Training
Pacienta darba spēju paaugstināšana, izmantojot neformālās e-mācības slimnīcā
E-Slimnīca ir parādījusi, kā kombinētās mācību metodes var palīdzēt pārvarēt pacienta izolētību, atvieglot viņa atgriešanos normālā dzīvē un darba vietā.
Šajā rakstā tiek prezentēta projekta starpniecības struktūra, kā arī divi no septiņiem e-mācību eksperimentiem, kuros sīkāk ir aprakstīti ar nodarbinātību saistīti mācību temati.
Četri galvenie e-Slimnīcas pilotprojekta rezultāti:
pacienti un iesaistītais slimnīcas personāls augstu novērtēja e-Slimnīcas piedāvātos e-mācību pakalpojumus. Tas parāda nepieciešamību pēc turpmākām iniciatīvām, kas atvieglotu pāreju no ārstēšanās slimnīcā uz darba tirgu.
Jaunās tehnoloģijas palīdz pacientiem lietderīgi izmantot savu pavadīto laiku slimnīcā, paaugstinot vai uzturot savas darba spējas: Slimnīcas pacienti ir ierobežoti savā mobilitātē un ir spiesti ievērot slimnīcas režīmu. Tādējādi, pacienti var būt daudz neatkarīgāki un mācīties ne tikai ierastā mācību veidā – esot aci pret aci ar skolotāju. Virtuālie rīki padara iespējamu arī sociālo mijiedarbību un kopīgas mācību aktivitātes ar apmācības biedriem.
Pacientiem-skolēniem ir jāizstrādā specifiskas izglītošanas stratēģijas. Slimnīcas apstākļos tikai kombinētā mācību metode var būt pietiekami veiksmīga e-mācību stratēģija. Ir ļoti svarīga personīgā saikne starp pacientiem-skolēniem.
Visbeidzot, pastāv zināmi organizatoriski izaicinājumi slimnīcu pacientu nodrošināšanai ar e-mācību resursiem: Ir jāveido jauna sadarbība starp izglītības piedāvātājiem un veselības aprūpes institūcijām. Apgrūtinošos finansiālos apstākļos veselības aprūpes un izglītības jomā, slimnīcā būtu jāpiesaista gan publiskais, gan arī privātais finansējums.
Nepieciešamība kvalificēt IT kompetences – datoru un interneta lietotprasmes sertifikāti (C2i)
„C2i level 1” sertificē operacionālas prasmes, īpaši prasmes izmantot IKT komunikācijā un kolektīvā darbā. Maģistra līmenī, „C2i level 2” sertifikātam nepieciešamās prasmes nosaka nozares eksperti atkarībā no programmā paredzētās darbības sfēras. Rakstā ir izskaidrotas metodes, kuras izmanto sertifikāciju izstrādē un īstenošanā, pielikumā pievienota prezentācija par nepieciešamajām prasmēm sertifikācijai C2i level 1 un C2i level 2 nozarē „jurisprudence”.
Augstākās izglītības IKT prasmju kvalificēšana tiek ieviesta, vēloties, lai studentiem šīs apgūtās prasmes noderētu gan veiksmīgākam studiju darbam, gan vieglākai integrācijai savā nākotnes arodā. Šīs prezentācijas galvenā tēma ir kultūras revolūcija, kas attēlo kvalificēšanu universitātes līmenī un tās vispārināšanu „tradicionālajā” mācību programmā.
Pilns raksta teksts ir pieejams gan angļu, gan franču valodā.Didaktiskās arhitektūras un organizācijas modeļi: abpusējas adaptācijas process
Uz zināšanām balstītajā sabiedrībā, kurā komercializēšanas laiks ir īss un kompetenču sfēras paplašinās un ātri mainās, organizācijas ir spiestas darboties saskaņā ar tā saucamo uzņēmuma 2.0 modeli, kuram ir raksturīga intensīva tiešsaistes žurnālu, „wiki”, publisko grāmatzīmju un RSS lietošana. Šīm organizācijām ir plakana struktūra un to pamatā ir autonomija. Šajā rakstā ir apgalvots, ka šajā kontekstā mācību un profesionālās sistēmu izveide ir jābalsta uz tiem pašiem principiem, proti, autonomiju, neformālo stilu un atvērto pieeju. Citos, tradicionālākos ietvaros, uz MVS platformām balstītā formālā e-apmācība nodrošinās efektīvu risinājumu: kamēr lietotāji neapgūs 2.0 tehnoloģiju iespējas un, tādējādi, nekļūs par izmaiņu veicējiem.
Dokumentā ir 3 nodaļas: pirmajā nodaļā ir analizētas četras dažādas didaktiskās arhitektūras, ir norādītas atšķirības starp e-apmācību 1.0 un e-apmācību 2.0; otrajā nodaļā ir aprakstīti organizācijas modeļi un ir parādīta to saistība ar didaktiskajām arhitektūrām; trešajā nodaļā ir aprakstīts abpusējās pielāgošanas process starp didaktiskajām arhitektūrām un organizācijas modeļiem.
Dossiers of elearningeuropa.info - Training & Work: How does ICT change the way you learn at work?
Collaboration and interaction are key aspects for the smooth running of the company. Information and communication technology (ICT) continuously generates new tools to speed up data transmission and communication. Work practices, and the means to accomplish them, are changing rapidly and the best way to support individuals and organizations is by providing continuous learning.
Learning at work refers to action in which learning and working are related. Traditionally, learning at work has been regarded as getting to know work tasks. Currently, as work practices change so rapidly, it can be said that the demand for learning at work is continuous, and it lasts throughout an entire career. E-learning methods and tools have been adopted for this purpose in many companies.
We have compiled some articles published earlier on the elearningeuropa.info portal related to this subject. You can read case studies and more general points of view about the use of e-learning in vocational training.
