E-Learning: An Effective Tool for Staff Development and Retention

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E-Learning An Effective Tool for Staff
Development and Retention

• Presented by
• Leslie Mariner, Vice President
• Essential Learning
• Child Welfare League of America
• Annual Conference
• February 23, 2009

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Goals for Today

• Overview of Current CWLA Staffing Issues
• E-Learning and Employee Retention
• Applying E-Learning in Your Workplace

3
Workforce Crisis

• Staff 80 of all spent in Human Services
• High Turn-over
• Training ground for higher paying positions
• Academic preparation vs. job readiness
• Anemic pipeline of new recruits

4
Barriers to Staffing Initiatives

• Unprepared new employees
• Large and challenging case loads
• Scarce resources
• Overworked supervisors
• Ineffective training-as-usual
• Low job satisfaction\ disempowerment

5
Staff Turnover

• In 2003, average turnover across 129 private CWLA
  agencies was
• For all positions 35
• For supervisors 44
• For casework positions 45
• For residential positions 57

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Financial Crisis - Impact

• Hiring, training, and replacing staff cost time
  and money
• As funding shrinks staff time becomes a premium
• Regulatory and CE requirements dont lessen
• The demand for evidence-based practices is
  increasing
• Training vs. reimbursable productivity
• How to do more with less?

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Staff Training Concerns

• Academic training
• Real application to front-line training
• Attention to current and best practices
• Deficit-focused training vs. empowerment tools
• Supervision and leadership skills
• Time, training, other duties
• Overwhelming training requirements

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Supervisory Concerns

• Supervisors need
• Time to work with new staff
• Core management training to retain qualified
  staff
• Mandates vs. Best Practices
• Strategies to empower staff

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Survival in Tough Times

• Organizations that are flexible enough to adapt
  to changing environments are the ones best
  positioned to survive and thrive tough times.
• Training as usual and business as usual are
  shortcuts that effectively cut out an agencys
  ability to innovate and to capitalize on the new
  developments in the changing market landscape.

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Organizational Strategies

• Organizations/Agencies that
• Align their workforce with strategic initiatives
• Empower their workforce with resources
• Maximize their available resources
• will thrive even during the toughest times.

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Linking Workforce Development to Organizational
Outcomes
Organizational Goals
Objectives
Evaluate Org Impact
Competencies
Gap Analysis
Measure Short Term Effect
Lng Styles
Instructional Solutions
Org Culture
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Applying e-Learning
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What is E-Learning?

• Educational process to help one acquire knowledge
  and skills using an electronic process
  (web-based) via the Internet, a network, or stand
  alone computer
• Content delivery includes Internet, Intranet,
  audio/video tape, satellite television, CD-Rom,
  and so forth.
• Courses are delivered through a Learning
  Management System (LMS)
• Blended approach

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What is E-Learning?

• More than just reading on-line
• High Quality, interactive on-line courses
• Developed by Instructional Technologists
• Based on adult learning principles research
• NOT journal and research articles
• NOT just a power point with voice over
• Learning Management System as a management tool

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Growth of E-Learning

• In 2005, instructor-led classroom-based delivery
  accounted for 61-68 percent of the average
  organizations training delivery methods, down
  from 80 percent in 1999 (ASTD, 2006).
• In contrast, the use of technology as a delivery
  method increased from about 8 percent in 1999 to
  between 28-38 percent in 2005 (ASTD, 2006).

American Society for Training and Development
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Many Community Based Agencies Using E-Learning

• Mandated Training
• Multiple, often overlapping requirements
• CARF, COA,JCAHO, state licensing agencies,
  payors, etc.
• Required reporting/tracking
• Professional Development
• Continuing education requirements for licensure
• Organizational Improvement - mission critical
  knowledge

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Organizations Use E-Learning for

• introductory/orientation training
• remedial training
• certification training
• support organizational initiatives
• address distance learning training for
  geographically disparate personnel
• offer a variety of learning opportunities, i.e.
  professional development and continuing education
  
• coach and mentor learners
• standardize training/knowledge
• Introduce new information and EBPs

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Applying e-learning techniques in your workplace

• Customize training to specific jobs and to
  specific individuals
• Soft Skills and Management courses to give
  supervisors concrete tools
• Employees get more training/education on best
  practices and have higher perceived effectiveness
• employees are empowered and feel competent using
  evidence-based practices

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E-learning Supports Principles of Adult Learning

• Provides clear, consistent information to staff
• Supports just-in-time training
• Self-directed nature
• Respects learning styles
• Empowers staff
• Supports autonomy
• Provides for all levels of learners

