Council use of Learning Management Systems (LMS) and elearning March 2015

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1 Council use of Learning Management Systems (LMS) and elearning March 2015 Prepared by LGNSW Learning Solutions

2 About this Survey This survey was conducted by Learning Solutions to gather information from NSW councils about their use and experience with Learning Management Systems and elearning. As elearning is becoming an increasingly common mode of delivery for some training courses (either as stand-alone programs or as part of a blended learning program), LGNSW undertook this research to gauge the uptake of elearning and to explore ways in which the Association could further assist its members with the adoption of elearning. The survey received 44 responses, representing 29% of the 152 councils consulted. As shown in the table below, respondent councils were a mix of metropolitan and regional councils and most were of large or medium size. Approximately one-third of respondents did not identify themselves. Metropolitan Blacktown, Camden, Campbelltown, Gosford, Hawkesbury, Holroyd, Kogarah, Liverpool, Parramatta, Penrith, Warringah, Woollahra and Wyong. Respondent Councils Regional Councils Albury, Gundagai, Inverell, Lismore, MidCoast Water, Newcastle, Port Macquarie Hastings, Queanbeyan, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven, Tweed, Warrumbungle, Wingecarribee, Wollongong, Yass Valley. March

3 Number of councils Use of Learning Management Systems Does your council have a LMS? 43% 57% Yes No The type of Learning Management System was listed by 15 councils. These were: Learning Seat (5), with one council using it for e-learning and Aurion HRIS for learning data administration Oracle (2) Janison (2) ELMO (1) Authority HRIS (1) Aurion (1) Customised product (3) Reasons for not using a LMS Other A LMS is not a priority Still looking for a LMS Lack of money Lack of time We haven't considered it March

4 Other reasons that were cited for not having a LMS related to: Being in the process of assessing a system currently (2) Poor timing, with new or pending managers and priorities Lack of employee access to computers Uncertainty about commitment to elearning What is your Learning Management System used for? Other Managing employee development plans Reporting completions Tracking progress Elearning delivery Registering participants Scheduling courses Some of the comments that capture the broad use of the LMS are below: We use LearningSeat for delivering e-learning and reporting on course completions Aurion HRIS is used for administering the internal training calendar, employees registering to attend courses, completing forms associated with Study Assistance, Reimbursement, External Training, Seminars and Conferences, reporting on course attendance and other training metrics, performance management and individual development plans. Many and varied reports and sets of stats, collection of certificates and qualifications, production of certificates, notification of refresher due dates, production of course attendance forms, generation of restricted training days or periods, lists of qualification and certificate holders etc, etc March

5 Number of Councils E-Learning in Councils Extent to which your Council has used elearning programs 20 (52%) (21%) 11 (26%) Not at all Occasionally Frequently Extensively 0 Success of elearning On a scale of 1 (extremely unsuccessful) to 10 (extremely successful), the elearning experience was given an average rating of 6.0 by respondents. Scores ranged from 1 to 9. For most councils the experience has been mixed and in others it is early to gauge its success: elearning systems have been used for training on the MS Office Suite of products, ie Excel, Word etc Only just started using some programs We have technical problems with the system which is a hindrance. Generally speaking take up of new starters is quite good, it s chasing those that drag the chain that is more of a concern Some areas more useful than others Staff complete mandatory training such as Code of Conduct, Child Protection, WHS, but do not really use for professional development. Lack of hardware and venues together with workforce workload. Depending on the user, some do not like it as they feel it is childish, others enjoy it. March

