E learning Experiences Module 3 – Additional Work – Option 1
After completing four hours of the online BBC German Language e-learning course, it is able to be evaluated on content and course structure and layout. This evaluation can include its suitability for implementation into the workplace of book retail. I currently work for a Dymocks bookstore, where e-learning has yet to be implemented. There is approximately twenty staff and the training here is done face to face and on the job. As it has been proven that e-learning is an effective form of modern training, I believe the book trade industry could benefit from employing e-learning technologies into their organisations. While it is obvious that a knowledge of German, although possibly useful at times, is not a necessity in this context, this essay will look at the BBC German Language e-learning course in regards to its layout and presentational aspects. From the four hours of this course completed, it is possible to have an idea as to what makes an e-learning course effective or ineffective. Aspects of this course could be effectively used in the book retail industry, if the German was replaced with other content such as customer service and product knowledge.
As retail work is fairly repetitive, training should not have to be completed too often. The most important time would be at the beginning of employment, or at any time where original processes have changed.
I believe the success of an e-learning course lies in its ability to keep the learner motivated and interested in the topic. Burns (2002) states that “motivation is the key to learning” (p. 186) and therefore, as educators we can focus on building this motivation so that learning is done effectively.
Motivation, in order to support this learning, can be encouraged in two ways.
- Before the program is delivered, promotion for the course will introduce learners and prepare them for the change in training that will occur.
- Motivation can be increased by the design of the course. This thought was inspired by the BBC German language online e-learning course because its design, including the layout and colours were appealing and enticed me to choose and continue with that course. William Horton has done extensive research regarding the most effective layout of e-learning courses. He discussed various layouts and designs such as the use of scrolling, visuals, size and font types as well as the use of emblems. He states that as e-learning is a visual tool, the design of the program helps to direct the learner to what you want them to focus on.
Like any form of training, clearly stating objectives is also imperative to the success of the e-learning course. For the course to be effective, these objectives must be in line with the organisations goals. As Nankervis (et al 2005) states “The primary focus of a training program is to help achieve the overall organisational objectives” (p. 271) and therefore the HRD team who develop the course should be working in line with management to make sure these objectives and goals are being met.
The goals and objectives for the course must also be outlined for the learner. This helps them know what is expected of them to learn from the course and enables their learning to be directed in this way. The BBC German language online e-learning course had a section where the learner is able to read the objectives for each module of the course. Therefore I knew in advance what I would be learning. I found this effective as it helped me to focus on my learning.
Technology limitations of both the learner and the organisation must be taken into account when wishing to implement e-learning programs.
There are many different people working in retail, including different ages, nationalities and experiences. Because of this, an e-learning course that is implemented into retail training must be broad enough to be able to be completed by all staff members.
Two issues are raised when e-learning is to be completed in retail at work.
- In retail, there is not the amount of computers readily available to be used for training as an office would have. Especially with a team of only twenty, computers that are available for training (the ones in the back room) are not abundant and are often being used. Therefore special consideration has to be made concerning where the training would be completed. A suggestion would be to make suitable arrangements to free up one computer for the amount of time needed.
- The second issue regards the time spent completing the training. This interferes with the everyday work that has to be completed. Extra staff need to be employed to cover the vacancy on the shop floor that the training is taking.
A suggestion, frequently being used by organisations, that would solve all technology at work issues, is to give the employees the details of the training and ask them to complete it in their own time, therefore using their own resources (home computers).
The BBC German language online e-learning course did not require a large amount of internet usage and my broadband was able to cope with it with no problem. Due to the involved nature of the course, eg activities, sound and interaction, I would expect learners on dial-up internet to have some difficulties. However in the majority of organisations, including Dymocks, I expect them to have invested in broadband internet. Therefore this complication should not be an issue.
The BBC German language online e-learning course was interesting and effective, however, like almost everything, there is room for improvement. Whilst completing this course, the area that seemed to need improvement was the repetition of the activities. As recognised earlier, games and activities are important in maintaining learner motivation, however in our own e-learning course I believe we should provide a variety of different games and activities in order to make the program interesting. In the course I completed four hours on, I believe there could have been more testing and assessment. The testing in this course consisted of activities that were marked, however the results did not really mean anything. The aim of assessment is to make sure that the skills, knowledge and attitudes are being transferred to the learner.
An idea that would be effective in retail e-learning would be the use of formative and summative assessments. These let the educator know what the level of improvement is for the learner. It also provides feedback as to how effective the program is in regards to learning (Woolfolk & Margetts, 2007).
Although testing does sometimes lead to anxiety in students and can therefore harm their learning. By using the idea of Horton (2006 p. 283), I believe an interesting and motivating alternative to testing can be in the form of collecting tokens. These can be collected from completing activities and perhaps a competition could exist around it between the staff members.
In conclusion, the BBC German language online e-learning course can be used as inspiration for the e-learning course being implemented at Dymocks. It has also raised areas for suggestions and improvements which will make our program even better. By taking notice of all the issues raised above such as the need to make the program simple, as well as motivating and interesting, can also help to make the program as effective as it can be.
References:Burns, R. 2002. The Adult Learner at Work: The challenges of lifelong education in the new millennium. Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest, NSW.
Horton, W. 2006. E-Learning by Design, John Wiley & Sons,
San Francisco, USA.
Nankervis, A. Compton, R & Baird, M. 2005, Human Resource Management: Strategies and processes, 5th edn. Thomson Learning Australia,
Victoria.
Woolfolk. A. & Margetts, K. 2007. Educational Psychology, Pearson Education
Australia, Frenches Forrest, NSW.