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E-Learning Supports Staff Retention

• Employee retention is essential to the health of
  an agency
• E-learning makes training more effective and
  accessible
• Online courses
• Provide information
• Teach skill basics
• Provide opportunities for low risk practice

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Education through e-Learning

• Increases knowledge and skills builds a competent
  workforce
• Creates opportunities for career advancement
• Provides easy and effective access to new
  information
• Good training creates employee empowerment and
  job satisfaction

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Organizational Implications

• Establishes a culture for training and
  accountability
• Align training needs with existing technology
  infrastructure and strategic initiatives
• Leverage technology to invest in human capital
• e-learning provides a portal for unique,
  flexible learning tailored to specific
  individuals, jobs, and environments

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e-Learning as a tool

• Supervisors can provide new employees with
  intensive training to make up for deficits from
  school
• Learning community helps to consolidate/support
  learners
• Using an LMS to assign and track trainings frees
  up supervisors to have more face time with
  supervisees as needed
• Tracking , reporting, and customizing training
  is a snap

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Job Impact

• Time saved by more effective training makes
  duties more manageable
• Supervisors can personalize e-learning training,
  and a better trained workforce will translate to
  higher autonomy and greater job satisfaction
• Connecting e-learners with an online community of
  peers allows new employees to learn more about
  the field as-a-whole, not just their own specific
  job/caseload.

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Total Workforce Development

• Hard Skills
• Evidence Based Practices
• Efficacy to models
• Professional Skills
• Soft Skills
• Working effectively and smarter in a dynamic
  workplace
• Personal and Interpersonal skills and tools

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Efficiency and Diversity

• By decreasing cost and time of training, while
  increasing quality of training, young front-line
  staff are better trained, have more confidence,
  and need less time from supervisors.
• The broad diversity of training topics available
  in online learning is more engaging

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Learning Retention and Results

• e-learning over traditional classroom
  demonstrated
• up to 60 faster learning curve
• up to 50 higher content retention
• 56 greater gains in learning
• consistency of learning was up to 60 better
• training compression was up to 70 faster

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Benefits of E-learning Compared to Traditional
Learning

• No time spent commuting to class or travel costs
• Staff can complete classes during breaks from
  work responsibilities or at home
• You can learn when you need it (Just-In-Time)
• Your learning options are not constrained by your
  geographic location
• You can learn at your own pace
• Learning can be fit into your busy schedule
• Can be more effective for certain types of
  learners (shy, reflective, language challenged,
  those that need more time)
• Instruction can be more customized and flexible
• Can lower costs for both learners and
  organizations that need training
• Side benefits of learning new technologies and
  technical skills

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Potential Savings

• Orientation/First year Training
• 8 new hires per month/48 hours of training 4,608
  training hours _at_ 11/hr.
• 50,688
• 60 of training shifted to online
• 2,765 hours reduced by 50
• 15,206 savings in paid training time

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Ongoing Training

• 150 employees 24 hours of training
• 3600 hours of paid training _at_ 11
• 39,600 in paid training time
• Shift 75 to online
• 2,700 hours reduced by 50
• 14,850 savings in paid training time

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Other Savings

• Travel time to attend training
• Replacement costs
• Covering staff while they attend training
• Non-productive managers time
• Chasing, documenting, teaching, scoring,
  traveling, scheduling, compiling, etc.
• Clerical Support
• CEU Reimbursement

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Evolution of e-Learning
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The New Learning Generations

• Millennials - those born in the 1980s/1990s have
  very specific learning preferences 
• they love experiential/hands-on learning, working
  in teams, and social networking
• They demand and expect more

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E-Learning 2.0

• Learning 1.0 One to Many
• E-Learning 1.5 One to VERY Many
• E-Learning 2.0 Students are Teachers

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Learning 2.0 - Collaboration

• Community Forums/Discussion Boards
• Wikis
• Blogs/Journals
• Social Bookmarking
• Social Networking
• Learning Micro-Communities

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Learning Communities

• 2.0 online community principles are
  particularly appropriate for the young
  technically-savvy employees coming straight out
  of school
• Take some pressure off supervisors b/c e-learners
  have access to a wide network of peers who can
  offer concrete support and practical input to
  apply on the job

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Current Trends

• E-Learning goes beyond the employee
• Consumer Recovery self directed recovery
  resources
• Family member and key stakeholder education
• Specialized certificate programs

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In Summary

• E-Learning and LMS technology give you
• Well-trained, empowered staff
• Less time/Fewer resources spent on training
• Greater flexibility in training provided
• More time for face-to-face attention
• Enhanced training compliance
• Decreased turnover