ICT Skills
Pekka Tenhonen, of the Åbo Akademi University, writes in his article about European employers’ views on graduates’ ICT skills. In general the interviewed employers were satisfied with the ICT skills most needed in the working context: text editing, spreadsheets, e-mail and the Internet. The use of e-learning varied in the research according to the size of the company; large companies were already applying it more than small companies and therefore graduates with e-learning skills had an advantage in this respect. Read the whole article: European Employers are Satisfied with Graduates’ ICT Skills (en, fi, sv).
e-Learning platforms
Sergio Vásquez Bronfman, professor of the ESCP-EAP (European School of Management), describes the e-learning programme of one of the largest banking companies in Spain, La Caixa. The “Virtaula” programme started in 2000 training new employees. However, the successful implementation and positive results has led to including a larger target audience and to increasing the learning tools. Read the whole article: Virtaula Caixa Case Study (de, es, en, fr, it).
SME’s
John Munro, of the University of Sterling, describes a case study which applies e-learning in a work-based setting within a medium-sized engineering firm based in Central Scotland. One of the objectives of this initiative was to develop an interest in lifelong learning. However, the results reflected some common problems, such as time and workload pressure although providing learning is regarded as important. Read the whole article: The Experience of a Work Based Learning Project Using e-Learning (en).
Knowledge society
Richard Straub, director of the e-learning solutions of IBM Europe, assures us how e-learning “is an efficient and cost-effective tool for fostering workforce development”. Therefore e-learning can play a significant role when building the Knowledge Society and is a key driver of European competitiveness. Read the whole article: e-Learning – a driver of European Competitiveness (en).
Vocational training, Blended learning
Carsten Gydahl-Jensen, project manager of SIMTECH, writes about one concrete example of vocational training and e-learning: the online training organised by the Danish Meat Trade College to build the capacities of staff in the pork industry. Students are faced with precisely defined learning goals, electronic learning and multi-media presentations. Read the whole article: Blended learning in the meat industry: a training course using e-learning to qualify staff to work in meat processing (en).
Management
A Minerva project called iColl, is applying innovation in an international business studies curriculum through cross-cultural collaboration. The participants, future managers, operate in a networked learning environment and are carrying out a collaborative project on aspects of innovation. Read the whole article: iColl brings innovation to manager training through collaboration (en).
The role of friendship as a driving force to develop EU projects
project, from the moment the initiative was born, because of its
somewhat "counter-cultural" nature whereby traditional bureaucratic
procedures of grantsmanship were overtaken by the grassroots
initiative of devoted people."
(e-mail from an eLene member)
The aim of this short article is not just to talk about the hundredth European e-learning project and its deep interesting new astonishing characteristics, but what I would like to do is to describe how we (all the partners and especially the people working in it) became involved in the process that, as a result of friendships, bought us much more than a strategy process.
I will tell the short story of the eLene group, and then I’ll try to conceptualise this in the attempt to draw the lines of a 'successful friendship strategy' which can work, not just in our small case, but in the wide range of European projects in general.
I would like to start with a sentence from a famous e-learning expert, who also happens to be a friend of mine: “I agree that Friendship is a stronger driving force than strategic thinking!”
Part I: A short story of how the eLene group went together
The experience of the eLene group, which today is running the eLene-TT project (see under), started from the well-known report that the EU commissioned from PLS Ramboll: Virtual Models of European Universities e-Learning at Higher Education.
The institute where I work, the METID Centre of Politecnico di Milano was one of the eight case studies of this report. In the early document drafts, those “Magnificent Eight” were quoted as “Best Practices in ICT integration”1: we somehow thought we were the ‘best’, but we didn’t really know why. All the interviewees, from the teachers to the higher level personnel, were very curious about the other 7 institutions involved.
That’s why, shyly, on the instructions of our Rector and the Director of METID Centre, I began to prepare a short e-mail to invite ‘all the 8’ to join under a common project, preparing a proposal for the forthcoming e-learning call2.
Because of the lack of time and knowledge about each other, we decided to abandon the attempt for that call, and to wait for the next one.
Anyway, enthusiasm and curiosity pushed us to go on and to try to get to know each other better, so we decided to organise a meeting in Milan, in November 2003: most of the invited institution representatives accepted the invitation (despite there being no funding for travel expenditures!).
Well, it was one of the most embarrassing meetings I have ever attended: in the impressive environment of Politecnico’s Aula Magna (see picture), sixteen distant people from six countries introduced themselves and their institutions, and together tried to find common topics and points of view on which to work.
50% of the time was silence!
Nevertheless, this didn’t stop us; maybe we somehow liked each other, maybe we truly believed in the ‘goodness’ of the idea. In Bremen, the colleagues from ZMML organised a second meeting (February 2004, see photo) immediately after the Ramboll Report was published. Studying these pages we found four topics which were relevant for all 8 institutes:
- Teachers training, skills and incentives
- Standardisation in technology and content
- Technology: Mobile solutions
- Policy: Economics of e-learning
At that point, we just had to choose which one keep for the new e-learning call (April 2004).
When this was published, the initiative passed to the colleagues of Videoscop-Université Nancy 2 (from the French consortium CANEGE), who in May organised the third of these preliminary meetings in the beautiful city of Nancy.
At that point, the people involved changed many times, and only a few of them were the same as at the beginning, but what was just a purely professional contact began to turn into a real friendship. Instead of the embarrassing silences of Milan we had constructive discussions and then also laughs and operative decisions.
We slowly witnessed a fascinating process which brought us from diffidence to fellow feeling, trust and esteem and which, passing through the people who met in those corners of Europe and along the wires of the Internet in hundreds of emails, spread out to the institutes they represented.
