slidecast: barriers to e-learning job training (with sound)
DESCRIPTION
Learning at work as an employee is inherently different from being a student in an academic setting and, as such, is beset with different challenges. As trends in the adoption of e-learning for the delivery of job training increase, new challenges related to distance learning with technology have also emerged. Recognition that continued learning in the workplace, now via technological methods, is required for maintaining proficiency and achieving career goals means that understanding the challenges unique to learning at work is paramount. This qualitative study explored barriers to successful online job learning. Interviews with thirty federal government employees from the Forest Service and National Park Service enrolled in an online wilderness planning course revealed that attrition frameworks typically used to describe barriers to persistence in academia and distance education only partially describe hindering factors relevant to workplace learning. Although these hindering factors can generally be categorized as workplace; personality trait, and preference; course design/structure; or technology barriers, such categorization oversimplifies the true nature of employees’ struggles to learn on the job. This study's findings reveal three overarching systemic problems: 1) illusion of convenience, 2) absence of deeper learning, and 3) lack of an organizational culture of learning. These systemic problems demonstrate that complex interactions between various barriers create a cyclic system often preventing attainment of student-controlled, student-centered learning, two benefits of self-paced study. Other barrier interactions can foster employment of superficial, rather than deep, learning strategies possibly leaving employees ill-prepared to negotiate the situations for which they are supposedly being trained. Cultural elements of the structure and organization of work suggest that workplace learning is devalued, under-recognized and often unsupported, making the challenges to adaptation in an increasingly technological era even more significant.TRANSCRIPT
Government Employee Experiences in an Online Wilderness Management Course
Lisa EidsonWilderness Information Specialist, http://www.wilderness.net Technology Steward, http://connect.wilderness.netMaster’s Student (graduated fall 2009), University of Montana
Importance of E-LearningE-learning allows government to continue training
employees despite:Increasingly restricted travelShrinking natural resource budgets
E-learning represents the future of wilderness training
Presentation OutlineImportance of e-learningWhat is e-learning?Research
Study detailsResults
Systemic problemsConclusionsRecommendations
E-Learning Defined
Correspon- dence courses
Video
CD-ROM DVD Online
learning Inter-active TVWEBTV
Mobile/hand-held devices
Learning software/ tutorials
E-Learning is: Networked Internet-driven Inclusive
E-Learning BenefitsConvenientAccessibleReliable and universalAccurateScalableEasy to learnRisk-freeEquality of participationEfficient
E-Learning TrendsYear Percentage of Training Delivered Electronically
in Private Sector Companies
2002 19%2003 26%2007 30%
Training Magazine’s 2002, 2003, 2007 Industry Reports
~50% of training offered by Department of Agriculture delivered online
Other E-Learning ResearchE-learning can be as effectively as classroom learningStudents generally satisfiedAttrition rates higher than in classroomWithdrawing/persisting students experience same
barriersDevelopment of categorical frameworks to describe
barriers
Categorical Barrier Framework Guiding StudyRubenson (1986), Garland (1992), Schilke (2001)
Techno-logical
Epistemo-logical Dispositional
Institutional
Situational
E-learning Barriers
Barriers that stem from learner's life situation
Barriers related to learning institution
Barriers related to learner’s personality, nature
Barriers associated with course content,
structure, design
Barriers caused by computer-related
problems
Study DesignGoal
Describe barriers to successful e-learning experiences in a wilderness management course
Qualitative researchSemi-structured interviews
Guided by barrier framework
30 studentsForest Service (57%), National Park Service (43%)Completed the Wilderness Stewardship Planning
Framework online course in spring 2008
Wilderness Stewardship Planning Framework CourseOffered by the Arthur Carhart National Wilderness
Training CenterWilderness training arm of federal government
Free to government employeesRegistration, completion occurred within 6-month
timeframeCourse requirements included:
8 main modules 30-60 minutes each Choice of PDF or synchronized PPT w/sound
Optional application learning exercisesPractice testsFinal exam
Screen Snap of Synchronized PPT w/ Sound InterfaceScreen snap of course Table of contents
Pace, sound, display controls
Animated learning content area
Research ResultsIllusion of
convenienceAbsence of deeper
learning
Lack of an organizational
culture of learning
Workplace barriers
Personality trait and
preference barriers
Course structure/
design barriers
Technology barriers
Barrier categories
Systemic problems
Strong contribution to problem
Weak contribution to problem
Systemic Problem 1Illusion of Convenience
Recurring andsingular events
Convenient time chosen, learning
begins
Available times to learn identified
Learning delayed
Learning interrupted
Lack of sequestration
Strategies
Maximizing factors
Minimizing factors
Strategies
Cause
d by
Decrease
d by
Exacerbated by
Exacerbated by
Lack of sequestration
Ended by
Mitigated by
Increased by
Cycle
Negative inputs
Escape routes
Minimizing Factor:
Competing PrioritiesRecurring andsingular events
Convenient time chosen, learning
begins
Available times to learn identified
Learning delayed
Learning interrupted
Lack of sequestration
Strategies
Maximizing factors
Minimizing factors
Strategies
Cause
d by
Decrease
d by
Exacerbated by
Exacerbated by
Lack of sequestration
Ended by
Mitigated by
Increased by
“Learning in the workplace…isn’t the main priority.”“shoe horn [learning] in“
"work [learning] around…obligations"
Maximizing Factor:
DisplacementRecurring andsingular events
Convenient time chosen, learning
begins
Available times to learn identified
Learning delayed
Learning interrupted
Lack of sequestration
Strategies
Maximizing factors
Minimizing factors
Strategies
Cause
d by
Decrease
d by
Exacerbated by
Exacerbated by
Lack of sequestration
Ended by
Mitigated by
Increased by“If I found that I had something to do at work and I couldn’t get to it, I could always do it at my
home.”
