learning for library staff: make it blended – not on the

Learning for Library Staff: Make it Blended – Not on the Rocks!

June 24, 2007

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Introductions

• Laura Staley, Spanish Language Outreach Project Coordinator, WebJunction

• Nini Beegan, Online Learning Coordinator, Maryland Division of Library Development & Services

• Michele Leininger, Continuing Education Consultant,State Library of Iowa

• Mary Ross, Staff Development Consultant

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Group Activity

• Find a partner• Share with your partner what you want

to learn from this session

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“A combination or blend of different online learning modes, or of online and in-person learning”

What is Blended Learning

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• Advantages– testing the e-learning “waters”– increases satisfaction & completion rates– appeals to different learning styles– offers convenience and flexibility– integrates learning into daily work– offers learners follow-up help– reduces travel costs and training time– increases scalability– makes updating content easier

Why Blended Learning?

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Challenges of Blended Learning

• Hardware, software, & bandwidth• Technology skills of learners• Providing adequate support to learners• Requires a shift in culture• Time and space for learning• Requires more learner independence• Instructional design

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What the research says:• increased cost-effectiveness (Graham, Allen

& Ure, 2003), • increased productivity for those using a

blended approach over e-learning alone (Thomson/NETg, 2003)

• enhanced employee retention and reduced training time Nelson (2005) and Bersin (2004)

• cheaper to update and distribute online resources (Osguthorpe & Graham, 2003)

Making the Case for Blended Learning

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• Internal Assessment– Organizational culture – Organizational readiness

• Target Audience Assessment– Target audience’s skills– Target audience’s readiness

• Learning Content and Design Assessment– Learning/Performance objectives– Needed assessment strategies– Knowledge of Instructional Design

Are You Ready?

Division of Library Development & ServicesMaryland

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Vendor Product

• What• Why• How• Lessons Learned

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What we used

Ninth House – http://www.ninthhouse.com

• Online supervisory training• Leading management “gurus”

– Self management– Situational leadership– Resolving interpersonal conflicts

• Subscription – 1 year, 15 seats

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Why we blended

• Comfort• Understanding• Community• Feedback

AndMotivationMotivationMotivation

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How we blended

• Ninth House “team”• Kickoff meeting

– Demo software – Select courses– Set schedule– Ground Rules – Set expectations!

• Monthly in-person meetings• Wrap-up

– Evaluate– Celebrate

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Lessons Learned

• Who & What matters• Customize - participants select courses• Teams motivate• Set expectations• Minimize technology• Check for understanding• Celebrate

State Library of Iowa’s Blended Learning: The McGuyver Approach

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Public Library Management: The evolution of a class

• Classes began 20 years ago using speaker phones and a conference call

• A few years later, started using Iowa Communications Network (ICN), statewide fiber-optic classrooms with video feed, internet, data and telephone

• Last year, moved to the online environment with a class web site and web discussion boards

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Public Library Management 1 class web site

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PLM 1 web site, part 2

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PLM 1: Session 1

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PLM 1: Session 1, part 2

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Session 1: Reading Assignment

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Session 1: Written Assignment

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Session 1: Additional Resources

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Session 1: Web board questions

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WebJunction Iowa: PLM 1 Web boards

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Why the move from more traditional training to online?

• The age of the ICN and uncertain state support of the network

• Student criticism of not enough time for discussion and getting to know others in the cohort group

• Instructor criticism of student access to new information and handouts

• Cost of training and travel

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Lessons learned in making the change to online

• If it is a regularly taught class, make small incremental changes if possible

• Get administration and instructors on board with the ‘why’ of the changes

• Take into account former students’evaluations when making the changes

• Make it clear that nothing is written in stone, and input for evolution and tweaking will be needed

Designing Blended LearningThe Importance of ISD

Mary B. Rossmbucherross@earthlink.net

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Why blended learning? Because we had a blend of learners!

• Libraries of varied types, sizes and patrons served.