So, slowly, finding common fields, topics and interests became easier because the people involved got closer and closer. Moreover, for those involved since the beginning, the thing began to have a personal interest, generating a contagious enthusiasm.
In the Nancy meeting, using brainstorming techniques (see image above) already experimented in Bremen, we finally chose the topic which aroused the interest of everyone (Teacher Training) as well as a coordinator (Nancy 2-Videoscop).
From that moment on the so-called ‘true work’ could begin: the designation of tasks and responsibilities and the proposal writing.
Part II: The lesson learned
So, how can I describe a successful friendship strategy?
My conclusion is that some factors are very relevant for the development of the trust and the strengths which are the basis of such a successful friendship strategy:
- someone who has a good idea and proposes it;
- the reciprocal acquaintanceship of the institutions involved, but made through a person, a face which represents it (every university has its website, its slide presentation, but that’s not enough);
- in the first phase, the involvement of top-level staff (directors, deans, rectors...);
- in the development phase, the involvement of operational level people: usually these are the ones who’ll work directly on the project;
- a person in charge who drives everything: someone with good communication skills able to motivate the others in a common direction, never letting communication fall and maintaining enthusiasm 3;
- the identification of common fields: topics, interests, directions
- constant and dense email exchange, which should not only be formal (about the content and the project), but also informal;
- many face-to-face meetings: in this case too, not only formal meetings, but also friendly happenings (lunches, dinners, breakfasts and… beer work better than contracts in bringing people closer!);
- the progressive deepening of knowledge about national cultural differences: the Swedish is different from the Spanish from working habits to meal times; often it’s not so easy to find the compromise which pleases 25 people from 8 different countries;
- someone with the skill and the will to be the coordinator: the competencies to do it are rare and precious, we were lucky to find a good one;
- luck (yes!): personally, I consider myself very lucky to meet the colleagues that now collaborate with us.
It’s evident that in almost every one of these points it is the human factor which, in my opinion, reveals itself as the driving force behind everything.
People choose, influence each other and grow together, and with them grows their common project. There’s no marketing strategy that can replace all of this.
In other projects, not only in the international cooperation field, many consortia and teams built ‘from above’ to pursue the same old marketing interest - to have two famous logos with their own - not only don’t work, but often generate sick processes where most of the energies are spent in sedating the frequent discussions instead of actively working on the project itself.
Part III: The project now
Now we’re doing it, we started to work on it. The proposal was finally accepted by the EU and in January 2005 we began the operative phase: the project eLene-TT (eLearning network for Teacher Training). Within the project itself we continue the principle of emphasising the human side, for instance involving teachers in the identification of criteria, tools and good practices in the field of teacher training, both online and in face to face workshops.
I think it is useless here to describe the project’s methodologies and contents: for this I’ll refer you to the official website, www.eLene-tt.net, where it’s also possible get in touch with us: we’re obviously open to new collaborations with other institutes and consortia, and we would like to disseminate our work in conventions and conferences. We recently did just this with a short presentation at the EDEN conference in Helsinki. We’re at the beginning of a path that we hope will continue long into the future, just as we hope that our friendships will stand the test of time.
The author wish to thank David Segarra, Alberto Colorni, Deborah Arnold, Laura Besana and all the eLene crew.
The following institutions are part of the eLene Consortium:
- Campus numérique en Economie et Gestion – CANEGE
www.canege.org - Open University of Catalonia (UOC)
www.uoc.edu - METID - Politecnico di Milano
www.metid.polimi.it - Finnish Virtual University / University of Helsinky
www.virtualuniversity.fi - Umeå University
www.umu.se/umu/index_eng.html - Universität Bremen
www.uni-bremen.de - Utrecht University
www.uu.nl - Polish Virtual University
www.puw.pl/english/ - UK Healthcare Education Partnership www.ukeu.com
project, from the moment the initiative was born, because of its
somewhat "counter-cultural" nature whereby traditional bureaucratic
procedures of grantsmanship were overtaken by the grassroots
initiative of devoted people."
(e-mail from an eLene member)
- But this definition was quickly abandoned: they weren’t ‘best practices’ but just ‘good examples’.
- E-Learning Call for Proposals DG EAC/61/03 'Preparatory and Innovative Actions 2003'.
- This guy can also change during the project progress... we had different ‘leaders’ during the process.
Assessment schemes for teachers ICT competence - a policy analisis
- National ICT related teacher training policies
- Assessment schemes and evaluations for teachers ICT competencies
- Significant national, regional and European teacher training programmes
The first part, teacher training policies, identifies the challenges for policy makers. Currently two general occurrences have an impact on ICT related training policies, teacher shortages and a fragmented knowledge base of teachers as different levels of knowledge and attitudes exist within the group of serving teachers and the group of teachers entering the profession.
New and more complex roles for teachers in schools are already a common European challenge. The report describes various new job profiles related to ICT implementation in schools and indicates that the training of headmasters is much more in focus than some years ago, but is not yet widespread and sufficiently elaborated in European countries. The diverse profile of the ICT coordinator is becoming more defined in some countries.
The report also suggests that training policies, aiming now to enhance teachers’ pedagogical ICT competence, focus mainly on educational targets, which are important for teachers to identify with. However, a precise definition of terms such as digital literacy, and means of implementation need to be included likewise in training policies in the future.
Policy also needs to move forward to issues such as curricula frameworks, assessment procedures and changes in the organisational structures. In some countries curricula reforms have taken place or are on its way. Changes in the organisational structures or assessment procedures are lagging behind.
The second part on assessment schemes identifies that most of the countries tend to certify their teachers’ ICT competencies at the end of an in service training.
Countries are on the way to define a common competence framework for teachers ICT competence by developing official certifications, setting standards or benchmarks. ICT is also part of the general assessment of teachers in service or initial training.