6 Factors contributing to the success or lack of success of elearning Twenty councils provided comments about the factors contributing to the success or otherwise, of elearning at their council. These comments are summarised in the table below. Factors leading to success Access, digital literacy skills, quality of product Management support Access to IT resources Comprehensive trialling and running a pilot program Staff who participated were highly motivated. Also, suited their learning style and IT skill level. Comfort levels with elearning Employees can undertake the training at a time that is convenient to them. No travelling or accommodation costs. Factors contributing to lack of success Lack of IT infrastructure Staff appear to have a preference for face to Face learning. Technical issues and more support from above Development of elearning modules takes too long and no funds to buy them in Time. Also, current modules look and feel outdated and thus make them less engaging for staff. Pressure to find a solution within an unreasonable timeframe; lack of expertise/honest and frank advice; assumptions about expertise (ie IT person vouching for the product when he clearly did not have a lot of experience with LMS'); getting stuck with a product that we then have to make work and the huge amount of time we've expended in trying to make the most of our investment. Lack of success - outdoor workers and childcare not having access to mobile technology to complete e-learning or time "off the floor" in order to complete. This is the case of indoor workers as well - often because managers do not realise the staff have e-learning to complete, the staff fail to allocate the time to complete their training. Success is based on easy access to learning program. Challenge is changing habits from face-to-face delivery to on-line learning. Communication and engagement with staff, monthly reporting to Directors. March

7 Benefits and Challenges of elearning The primary benefits of elearning were associated with reduced course delivery and ancillary costs, although the most commonly nominated benefit was greater flexibility around the time and place of learning. Top Three Benefits from elearning Other Increased employee computer skills Greater access to training for more staff Better quality training Greater flexibility around time and place Reduced ancillary costs Reduced course delivery costs No. 1 benefit No. 2 benefit No. 3 benefit The greatest challenges with elearning related to employee reluctance to use elearning (cited most commonly as the top barrier) and the inadequate computer skills of employees. Staff access to computers was also a major challenge, along with access to high quality elearning products within budget. Top Three Challenges with elearning Other Lack of support from supplier of Elearning programs Technical difficulties Insufficient time allocated in work hours to elearning Difficulties with staff accessing computers Problems sourcing high quality elearning within Inadequate computer skills Employee reluctance to use elearning No. 1 Challenge No. 2 Challenge No. 3 Challenge March

8 Some councils expanded upon the challenges they had faced: 1. Poor product 2. Poor resourcing post implementation resulting in "shovelware" (ie electronic page turning) and inability to create quality e-learning 3. General lack of understanding about e- learning - an LMS is simply one tool - even the best courseware is not "e-learning" per se. Getting some traction for the idea that e-learning is much more complex (and worthwhile if you invest/know what you're aiming for) is an ongoing issue. Support from above in chasing outstanding Source of elearning Programs Where did you source your elearning programs? Developed own programs in-house 5 Worked with external provider to develop own programs Purchased programs Other 3 Comments listed under Other included webinars (1) What elearning programs have you developed? Topics most commonly developed by the 16 respondent councils related to INDUCTION and WHS, IT and other areas of COMPLIANCE training. The full list of topics is below. Inductions, compliance training and some regulatory refreshers Working near overhead power lines, Backhoe operations competencies Trim, Induction, Bully Free, 1 for Child Care on Curriculum Development 1 for Curriculum Development for Early Childhood Education & Care. Induction before start date, WHS inductions, Code of Conduct refresher Orientation, EEO, code of conduct, WHS, Sun Heat and Sharps Awareness Use of computer applications IT induction March

9 Too many to mention, some examples: Access & Equity, Various WHS programs, Intro to Recruitment Child Protection, Code of Conduct, Recruitment and Selection, GIPA, Staff Induction, WHS Code of Conduct, EEO, Privacy & GIPA Conflicts of Interest, Enterprise Wide Risk Management, Information Management Business Rules, Gifts and Benefits Customer Service at Council, Manual Task Awareness, Government Info (Public Access) Act 2009, Privacy & Personal Info Protection Act (PPIPA), SPMAS, Workstation Self-Assessment, Sun Protection, Positive Working Relationships (Refresher), Enterprise Wide Risk Management 2014, 2014 CCTV Policy and Procedure Induction, recruitment and some systems training Discrimination - Something to think about Emergency Preparedness,WHS Induction Induction program and policy and procedural roll out. March

