Barnardo’s has won the award for Best Overall eLearning programme at the Charity Learning Awards, for the breadth of learning technologies it uses and its sensitivity to staff uncomfortable with online learning.
Award judges were impressed that Barnardo’s learning and development team embraced so many different types of learning technologies. These included using virtual classrooms, video, wikis, and an online learning community to support some 7,500 staff and volunteers at 400 sites spread across the UK and Northern Ireland.
For example, all new recruits are provided with a 45-minute virtual classroom session introducing Barnardo’s IT systems. Staff are shown how to access the charity’s learning resources and support, and this virtual classroom is also available to existing staff.
Further, the team won for its ability to listen to the challenges learners face and to develop viable solutions to solve problems. This policy has had a noticeable impact on the organisation’s learning culture.
Lisa Johnson, Barnardo’s IT learning and development manager, said: “Initially our staff were reluctant to try eLearning and felt isolated. By introducing individual learning contracts, team-based learning and promoting learning in small bite-sized modules, we helped people overcome their concerns.
“The team introduced virtual classrooms and learners were at first anxious - but once they attended a session they were hooked and we are seeing more staff sign up.
“As an alternative to requesting ‘training’, staff are also now choosing self-directed learning. Instead of staff saying ‘I need a course’ the enquiry is now ‘where can I find a learning resource that will help me do x?’ This is a major shift forward.”
By using learning technologies, the charity reached 54 per cent more learners in 2010/11 compared to those it trained in 2006/07.
Lisa Johnson, Barnardo’s IT learning and development manager, said: “Elearning and the use of other learning technologies has had a major impact on the way we support IT users within our organisation. Sixty per cent of our delivery is now online.”
