hot Potatoes for giving feedback for each individual response.
Fences to be climbed (Nice metaphor)
Current resource requires lots of teacher demos, so building in video
Difficulties managing a statewide project team given the other commitments.

Are running on time
Piloting in August
Video means more if learners can identify their local workplaces rather than using a commercial training video.

Panel Discussion
Some of the elearning can capture historical processes that are disappearing.

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Cold e-logic
Tony McKinlay
Where we’re up to…
The online resource we saw a need for was the remote and rural learners, including vet-in-schools with Elizabeth College and pre-Apprenticeships.

For pilot wanted to trial remotely but close enough if needed. Materials include content, challenges, quizzes, review questions, assessment, evaluation.
Have trialled the content and games. Haven’t yet got to assessment. Using Webct, exe, ARED, studymate, webct quizzes, feedback form for students, discussions active and email also.
Student feedback:
Covering many aspects, students giving suggestions for improvement. Also feedback about group dynamics.
Ahead of project schedule with content material development. Have trialled the prototype and started to evaluate it.

E-Service Delivery
Ian Whitehouse
Working with Community Based Support Services. Pilot starting on Monday. Focussed aroung FLM, gettting an LMS set up for future use, some integration such as SMS tool for communication, IM for coaching and mentoring to replace email. Workforce mix is diverse, as are the clients. Have put lot of emphasis on support and ensuring participation. Entry survey focussed on past learning to help the facilitators. Each unit has an ebook that includes content and activities, upload their docs in response to the activities. Daily journal entries required of learners.

MPA e-learning Portal
Adrian Cowie
Want to change the nature of our organisation to a web-based one, rather than being seen as face-to-face meetings.
Has set up a moodle site for learning and the e-business side. That is where members will have access to documents and info they require direct, rather than sending it out in the mail. Includes things like national licensing info, compliance, accreditation. Will be doing site visits to plumbers to make sure they are set up, including skype.
Example course: Saving water around the house. Workbook online, quizzes, voice chat, email. Leads to Green City Service accreditation.

Group One Panel:
Q: Could the sms system be used to deliver the care plan to a new worker the first time they visit a client?
A: Yes, but not in this project, being done in another organisation.
Now that sounds like great, context specific, just-in-time learning!!
Also will be using the tech to record client care information to share with those other workers who also care for a particular client.
Aaron – senior rostering officer for southern area. By having the modules helps people learn as they are doing their job, for new staff will be great to go through. Tricky or difficult to teach people the people interactions.
Will be accessible from home – great for field staff. Also could be good for upskilling and building career pathways. Very good for isolated workers – they will have a way for progressing and connecting with others.

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Friday 25th July was the mid-year get together for all the Tasmanian Elearning Innovations projects in Campbelltown. This was an opportunity to share where all the projects were at, see a few demonstrations and prototypes and think about the goalposts at the end of the year that we had set ourselves.

Following are my rough notes taken during the presentations.

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