Recurring/Singular Learning Interruptions:
Workplace DistractionsRecurring andsingular events
Convenient time chosen, learning
begins
Available times to learn identified
Learning delayed
Learning interrupted
Lack of sequestration
Strategies
Maximizing factors
Minimizing factors
Strategies
Cause
d by
Decrease
d by
Exacerbated by
Exacerbated by
Lack of sequestration
Ended by
Mitigated by
Increased by
“continuous interruptions”
Interruption Mitigation Strategies:
CopingRecurring andsingular events
Convenient time chosen, learning
begins
Available times to learn identified
Learning delayed
Learning interrupted
Lack of sequestration
Strategies
Maximizing factors
Minimizing factors
Strategies
Cause
d by
Decrease
d by
Exacerbated by
Exacerbated by
Lack of sequestration
Ended by
Mitigated by
Increased by
“I just decided even though it might take more time and I might have to restart after distractions, that I was going to slog through.”
Delaying LearningRecurring andsingular events
Convenient time chosen, learning
begins
Available times to learn identified
Learning delayed
Learning interrupted
Lack of sequestration
Strategies
Maximizing factors
Minimizing factors
Strategies
Cause
d by
Decrease
d by
Exacerbated by
Exacerbated by
Lack of sequestration
Ended by
Mitigated by
Increased by“All those things…played into the mix of [the coursework]
just getting…pushed further and further back.”
Strategies to End Procrastination:
CrammingRecurring andsingular events
Convenient time chosen, learning
begins
Available times to learn identified
Learning delayed
Learning interrupted
Lack of sequestration
Strategies
Maximizing factors
Minimizing factors
Strategies
Cause
d by
Decrease
d by
Exacerbated by
Exacerbated by
Lack of sequestration
Ended by
Mitigated by
Increased by
“Once I procrastinated so long,…I had to force myself to do [the course] all in a very short amount of time.”
Systemic Problem 2Absence of Deeper LearningSuperficial learning is focused on:
Memorization vs. task contentSatisfying assessment demands vs. integration/reconciliation of
new knowledgeStudents who learn superficially:
Learn lessRemember lessExit training ill-prepared to apply training
Impediments to deeper learningLearning strategies/preferencesCourse design/structure/deliveryMinimized retentionAttitudes toward e-learning
Preference for group learning, lack of interaction
“I feel like I learn better in a group, because there’s more interaction.”
“There’s a potential for [an e-learning] course to just be appealing to one style of learning.”
“Anytime there’s a group of people, you’re going to hear things that are outside of your box of thought.”
“I feel like I learn better in a group, because there’s more interaction.”
“There’s a potential for [an e-learning] course to just be appealing to one style of learning.”
“Anytime there’s a group of people, you’re going to hear things that are outside of your box of thought.”
Learning Strategies/Preferences
Lack of professional networking
“It’s that casual interaction that reinforces some of the learning points that you miss [in e-learning].”
“It’s that casual interaction that reinforces some of the learning points that you miss [in e-learning].”
Learning Strategies/Preferences
Lack of personalized evaluation
“The testing brought you back to really exact things rather than the general idea.”
“I found that [the testing] really geared to how I needed to learn the concepts.”
“If there was an assignment that I could have picked from and submitted it for peer review, that would have been much more challenging to me.”
“The testing brought you back to really exact things rather than the general idea.”
“I found that [the testing] really geared to how I needed to learn the concepts.”
“If there was an assignment that I could have picked from and submitted it for peer review, that would have been much more challenging to me.”
