My first post is just really an introduction and an attempt to get you thinking about training deeper than the latest elearning program.
After ten years of teaching Business Studies in a large RTO, I found myself in a small NGO teaching sexual health. In a few short months, I was made the Manager of Education. What a change! For 10 years, I had been a teacher and elearning mentor working purely in the VET sector. I worked within a structure that defined my role and supported me with educational and technological expertise. Now I was the educational expert. I had to support content experts deliver high quality training in different educational sectors. But wait, there’s more…..I also had to introduce elearning.
So this is a blog about my journey and the journey of my organisation as we embrace elearning and bring supportive structure across a range of sectors. I’ll record the successes and the challenges, but most importantly, I’ll look at the methods, tools and people that helped the change. On the way, I hope to engage you and learn from your experiences too. Of course we will explore the exciting new programs that can add all the bells and whistles to online training, but there will always be newer, shinier products and many other blogs dedicated to them. I would like to reflect on the attributes, learning theories and supports that we use to develop meaningful and effective elearning.
Let me start at the very beginning – what drives me to teach and now, to lead an education team? The answer for me is meaningful change. I get great rewards from seeing students change their action. Now that I work in Health, it means improvements in the way doctors, nurses, teachers and others do their jobs. I know many trainers love the content they teach but for me, the content is one of the tools we use to get a change of action.
What drives you to put your time, creativity and heart into your role? I know it’s not the money. Let me know by replying to this blog.
My next post will explore how we established the requirements for our learning management system. For those of you working in a large organisation, you may not have been involved in the process, but it may be useful to learn about the kinds of decisions that were made and why. For others, you will have some insights on this important but often tedious process.
Keep in touch and let me know what you think!
Kathy Gerwald
Manager
Education Services
After ten years of teaching Business Studies in a large RTO, I found myself in a small NGO teaching sexual health. In a few short months, I was made the Manager of Education. What a change! For 10 years, I had been a teacher and elearning mentor working purely in the VET sector. I worked within a structure that defined my role and supported me with educational and technological expertise. Now I was the educational expert. I had to support content experts deliver high quality training in different educational sectors. But wait, there’s more…..I also had to introduce elearning.
So this is a blog about my journey and the journey of my organisation as we embrace elearning and bring supportive structure across a range of sectors. I’ll record the successes and the challenges, but most importantly, I’ll look at the methods, tools and people that helped the change. On the way, I hope to engage you and learn from your experiences too. Of course we will explore the exciting new programs that can add all the bells and whistles to online training, but there will always be newer, shinier products and many other blogs dedicated to them. I would like to reflect on the attributes, learning theories and supports that we use to develop meaningful and effective elearning.
Let me start at the very beginning – what drives me to teach and now, to lead an education team? The answer for me is meaningful change. I get great rewards from seeing students change their action. Now that I work in Health, it means improvements in the way doctors, nurses, teachers and others do their jobs. I know many trainers love the content they teach but for me, the content is one of the tools we use to get a change of action.
What drives you to put your time, creativity and heart into your role? I know it’s not the money. Let me know by replying to this blog.
My next post will explore how we established the requirements for our learning management system. For those of you working in a large organisation, you may not have been involved in the process, but it may be useful to learn about the kinds of decisions that were made and why. For others, you will have some insights on this important but often tedious process.
Keep in touch and let me know what you think!
Kathy Gerwald
Manager
Education Services