Something worthwhile

In the first few months after the February 2011 earthquakes, staff at CCL were in a variety of different places. Some had lost homes and loved ones and were grieving, some were seconded to Civil Defence and were involved in the recovery efforts, and some were back in their usual workplace. However, a number of libraries were closed both as a result of damage and of libraries being commandeered to

accommodate other council services. Staff from these libraries were reallocated across the network to provide additional assistance in those libraries that were open to the public. Although these staff had library desk duties to perform, their usual off-desk roles had diminished. For staff from Central Library with a large behind the scenes responsibility, this required a considerable change in duties. Although some libraries became very busy, others were overstaffed until customer numbers built up.

During this time a number of face-to-face training sessions were provided in areas such as resiliency, but also computer skills, family history, music collections and health resources. It was recognised that although people reported an inability to concentrate and remember information, staff appreciated the training sessions on a number of levels. As well as providing an opportunity to meet up with other colleagues and provide support, it was also an opportunity to do something worthwhile and to learn something new. Yet due to lack of training venues and difficulties in travelling around the city these sessions were somewhat limited. Being able to provide online learning without the need for travelling although not

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providing the face-to-face support would have likely benefitted many staff and up skilled the workforce.

Thus there are a number of factors that would suggest that e-learning could have the potential to be earthquake- proof and an effective form of staff learning in the aftermath and recovery from a disaster. It could provide a sense of normalcy in a time of upheaval and the opportunity to upskill in a period of relative quiet.

Fortunately, this hypothesis could not be tested during the timeframe of this study as no major event occurred resulting in library closure.

6.5

Relating the research to previous studies and the wider

context

The research took place in a unique setting – Christchurch City Libraries - in unique circumstances – the period following a series of devastating earthquakes – but despite this there are a number of lessons of value for developers of e-learning programmes and professional development practitioners, particularly in library contexts.

6.5.1

Workplace Support

Previous work (e.g. Hoyle (2010), Frankola (2001), Forsyth, Joseph & Perry (2009), CIPD (2011)) has documented the low completion rates of workplace online learning, including within the public library context. One of the most

commonly identified barriers to workplace online learning is time (Forsyth, Joseph & Perry (2009), Stephens & Cheetham (2011)) and my research also identified time as being a key issue. Organisational support has also been identified as a key factor in the success of online workplace learning (Hoyle (2010), Dalston & Turner (2011)). In my study organisational support was also considered essential,

particularly with regards to being given time to complete the programme. Although “allowing staff time to work on the program and make it a key commitment” (Stephens & Cheetham (2011), p.56) has been put forward as exemplary practice for workplace e-learning, my research revealed that this was

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not by itself sufficient. In practice, trainees also needed to be able to negotiate with other colleagues to actually obtain the time and resources they required in the day- to-day working environment. This observation has not been a major theme in previous studies. There are many factors that may impact on a trainee’s ability to engage in this negotiation; their personality, skills at negotiating, and position within the team. For newer colleagues with a junior position within a workplace this could prove a substantial barrier. Developing workplace support provisions that ensure trainees are actually able to negotiate and take the learning time they require is thus an essential consideration for all online workplace learning.

6.5.2

Activities for e-learning

Despite some evidence suggesting that different types of online content (video, quizzes etc.), have little influence over the amount that learners learn (U.S. Department of Education & Office of Planning, 2009) other authors (e.g. Kim (2009)) have found that interactive elements such as simulations and animations that allow the learner to control the pace of their learning are positive motivational factors. Clark and Mayer (2011) suggest using a visually simple design to avoid cognitive overload and aid learning. Yet considering Keller’s ARCS model (Keller, 2010) of motivational instructional design (where ARCS represents the four categories of attention, relevance, confidence and satisfaction), the inclusion of exciting visual elements to gain the learner’s attention and curiosity is important. Booth et al. (2009) also found that workplace learners preferred e-learning programmes that were attractive and easy to use. In my study, attractiveness and ease of use were found to improve learners’ engagement with the course and trainees strongly preferred some types of activities over others (i.e. videos and interactive quizzes over written text.), concurring with both Kim (2009) and Booth et al (2009). My research also demonstrated however, that a major contributor to learner engagement was not any one particular activity type but the variety of different activities and the element of surprise that this variety brought. This fits directly with Keller’s (2010) ARCS model, which suggests using variety to invoke attention, and also Allen’s (2007) stress on moving away from traditional

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the impact of variety in online programmes on effectiveness and learner motivation has had little consideration in previous studies. Within my study it came forward as a major theme and may warrant further research.

6.5.3

Content for e-learning

Some authors (e.g. Kirkwood (2009), Laurillard (2008)) criticise e-learning programmes for replicating existing teaching practices rather than using e-

learning technology as an opportunity to deliver something better. In my research, most of the programme content was specifically developed for the e-learning environment. However, when traditional presentations converted from face-to- face programmes were used, these were considered far less engaging and effective, suggesting that existing teaching practices do need to be reconsidered when

moving into the online environment.

Dalston & Turner (2011) found that providing externally created “canned” training was ineffective without internal facilitation, and my research suggests that local

content is important too. Allen (2007), Clark and Mayer, (2011) and Herrington et. al. (2010) all suggest that workplace e-learning should focus on providing

authentic, real-life experiences both to promote engagement and transference of learning into the workplace. In my study, trainees preferred, and felt more engaged with, locally developed in-house content even over other NZ produced material. For workplace training this emphasises the need for developing in-house materials rather than buying online learning “of the shelf”.

In the wider learning context, the move internationally towards Massively Open Online Courses (MOOCs) with thousands of learners enrolled across the globe (e.g. Hoare, 2013 and Shadwell, 2013) could well mean that the potential for all

learners to be exposed to local content is lost. Thus, the challenge of ensuring that MOOCs are locally relevant is important, for without it some learners may be placed at a disadvantage.