Learning Strategies/Preferences
Focus on words not concepts
“It almost felt like a crossword….you start to focus a little too much on the wording and a little too little on the meaning and the comprehension.”
“It almost felt like a crossword….you start to focus a little too much on the wording and a little too little on the meaning and the comprehension.”
Course Design/Structure/Delivery
Ease of distraction
“I think because it’s not a human, it’s easy to get distracted…Your mind tends to wander more.”
“You’re more maybe prone to multitasking while doing an online training.”
“I think because it’s not a human, it’s easy to get distracted…Your mind tends to wander more.”
“You’re more maybe prone to multitasking while doing an online training.”
Course Design/Structure/Delivery
Online delivery medium
“It’s difficult to really absorb as much through online learning.”
“It’s easy to…skim through and feel like you’ve completed something when really you haven’t gone into too much depth and you probably didn’t retain too much.”
“It’s difficult to really absorb as much through online learning.”
“It’s easy to…skim through and feel like you’ve completed something when really you haven’t gone into too much depth and you probably didn’t retain too much.”
Minimized Retention
Procrastination followed by cramming
“When I did my marathon,…I overdid myself.” “I felt…saturated with information.”
“I felt rushed…I really wanted to complete [the course] so I was like, okay, I’ll do the bare minimum.”
“To power through the course, I didn’t necessarily try to take advantage of those practical exercises.”
“When I did my marathon,…I overdid myself.” “I felt…saturated with information.”
“I felt rushed…I really wanted to complete [the course] so I was like, okay, I’ll do the bare minimum.”
“To power through the course, I didn’t necessarily try to take advantage of those practical exercises.”
Minimized Retention
Expectations
“The stigma might be strong, but not a very positive perception of some of the mandatory online training…And I think sometimes because of that there can be a bit of a groan when we hear about other online training.”
“I think I understood that…I was going to get the sense of the concepts and not much more, not as deep an understanding.”
“The stigma might be strong, but not a very positive perception of some of the mandatory online training…And I think sometimes because of that there can be a bit of a groan when we hear about other online training.”
“I think I understood that…I was going to get the sense of the concepts and not much more, not as deep an understanding.”
Attitudes Toward E-Learning
Systemic Problem 3Lack of an Organizational Culture of Learning
OrganizationalCulture
Environmental
Social
Learning not prioritized
“So it’s almost like triage, you come in the office expecting to get stuff done and [learning] just doesn’t happen. Other things pop up.”
“[online learning] kind of became a priority at work whenever the public wasn’t around.”
“Someone would swing by and drop 5 words, it might be 30 minutes of my day going to do something real quick.”
“So it’s almost like triage, you come in the office expecting to get stuff done and [learning] just doesn’t happen. Other things pop up.”
“[online learning] kind of became a priority at work whenever the public wasn’t around.”
“Someone would swing by and drop 5 words, it might be 30 minutes of my day going to do something real quick.”
Environmental/Social Factors Affecting/Defining Organizational Culture
Conflicting messages about learning
“My supervisor said, ‘Yes, you can use work time.’ But I was pretty sure without asking for any clarification that…it was like this, ‘You can do this, you’re not gonna get criticized if you get caught doing this on the job. But all the things I have for you to do or all the things you know you better be doing have to come first.’”
“My supervisor said, ‘Yes, you can use work time.’ But I was pretty sure without asking for any clarification that…it was like this, ‘You can do this, you’re not gonna get criticized if you get caught doing this on the job. But all the things I have for you to do or all the things you know you better be doing have to come first.’”
Environmental/Social Factors Affecting/Defining Organizational Culture
Prevalence of passive coping strategies
“Finding time that the physical noise and physical presence of folks in the office was limited, that was basically the only strategy I had.”
“I was hoping that I could…somehow after work find time to do two hours each day and then go home late. And that just did not work. And then I said, well, I’ll have to do it on my day off.”
“Finding time that the physical noise and physical presence of folks in the office was limited, that was basically the only strategy I had.”
“I was hoping that I could…somehow after work find time to do two hours each day and then go home late. And that just did not work. And then I said, well, I’ll have to do it on my day off.”
Environmental/Social Factors Affecting/Defining Organizational Culture
Feelings of guilt, reluctance to use work time to learn
“I kind of felt guilty doing [e-learning] at work even though my boss said I could.”
“It was a continuing education opportunity…So I was more than happy to say, ‘Okay, if the government will give me one hour a week, then if I need to, I’ll spend an hour on my own time to make sure that I complete the course.’”
“I kind of felt guilty doing [e-learning] at work even though my boss said I could.”