Broader approaches such as the use of e-portfolios in teacher training or assessment is only starting to emerge in some countries. Various examples of national and European certifications (e.g. The Danish and European pedagogical ICT licence, C2i certification in France) and several types of e-portfolios (e.g. development portfolios) are described in the report.
Looking at the pros and cons of existing licences, the survey also highlights that eleven countries see the need to develop new licences.
Training, the third area of the survey, reveals that ICT related teacher training is to a large extent decentralised in European countries. The majority of the large scale national courses described in the survey focus on both technical skills and competencies of how to apply ICT in pedagogical settings. Currently, some countries set the emphasis on networking of teachers and training the trainers.
Evaluation of training courses has become a common practice in countries. Some results of evaluations are given from Norway, Germany and Finland.
The report states that on the job training and peer collaboration, which is a necessary component for successful application and acquiring of knowledge, is not yet a dominant factor of training courses.
Countries will need to think of offering new and more flexible ways of training of teachers, at different times, at different places, with different means and much more related to the concept of lifelong learning. This includes a shift in the culture of the teaching profession from a passive consumer of training courses to an active producer and organiser of its own learning process.
The survey was initiated in spring 2004 by EUN’s Policy Innovation Committee (PIC) and is part of the Peer to Peer project.
Representatives of Ministries of Education, National Agencies for Education and other organisations from the following countries have participated in the survey:
Belgium (Flemish Community), Belgium (French Community), Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Lithuania, Malta, Norway, Spain (Catalonia), Switzerland.
Full report [pdf]
“Lifelong learning means learning from cradle to grave”
Dear Ingeborg, Is there any direct collaboration as far as e-learning is concernerd between your organisation and others in the developing world. Particularly Sub Saharan Africa? If so who are they and could one contact them through EDEN. If not is this a process you would encourage in future?
David Jooste (Rest of the world)
EDEN’s main - and very interesting - involvement in African issues was through a project called EDITOSIA: Electronic Distance Learning on Sustainability in African Local Governments. We have established excellent relations with a number of competent organisations in the field. Any of them could be recommended as contacts. They are listed at www.editosia.org/partners.htm. We could mention particularly Sangonet Cafrad and PON.
Besides, in the EDEN membership from Zambia and South-Africa we have institutional members. They can be found on the EDEN web site: www.eden-online.org.
Dear Ingeborg, if lifelong learning implies interaction between the world of education and the world of work, how can we reach those who doesn’t have a work environment? Or is lifelong learning only focused on the social groups that can contribute to this economic and social development?
maria (Spain)
Lifelong learning means learning from cradle to grave and is meant for everybody whether it is related to qualifying for work or to your own personal development. It is certainly not meant only for those who can contribute to economic and social development. The importance of non-formal and informal learning is for instance being recognised through the effort to find ways of identifying and validating prior learning. However, the demand for closer interaction between educational institutions and the world of work reflects the growing importance of human and intellectual capital to the overall economy. Lifelong learning can contribute to the development of human resources whether at work or outside.
We have recently started a training establishment (www.eiil.net) for engineers aiming to become Euro-leaders of fast growth technology based firms. We wish to set up distance learning support centers across Europe for engineers to reach an adequate level of knowledge in economics,finance,marketing and human resourece management before coming on our face to face instructor based workshops designed for CEOs/Entrepreneurs. What is the best way of carrying out such a project with local support tutoring and eventually networking.
waadam (Belgium)
This sounds like an interesting project where the use of e-learning would be a very good choice. Your engineers would probably have different backgrounds and their competences and experiences with the subjects you mention would vary. They would want individual paths to achieve the level of competence you would require for the workshops for CEO/Entrepreneurs. E-learning provided by an accredited business school with experience in running courses online on a European level would be a recommended solution. Your organisation could take care of the seminars for motivation, support and information and create the social context that some would prefer in addition to the e-learning. Through your e-learning courses and a good learning management system you can easily create networks between your students.
Dear Ingeborg: What is the suitable model for complementing e-learning with the traditional teaching methods? Should preference be given to e-learning over the traditional teaching method, or vice-versa?
What the resources, contacts or facilities available for an individual who wants to enhance the availability of e-learning... does one have to ’start’ on his/her own or join an existing organization? Is there a suitable database of such organizations?
Femka (Slovakia)
There is not one model of teaching that fits all purposes. It all depends on different factors that have to be analysed before choosing the modes of teaching. You have to define and describe your target group, their learning conditions, the subjects and the organisational aspects. As a rule most students like a combination of face to face and e-learning. Face to face is important for motivation, cooperation and social support and of course for the kinds of subject where personal relations, oral competences are important. E-learning is excellent for the ones who like to be independent, study in their own pace, and communicate with students and teachers that are not necessarily in their own home town. If you want to enhance the availability of e-learning I would advice you to contact an existing organisation in order to take advantage of others’ experience and to share your own thoughts and knowledge with others. Please have a look at the EDEN web site: www.eden-online.org to get an overview of relevant organisations within the e-learning field.
Dear Ingeborg: How library, librarian unites with e-learning projects for futures? What’s the way?
bpawo (Poland)
In my opinion libraries and librarians are underestimated as resources within e-learning. I see the role of libraries as important both in giving access to learning resources for the e-learning student and offering a place for study where the student can get information, guidance and support and perhaps meet other students studying the same course or in the same way. The library can function as study centre where the social aspects of learning can be supported. The digital library with quality assured documentation for studies must be utilised in a much more sophisticated way.
Hello, do know who are the important people in e-learning in Europe?
Zuali (Germany)
I would suggest that you take a look at the members’ list within my own organization, EDEN, which is a network of institutions, organisations and individuals within the field of e-learning: www.eden-online.org. We have about 143 institutional members and 222 individual members. Also by having a look at our conference programmes and papers you will find most of the professionals in e-learning.