10 ELearning in the Future Do you intend to use elearning programs in the future? (37 responses) 78.40% 80.00% 70.00% 60.00% 50.00% 40.00% 30.00% 20.00% 10.00% 0.00% 2.70% Yes No Unsure 18.90% Topics of interest in the future What future elearning topics would be of interest to you? (35 responses) Other WHS for staff WHS for managers & supervisors EEO Alcohol and other drugs Bullying and harassment Code of Conduct Intro to local govt 0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% 80.0% 90.0% Other Topics listed by councils were: Plain English Writing; performance management; the disciplinary process; merit based selection; behavioural based interviewing; and the list goes on Induction. Training for Customer Service Officers on process and procedure. That's the start. TRIM, TechOne All soft skills - to be used in blended learning strategies PID March

11 All topics are of interest in theory. Not sure that generic courseware is the answer though. Not even sure that courseware is of that much value in an environment where "e-learning" is now so much more than just content delivered by LMS. Manual Handling for Indoor Staff, Word/Excel/PowerPoint How to. Regional Collaboration Have you explored elearning and LMS options with other councils in your region? 70.0% 60.0% 65.6% 50.0% 40.0% 30.0% 20.0% 10.0% 0.0% 25.0% Yes No Don't know 9.4% The following comments were provided by councils: Launched Learning Seat as e-quip across 5 Councils in mid north coast More information on systems and processes that worked or didn't. Good progress to selecting appropriate LMS given their experience Still exploring No but would be interested in pursuing Campbelltown has introduced a very basic online induction program. Visited a neighbouring Council to look at their LMS as part of initial research. Only preliminary discussions have been held. We have talked to providers about a ROC resource situation but nothing has come of it The elearning platform we use is a shared resource between 6 MIDROC councils Initial investigation stage Further assistance that could be provided by LGNSW Responses focused on: Facilitation of information sharing amongst councils Development of a common LMS platform Development of sector-endorsed elearning programs March

12 Individual council responses are listed below. At this stage for Hawkesbury it would be organisations that provide a range of quality elearning solutions. Topics that we have considered elearning are around Code of Conduct (Governance, Privacy etc) reasonable cost for courses - currently cheaper to develop our own than use yours - due to the pay per person cost structure Have courseware set up so that Councils can "borrow" the e-learning programs and they tailor into the standard HRIS/Recordkeeping systems that Councils use. Not sure at this stage An overview/summary of which LMSs are working for Councils (and which are not) and reasons why. Benefits/improvements those Councils have seen/achieved Recommendations for systems that work within LG, assistance in setting up the modules?? Everything Provide details of elearning that's successful in other Councils. If you've got information on TRIM and/ or TechOne modules + the usefulness/ best LMS's, that would be great. Publish the results of this survey (including lessons learnt by other councils - providers, challenges and how to overcome them, hindsight). Development of a platform to access elearning programs. The development of specialised training packages at a reasonable price. It appears that many companies want to sell their E Learning systems rather than appropriate training packages. To us the training modules are far more important than the systems for recording who has completed what training? Any information is appreciated None It would be great to have one standard elearning and Learning Management System that could be used by all Councils similar to how HR Advance has been used as a great tool in HR. Developing a core set of elearning modules for topics where vendors do not provide a standard solution, e.g. Code of Conduct. It would be critical that such modules be strongly endorsed by LGNSW in order to support pushing them through Council & Legal Services who seem to believe that every council requires a bespoke module. It's a huge area - not even sure where to start. In my view the biggest problem is finding people who know what they're talking about. I spent 12 years in the e-learning space and I feel frustration at the lack of innovation and genuine expertise/experience organisations have about e-learning. Ditto "consultants" - many of them are just marginally ahead of organisations in their understanding of e-learning. I'm not sure that "courses" by LGNSW would help or be useful - it's the sort of thing that really needs a community of practice/project approach over a period of time. It's like saying "What assistance could LGNSW provide re safety?" It's a big question. Information on what's available for LG in elearning modules. Any information on LMS being used in LG. A common introduction to local government e-learning course that is SCORM compliant so we can import into our e-learning course and link to our other induction courses. Potential shared services for a LMS? March