“It was a continuing education opportunity…So I was more than happy to say, ‘Okay, if the government will give me one hour a week, then if I need to, I’ll spend an hour on my own time to make sure that I complete the course.’”
Environmental/Social Factors Affecting/Defining Organizational Culture
Inadequate technology
Environmental/Social Factors Affecting/Defining Organizational Culture
“My biggest challenge was getting a computer for a length of time.”
“Our typical problem here is not enough bandwidth and during certain times.”
“[The course] did not seem to mesh well with the [agency’s] computer system.”
“I used rotten speakers…they crackle.”
“My biggest challenge was getting a computer for a length of time.”
“Our typical problem here is not enough bandwidth and during certain times.”
“[The course] did not seem to mesh well with the [agency’s] computer system.”
“I used rotten speakers…they crackle.”
Isolation
“I think in an academic community, it’s that whole interaction…[It] provides an atmosphere that you’re not able to duplicate on the web.”
“Another aspect…that is missed…is the camaraderie you build…that whole aspect of networking.”
“I think in an academic community, it’s that whole interaction…[It] provides an atmosphere that you’re not able to duplicate on the web.”
“Another aspect…that is missed…is the camaraderie you build…that whole aspect of networking.”
Environmental/Social Factors Affecting/Defining Organizational Culture
Negative prior experiences with institutional training
Colorful descriptions of required agency online training:“Eew!”“universally frustrating” “redundant”“Can the monkey jump through the hoop?”
“I’m sure [my prior experiences] influenced it a lot…The only thing I knew about any online course was those that I had taken.“
Colorful descriptions of required agency online training:“Eew!”“universally frustrating” “redundant”“Can the monkey jump through the hoop?”
“I’m sure [my prior experiences] influenced it a lot…The only thing I knew about any online course was those that I had taken.“
Environmental/Social Factors Affecting/Defining Organizational Culture
Low technical aptitude
“I personally consider myself almost computer illiterate.”
“I really don’t use [computers] much…it’s only for work….I’d rather not deal with it.”
“I don’t like computers at all…Like hooking up those speakers to take this class was like a pain in the ass for me, because it was like I had to plug them to that plate of spaghetti behind my desk. And that was a chore in itself.”
“I personally consider myself almost computer illiterate.”
“I really don’t use [computers] much…it’s only for work….I’d rather not deal with it.”
“I don’t like computers at all…Like hooking up those speakers to take this class was like a pain in the ass for me, because it was like I had to plug them to that plate of spaghetti behind my desk. And that was a chore in itself.”
Environmental/Social Factors Affecting/Defining Organizational Culture
ConclusionsLearnerBarriers,
Systemic Problems
ConclusionsE-learning in the wilderness management workplace:
Was inconvenientFostered superficial learningOccurred amid a culture that devalued/minimized learning
as part of work
ContextLimitations
Small sampleSpecific epistemological settingFocused narrowly on negative aspects
Purposely excluded benefits including: Accessibility Efficiency Course quality compared to required agency online trainings
RelevanceJob of educators/trainers is to remove barriers to e-
learning at work via:Formal training
Online coursesInformal learning
Networks, communities of practice, lessons learned centers Publications, syntheses, research Searchable databases, data centers
RecommendationsResponsibility for workplace e-learning is shared by:
EmployeesE-learning training providersEmployers
Recommendations for EmployeesLearners should:
Take a more active role in their own learningSet appropriate expectations of learningRead, understand, meet necessary course requirementsEnlist support for learning
Recommendations for E-Learning Training ProvidersProviders including the Carhart Center should:
Offer synchronous/asynchronous/group versionsIncorporate interaction/networkingMatch employees to relevant trainingsRethink course content
Recommendations for EmployersEmployers including the wilderness management
agencies should:Institutionalize/legitimize learning/training at workProvide better learning environmentsConnect learners after training
References CitedGarland, M. R. (1992). Variable Affecting Persistence in Distance Education in
the Natural Resource Sciences. Dissertation Abstracts International, 54(6), 2108. (UMI No. NN79731)
Ramsden, P. (1992). Learning to Teach in Higher Education. London: Routledge.
Rubenson, K. (1986). Distance Education for Adults: Old and new barriers for participation. In van Enckevort, G., Harry, K., Morin, P., and Schultze, H. G. (Eds) Distance Higher Education and the Adult Learner: Innovations in Distance Education (Vol 1, p. 39-55). Heerlen, Netherlands: Dutch Open University.
Schilke, R. A. (2001). A Case Study of Attrition in Web-based Instruction for Adults: Updating Garland's model of barriers to persistence in distance education. Dissertation Abstracts International, 62(5), 1684. (UMI No. 3013802)