Hello Ingeborg
How do you foreseen integration between university studies, continuing edication and Work based learning strategies? in order to focus on real competence instead of the traditional system with "studying for a future"?
uwikstro (Finland)
The topic you are raising is very relevant both to our universities and to the world of work. I have just come home from the EDEN annual conference in your country, Finland, where the challenge of finding good ways of collaboration between the educational sector and the businesses was discussed both in plenary sessions and in some of the parallel sessions. The universities have become more and more aware of their responsibility for the world outside the ordinary student population. The more successful ones have this activity embedded in their overall strategy and have established special units within their university with a special responsibility for continuing education and e-learning. Close collaboration with the users, represented by branches, unions, employers’ federations or businesses directly is important. The university can draw on the expertise within their faculties and tailor-make courses for the users. Systems for the administrative, organizational and financial matters have to be developed.
Ingeborg Bø has her arts degree from the University of Oslo, Norway. All her professional life she has been working within the field of open and distance education in different positions. Since 1992 she has been executive director of the Norwegian Association for Distance Education (NADE), which is a membership organisation for public and private institutions and universities offering open and distance education and e-learning.
She has been member of different boards of directors in Norwegian institutions for adult education and is member of different national and international committees. She is involved in different EU-projects and is an active member of the Nordic – Baltic network for open and distance learning.
She now serves as President of the European Distance and E-learning Network (EDEN) which is the most comprehensive European association in open, flexible, distance education and e-learning.
Ingeborg Bø is also a member of the editorial board of the journal LLine, Lifelong learning in Europe.
What are the SME’s needs related to e-learning?
In September 2003, the Directorate General Education and Culture of the European Commission selected Unisys and its partner EuroPACE to lead a strategic study on e-learning in continuing vocational training, particularly at the workplace, with focus on Small and Medium Enterprises. A survey was launched to get a direct feedback from European SMEs, assessing with them the opportunities e-learning could bring as well as the barriers they encountered for and during implementation.
According to the Surveys’ results, while most corporate companies have integrated e-learning in their training portfolio, SMEs are lagging behind. This article summarizes the major needs identified affecting SMEs. The list of needs is also a catalogue of opportunities for e-Learning providers, and a list of aspects to be identified and improved for SME managers.
Timeliness
SMEs devote little time to the learning activity: they are often guided by the daily pressure of the business, and a need for training will only be identified when a problem arises: therefore, SMEs will look for a quick fix, allowing to proceed with the business: they need just in time, bite-sized, to the point learning.
Informal/Collaborative Learning
SMEs have specific constraints: a same person has several responsibilities, most workers have little time and will look for only what they need, they will need it as soon as possible and very specific to their needs. No standard training will match 100% of the needs of individuals from SMEs.
Most of the learning in an SME is informal, i.e. it often takes place on the job, through a “sharing of knowledge” rather than in a “training”. When confronted with a need, the SME worker will usually contact his network of reference people whom he trusts. He will look for an expert in the subject matter who will answer his specific questions.
Needs Identification
Most SMEs do not have a training responsible, nor a Human Resource Department aligning the skills of the employees to the strategic objectives of the enterprise. SMEs are often not aware of the development needs of their employees. Before SME owners can talk of development needs, they might need help to identify where they want to be, and where they are today.
e-Learning providers that meet some success will usually provide services to identify the needs at the level of the company and of the individual and explore with them the different learning options that are available on the market. This first step in the learning process usually takes place in a 2-hours face-to-face meeting: the proximity of the service provider and his good understanding of the local language are a must to support the definition of the needs.
Guidance in the Learning Offer
Once the skills development needs have been identified, the potential learning solutions must be analysed and a training scenario has to be set up. The existing e-learning offer is perceived as abundant, with little information on its adequacy and effectiveness. SMEs want support to help them find what learning opportunity will best match their business and development needs.
Quick Assessment Tools
One of the perceived advantages of e-learning is the steadiness of its quality: it will be the same wherever it is delivered, independently of the mood of the instructor or the time he had to prepare his course. Yet, determining the quality of an e-learning course is one of the difficulties. Books are perceived as easier to assess: you can open a book, have a quick look through it and decide on the value of its contents. How can an SME owner make a quick assessment of an e-learning course? How can he evaluate the depth in which subjects are handled, the adequacy for his own environment?
Easy access to figures and benchmarking information, quick assessment tools, as well as clear standards would provide SMEs with objective decision criteria.
Awareness Raising
SMEs are not well aware of what e-learning is. They will not be interested in e-learning as such, as it is only one of the means to deliver knowledge. They need to understand what the development of the skills of their workers could bring to them and where e-learning fits in the picture.
Information should be very practical, give the indications where SME owners will find guidance for the assessment of the skills of their employees, for the definition of the development needs, for the learning options that will best meet these needs.
Today, SME owners are not convinced of the effectiveness of e-learning, whereas they still trust that employees will get some benefits from classroom-based trainings. An awareness raising campaign will only be effective when there is a practical, user-friendly, easy to use offer behind it.
Contents
When analysing the subjects that should be covered by e-learning, all the sources agree that the most important subject is the core business of the enterprise, “everyday business”. The current training offer is often evaluated as “too horizontal”, bringing the overall management and administration guidelines but not conveying the expertise workers need to do their job. SMEs do not have the critical mass to develop e-learning courses or have them developed for their sole use. They clearly need to be part of a larger learning community they can trust. Yet, SMEs are afraid to share knowledge and give away their business secrets: in some cultures, they will not share industry specific information.
Besides the core business, the skills that need to be developed in SMEs are the ones that will bring them the ability to survive in the market. Therefore, the learning offer should also cover general skills, as management skills, accounting, office tools, language skills, etc.
