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Continuous learning and development are key to keeping
Buffalo State College and its employees competitive. E-Learning
can help you and your employees achieve professional and
personal development goals.
Helpful Tools:
E-Learning Contract |
Reinforcement Techniques Checklist
Getting your employees started on e-Learning is a challenging
task and requires you to:
- Educate employees on e-Learning and the value
it brings to their job and their professional development.
- Define learning parameters by setting specific learning
plans for each employee that includes time to learn, goals for
learning, and rewards for accomplishment.
- Coach and follow up on each employee's learning plan to
ensure that each learner is achieving his or her goals. Then
provide assistance or define consequences for non-performance.
- Recognize and reward each employee's accomplishments.
- Support and manage ongoing integration of topics
and techniques learned into the employee's daily work.
For many, e-Learning is a new experience. Many employees define training in the traditional sense, where they
attend a classroom-based program led by a live facilitator.
E-Learning changes how training occurs, making
learning more accessible, effective, and learner managed.
Changing the employee's perception of how learning occurs
requires your management expertise. The following management
tools will help you accomplish your re-education efforts.
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Defining and communicating performance expectations is critical to
achievement of the departmental goals. In a similar
fashion, performance expectations should be defined for an
employee's learning.
To help guide employees through training you can:
Assign training programs that help employees develop or
enhance
skills and/or knowledge.
Communicate with the employee and clearly explain why the
he or she must complete the training.
Develop written e-Learning plans that identify days and times the
employee can dedicate to e-Learning, learning goals, and
deadlines.
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The key to successful training is the coaching and follow up you
provide. Use the learning plans to check progress and work in
partnership with the employee to ensure successful achievement of
learning goals.
Providing access to training is a small piece of the learning
puzzle; integrating training into department objectives takes a bit
more planning. To create a powerful learning environment, consider
a few of these best practices:
- Tie e-Learning to other projects or workshops.
- Require e-Learning courses as pre-requisites to instructor-led workshops
or training events so all participants have a common knowledge base.
- Offer incentives for successful completion of learning plans on
or before your defined time frame.
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Everyone likes to be recognized for accomplishments. Training
goals are no exception. In order to create an environment where
learning is valued and supported, recognize and reward
employees who accomplish learning goals.
Developing an e-Learning environment requires your ongoing
commitment and support. Learning should not be an event, but a
means to an end. Yes, we want employees to enjoy learning and
have fun while learning; however, the real test is what the
employee does with the new skills and techniques. Are you
encouraging employees to continuously learn and seek out new
ideas?
To create a culture that attracts, retains, and develops employees
we must create an environment of learning. We can offer the best
training programs in the world; however, if we do not tie learning
to our strategic and individual plans we will not
achieve success.
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| When Do Employees Accept e-Learning? |
A study by the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD)
and The MASIE Center revealed three critical success factors in
determining whether an employee will or will not accept and
participate in a work-related e-Learning course. These include:
- Internal Marketing: Employees respond better to e-Learning when
it is promoted well in advance and they feel prepared.
- Support: Employees value and respond to e-Learning when they feel
they have the necessary technical, subject matter, and managerial
support.
- Incentives: Employees respond to e-Learning when they can
clearly see the value of what they will learn.
If you have any questions or would like assistance in any of the above areas, please contact Human
Resource Management at ext. 4822.
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