• Staff with different levels of education and experience.

• Libraries using different virtual reference software.

• Learners with limited experience with online courses.

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What was the blend for the learners?

• Meetings were face-to-face and online…activities were synchronousand asynchronous…learning was individual and collaborative.

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What was important for the designers?

• Stress collaboration over individual learning.

• More learner-focused, less teacher-focused.

• Contextual, builds on previous learner experiences.

• Emphasize exploration, discovery and reflection.

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What is ISD?

• Instructional Systems Design• Widely used method for developing

training programs.• Most ISD is based on four to seven

steps represented by the acronym “ADDIE.”

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ADDIE Model

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What is ISD?

• Instructional Systems Design• Widely used method for developing

training programs.• Most ISD is based on four to seven

steps represented by the acronym “ADDIE.”

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ANALYSIS

• The foundation! Uses needs assessment and skills gap analysis. You define what is to be learned, who are the learners and whytraining is appropriate.

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DESIGN

• Building on what you learned from Analysis, you write learning objectives, select delivery methods, and sequence the instruction.

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DEVELOPMENT

• The authoring phase. Working with Web designer and producer, you create lesson plans and materials. You “chunk” and storyboard the content.

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IMPLEMENTATION

• The delivery phase. You may be facilitating the course or training trainers. Your role is to ensure mastery of the material and encourage transfer of skills to the job.

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EVALUATION

• Measures the effectiveness of the training.

• Formative evaluation is ongoing during and between the phases. Purpose is to improve the training before the final version is implemented.

• Summative evaluation occurs after implementation and completion of the course.

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Three Blended Models

• Anchor Blend—Starts with a defining event, followed by independent experiences. (Anytime, Anywhere Answers)

• Bookend Blend—Orientation, online learning, concluding event. (Distance degree programs).

• Field Blend—Independent and persistent choices (Learning 2.0, Virtual Reference Adventure)

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THE VALUE OF ISD

• “Learn the new tools, but…don’t forget your roots in instructional design and learning theory. Remember that you don’t always need all the bells and whistles to create excellent learning resources. Many times the bells and whistles are more a distraction from learning than an aid to it.”

• (Daniel R. Tobin, All Learning is Self-Directed, ASTD, 2000)

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What tools are available?

Live In-Person Synchronous Virtual

Collaboration

Asynchronous Virtual

Collaboration

Self-Paced Asynchronous

• Instructor led classroom training

• Hands on labs • Coaching/Mentoring • On the Job Training

• Webinars • Online chat/IM

sessions • Conference

calls • Video

conferencing

• Online discussion boards

• Listservs • Email • Blogs

• Online tutorials • Simulations • Online self-

assessments • Archived

webinars • CD-Roms

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Blended Blunders

• Reactive Blending• Unclear training objectives• Not matching objectives to the best

training methods• Not bringing in the expertise needed• Poor implementation

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Questions and Answers

• Additional Blended Learning Resources and Discussion Boards:http://www.webjunction.org/blendedlearning

• Blended Learning Course –Coming this fall!

• American Society for Training and Development (ASTD)

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Resources Recommended by Mary Ross

• Michael W. Allen, Designing Successful E-Learning, Pfeiffer, 2007.

• Allison Rossett and Rebecca Frazee, “Blended Learning Opportunities,” AMA Special Report, 2006. Available at http://www.amanet.org/blended/white-papers.htm.

• Rita-Marie Conrad and J. Ana Donaldson, Engaging the Online Learner, Wiley, 2004.

• Chuck Hodell, ISD from the Ground Up, ASTD Press, 2nd ed., 2006.

• Dave Meier, The Accelerated Learning Handbook, McGraw-Hill, 2000.

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Get in Touch

• Laura Staley, staleyl@oclc.org• Nini Beegan, nbeegan@carr.org• Michele Leininger,

michele.leininger@lib.state.ia.us• Mary Ross,

mbucherross@earthlink.net