Customisation of Course
SMEs need courses that respond to their specific needs. Several options could be explored for the customisation of course content. User-friendly authoring tools would enable the SMEs to tailor existing courses for their own environment.
Information Network
First of all, the information needs to be shared within the enterprise: SMEs often do not have documented procedures. They need to be aware of the importance of managing and sharing the knowledge and culture inside the company e.g. via an intranet.
Sustainable Solutions
As we can see from Gartner’s study on the purchasing behaviour of SMEs, they require solutions that will work in time and will preferably work with long established relationships.
Infrastructure
Though a lot of effort has been done in the provision of infrastructure, all SMEs do not have the necessary infrastructure for e-learning and broadband connectivity is still mentioned in most sources as one of the major hurdles.
User-Friendly Instruments
The learning tools should be easy to install and nice to use. SMEs do not have the time nor the resources to solve technical problems or learn sophisticated users’ notices. Installation and operations of the e-learning solutions should be simple and quick.
Access To Matter Experts And Support
A web course with no human interaction is a course where you have no opportunity to ask questions. Traditional learning has a considerable social aspect, which needs to be reproduced in a web-based environment. Students must have access to an expert who can answer their questions. The credibility of the expert needs to be established. Some e-learning projects start with a “kick off” meeting, where students and tutors meet and get to know each other.
Students should also have access to help when they experience technical problems:”Technology problems and glitches are frustrating to the learner when they happen” (Schooley C. (2001). Justifying IT Investments: Training and Learning)
As an important characteristic of e-learning is the flexibility of the learning schedule, support must cover extensive time frames (Abdelli Z. (2003). Formation En Ligne Et PME Québécoises)
Cost of Learning
Learning is a cost, and the SME owner does not always consider it as an investment for the future. Depending on the size and turnover of the organisation, learning could easily become an activity that is out of reach: the enterprise needs to pay both the salary of an “unproductive worker” and the price of the training.
Education is a cost that is usually taken up by society. Not all SMEs do consider that the development of the skills of their employees is part of their mission.
Individual Follow Up
E-learning requires more self-discipline than traditional classroom-based trainings. There is a risk to increase the skills gap between individuals: some could give up learning whereas others could become learning geeks.
An early education of the lifelong learner and an individual follow up should prevent the risk of having too high a “drop out” rate.
Knowledge of Return on Investment (ROI)
An enterprise should constantly evaluate how learning programs can help it achieve its business goals. The main objective of an SME when purchasing IT software or services is to improve the performance of its staff, hence have a better bottom line.
Today, there is no “rule of thumb” to calculate the effective ROI of e-learning, and experts have different opinions on the cost of e-learning.
Computer Literacy
All SMEs are not using computers; some of their employees have never worked with a computer before. As the study on “e-learning Readiness” by the Economist Intelligent Unit shows, all countries are not equal in front of and closely followed by Western European countries. The new joiners of the European Union will still need to invest in the infrastructure, the capabilities, the content and the culture, which are defined as the 4 main criteria for the measurement of e-learning readiness.
Brokerage
“SMEs are often unable to articulate and scope their learning needs. There are difficulties in assessing the merit and value of available programmes and learning materials, which are often perceived as failing to meet firm-specific needs. Finding appropriate training is also made more difficult by a culture clash with external training providers, especially in the public sector, who are seen as unable to understand business processes.” (Reich, K. & Scheuermann, F. (2003) E-Learning Challenges in Austrian SME’s).
Between the e-learning providers and the SMEs, there is no dialogue: on one side, the providers say SMEs do not understand the advantages of e-learning, on the other side, SMEs believe e-learning does not meet their needs. A brokerage could support a better dialogue between providers and users.
Trade Union Use of ICT to Support Learning
The concept of lifelong learning is not so new in trade unions. Neither is the use of what we now call information and communications technologies (ICT) to support new ways of learning. Since the Danish Landsorganisationen i Danmark, the Swedish Landsorganisationen i Sverige and the British Trades Union Congress started experimenting with computer conferencing to support distance learning in 1990, there has been a rapid growth in trade union involvement with ICT to support both vocational learning/workforce development and trade union education. Most European confederations and many individual unions now have some level of involvement with technology and learning, and we can start to learn from each others’ approaches and experiences.
Published in 2005, the report “Trade Union use of ICT in support of Learning” was commissioned by the British Trade Union Congress’ Building Opportunities Through Workplace Learning Project, to draw an accurate picture of the scale and types of use of ICT by trade unions in support of learning, either in workforce development or trade union education. The term learning here is understood broadly, to include informal learning as well as more formally organised courses, and whether the learning takes place in workplaces, learning centres or homes. Similarly, the range of ways in which technology might be used is understood broadly, as for example in ‘pure’ e-learning, blended learning and m-learning (mobile learning).
Case Studies: from blended learning to online communities
Six case studies were conducted between June and October 2004 along with an online survey. There are five national case studies from Italy (Confederazione Italiana Sindicati Lavoratori), Germany (Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund (DGB) Bildungswerk), the Netherlands (Federatie Nederlandse Vakbewegingen), Sweden (Landsorganisationen i Sverige) and the British (Trades Union Congress) and one transnational case study from the European Trade Union College (ETUCO). These cases illustrate some of the diverse ways in which trade unions are approaching the use of ICT to support formal and informal learning, vocational and trade union training, blended learning, organisational and self-paced learning; and national and transnational learning.
The national activities described are varied. CISL in Italy, whose target audience consists mainly of trade union trainers and officers at local and national level, has adopted a blended learning approach which has allowed extended, more in-depth courses to be developed. Blended learning is also the preferred method for DGB-Bildungswerk in Germany where online conferences are being used to extend the learning experience for participants in residential seminars and to support online communities. In the Netherlands, the focus for FNV is on developing the ICT skills of the organisation’s employees and to enhance their capacity to source timely and relevant information and resources.
Lifelong learning and the digital divide are also being addressed in different ways. The LOS in Sweden for example, has a leasing scheme which provides members with PCs, software and internet access to enable easier access to information and learning. The TUC in the UK has developed an extensive workplace learning network through the Trade Union Hub project and is explicitly targeting the widening access agenda by encouraging members with low qualification levels to acquire the basic ICT skills which will allow them access to other flexible learning opportunities.
At the transnational level the range of linguistic and cultural backgrounds renders the situation more complex. ETUCO has attempted to overcome these barriers by developing blended approaches to training which incorporate several languages and different national perspectives on European trade union issues, with varying degrees of success. The emergence of online communities or ‘networks’ as a means of enhancing trade union political influence in Europe and supporting more informal, situated learning is also highlighted in the report.
Key Themes
The case studies reveal a range of approaches towards the use of ICT in trade union learning which reflect a variety of organisational priorities and responses in particular national contexts. Differing industrial relations environments, union cultures, national government policies and initial experiences with ICT in learning are among the factors contributing to this diversity. Despite this however, we have identified eight themes running through the cases:
- Acquisition of basic ICT skills: Recognition that the acquisition of basic ICT skills is an essential first step towards empowering trade union members to access a broader range of both trade union training and vocational learning opportunities. Where unions have taken responsibility for engaging members in ICT skills courses, demand for e-learning appears to be growing. Union ‘branding’ appears to encourage involvement and reach groups and individuals who may not otherwise have had the confidence or inclination to learn, particularly when these opportunities can be accessed directly from the workplace.
- Pedagogies implied: There is a range of pedagogies being applied in the context of ICT, though this generally appears to combine elements of face-to-face and online learning often in ways that enhance rather than replace conventional learning. These include:
- Course-based e-learning where ICT is used to support learning as part of a conventionally conceived time-delimited course. There appears to be a growing conviction that blended learning which combines face-to-face and online phases is more effective.
- Self-paced learning where ICT is used to support the individual learner progressing at their own pace. Here, the emphasis is on multimedia learning resources which may be distributed either online or via CD-ROM
- Situated/organisational learning where ICT is used to support learning-related organisational processes. This approach is frequently, though not exclusively, associated with the concept of community of practice.
- Course-based e-learning where ICT is used to support learning as part of a conventionally conceived time-delimited course. There appears to be a growing conviction that blended learning which combines face-to-face and online phases is more effective.
- Organisational innovation: e-learning is becoming closely involved in organisational innovation in trade unions, and particularly in networked organisational structures. Different types of ‘networks’ are emerging, e.g.
- Course learning networks established during the life of an online or blended mode course. These networks are typically organised around tasks or discussions planned and facilitated by a tutor usually with the aim of achieving one or more specified learning outcomes.
- Online communities of practice in which participants are concerned with doing similar things or which hold similar political mandates. Key elements of communities of practice are that they are self-sustaining and the peer-learning is largely problem-based and informal.
- Virtual teams in which participants with different skills, specialisms or responsibilities are brought together. Virtual teams are often more explicitly task-based than communities of practice.
- Co-ordination networks which aim to collect information as the basis for co-ordinating future actions, for example in European Works Councils.
- Course learning networks established during the life of an online or blended mode course. These networks are typically organised around tasks or discussions planned and facilitated by a tutor usually with the aim of achieving one or more specified learning outcomes.
- New roles: Some new roles are evolving in relation to learning and technology, which itself creates a new demand for training in a range of pedagogic, organisational and technical skills, e.g.
- The union learning representative (ULR) in the UK: the focus of the ULR is to raise awareness of educational opportunities and engage workers locally, and then to provide continuing support and motivation as they proceed with their learning.
- The ‘bare-foot pedagogue’ in Sweden, where union officers who are not education specialists will be trained to identify and support opportunities for learning interventions in unions at the local/workplace level.
- The ‘network animateur’ identified by a transnational ETUCO project, where a member of a network is trained in a range of techniques to support the work of an online community.
- The union learning representative (ULR) in the UK: the focus of the ULR is to raise awareness of educational opportunities and engage workers locally, and then to provide continuing support and motivation as they proceed with their learning.
- Tutors’ needs: Despite these new roles, the role of the tutor remains central and many educators require training in new pedagogies and technologies for learning. As collaboration expands at European level, demand for culturally aware trainers and online facilitators is likely to increase.
- Learners support: the need to prepare and support participants in all forms of e-learning which may require both new technical and study skills. The establishment of learning resource areas within workplaces is one approach highlighted as a longer-term strategy for engaging and supporting learners and encouraging higher participation rates, although negotiating with employers for paid time off for learning is still an important issue.
- Technologies implied: The choice of technologies being used by trade unions in support of learning is pragmatic, and has centred on facilitating text-based communications through conferencing or email. We found no evidence, for example, of use of mobile technologies explicitly built in to learning activities and limited evidence of experiments with, or use of technologies such as videoconferencing. There remains a great potential for exploration of new technologies to support alternative modes of work and learning.
- Sustainability: Financial sustainability of e-learning is an issue for some, particularly where developments have been project based and reliant on external funding, or where new forms of learning intervention might benefit from a more open-ended support from specialist educators. Actively seeking national and European sources of funding may therefore become a more widespread and important area of activity and one which may benefit from a greater collaboration among organisations at both national and European level.
Challenges and Recommendations
This survey has identified three distinct types of training using ICT: a focus on trade union-related education with a target audience of trade union officers and representatives; training related to organisational change, again with an internal audience; and vocational and skills training which primarily targets individual members. Generally, there appears to be a shift away from content-driven to communication-driven learning.
Four groups of challenges are identified:
Training: new methods of learning demand training for tutors, learners and those taking on new roles. This involves increased awareness of the wide range of e-learning methodologies which have been developed. Transnational e-learning will become increasingly important and both tutors and learners need to develop the necessary skills.
Learning, technology & organisational change: learning and technology are increasingly involved in new combinations with organisational change in trade unions. This has wide ranging implications for models of learning and training; appropriate technologies; sustainability of training and the relationship of education departments to other elements of trade union organisation.
Technologies: the use of new technologies has stabilised. New technologies, broader spread of existing technologies and some of the emerging roles of learning and education have led to new possibilities for applying technologies. Fresh evaluations of the potential of novel technologies in new contexts, informed primarily by organisational pedagogic concerns, needs to be reprioritised
Sustainability: in order to sustain innovative types of learning which blur some traditional boundaries, methods need to be developed which can evaluate and demonstrate the value of novel types of e-learning to stakeholders.
Perhaps the most significant finding is the emergence of a range of educational approaches alongside continued training in the use of ICT both for trade union and vocational purposes, and the increasingly close relationship of some of these approaches to the changing needs of trade union organisation.
Rethinking the European ICT Agenda
The Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs, Laurens Jan Brinkhorst, has initiated this report to start the discussion about the future European ICT agenda. PricewaterhouseCoopers is responsible for the content of the report, which presents a list of breakthroughs that the EU may need to achieve our Lisbon-goals.
Management Summary
Europe has set itself the highest target, it wants to become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy, to have sustained and accelerated economic growth with full employment and a modernised social protection system. But everyone agrees that the Lisbon target are still far away. Structurally, the economic growth rate and worker productivity are lower than in many comparable countries such as the USA. The key technology to stimulate growth in Europe is ICT. Although the ICT developments in the last decade have been spectacular, the potential contribution of ICT to economic growth and the quality of life is still enormous. However, it is necessary to take account of the ICT paradigm of today and proven best practices in an international setting to achieve the best results in the future.
There are several countries that are very successful with their creation and implementation of ICT. The few that were investigated in this study: Korea, India, China, USA and Japan all outperform the EU in many respects. These countries have bold initiatives and dare to improve their position in the field of ICT with proactive industrial policies.
Europe too can be successful. Present policies are very useful but not instrumental enough to enable Europe to catch up with other economic powers. We have to reconsider the present policies to identify the issues that are obstructing further progress and consider further the breakthroughs that could be achieved. In this study we have identified ten of such potential breakthroughs.
Breakthrough 1: Shift the e-Business and e-Government policy from connectivity to taking up complex ICT applications
A crucial condition for more economic growth is a broad deployment and use of ICT by enterprises and public institutions. Therefore the EU needs national strategies that focus on flanking investments in skills and organizational transformation. Special attention is needed for small and medium-sized enterprises.
Breakthrough 2: Standardize ICT environments in Europe to trigger and enable new business
Standardization is a prerequisite for a broad deployment and use of ICT, and will trigger and enable new business. Pan-European interoperable solutions for electronic authentication and electronic payments are needed to boost innovation and economic growth significantly.
Breakthrough 3: Accelerate the introduction of disruptive technologies
The speed with which new technologies are accepted and put to work has a serious impact on economic growth. The EU needs to play a key role by accelerating the introduction of new (disruptive) technologies like smart tags and Voice-over IP.
Breakthrough 4: Realize the vision of 'any content, anytime, anywhere, any platform'
Content is considered an important engine for future economic growth and employment. The EU needs to fuel this engine by realizing the vision of 'any content, anytime, anywhere, any platform' by e.g. introducting multiplatform access for content producers and new digital rights management regimes.
Breakthrough 5: Go for global platform leadership in the ICT industry
An excellent and competitive European ICT industry is a crucial condition for economic growth and employment. The EU needs to define a strategy towards global leadership in specific areas, for example by stimulating a (new) European standards policy (in cooperation with the market) and making an explicit choice for e.g. the future of 3G mobile telecom in Europe.
Breakthrough 6: Develop a strategic response to job migration to low-wage countries
Economic growth and employment can be seriously affected by the accelerated job migration to low-wage countries. The EU needs to develop a strategic response.
Breakthrough 7: Remove barriers for the development of an innovating European electronic communications sector
The electronic communications sector is a proven source for economic growth and employment. The EU needs to anticipate in an early stage the barriers for investments in next generation networks.
Breakthrough 8: Move to a new and flexible model of spectrum allocation
The spectrum is one of the major battlefields for innovation and new business. Modernization of spectrum policies will have a large economic impact. Therefore the EU urgently needs to make its rigid spectrum allocation model flexible.
Breakthrough 9: Enforce real solutions for consumer confidence and security
A crucial condition for a broad deployment and use of ICT by business and consumers is user confidence. Therefore the EU needs to enforce structural solutions for viruses and spam by creating liabilities, give priority to cybercrime within law enforcement and ensure the availability of critical infrastructures.
Breakthrough 10: Shift e-Inclusion policy from 'access for all' to 'skills for all'
A crucial step for a broad deployment and use of ICT by consumers is that Europe's e-Inclusion policy does not only focus on broadband access, but also on the skills Europeans need to participate in the information society. Therefore the EU needs to redefine the current universal service obligation and adopt strategies for improving ICT skills.
More information to continue the debate
More information about the report and the Dutch activities related to this report can be found at the ICTStrategy-eu2004 website.
The European e-Skills 2004 Conference website offer information about e-skills issues, including global sourcing, as well as strategies and best practices to boost e-skills, e-learning, competitiveness and job creation.
The eLearning Industry group (eLIG) has developed several contributions to the eEurope 2005 Action Plan, the future of EU Training programmes and other relevant issues.