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The Learning AuditBAOLworkshop
Fiona Leteney and Jonathan Kettleborough
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Agenda

• Today we shall be covering
• introduction
• whats the learning need
• getting the data
• what are your resources
• balancing the books
• costs
• points to note
• question answers

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Introduction
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Fiona Jonathan

• Background
• Engineering Manufacturing
• Further Education
• FeeNix e-Learning
• LMS - WBT Manager
• Authoring - Lectora Publisher
• Training AICC and SCORM Standards for Decision
  Makers
• Customers
• Tower Hamlets Council
• Transco
• Huthwaite International

• Background
• Corporate training and HR
• Retail, Finance and IT sectors
• Corollis
• Effective business solutions
• E-Learning Consultancy
• Process and Project Management
• Customers
• Spread across public and private and educational
  sectors
• Local, national and international

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• Technology presumes theres just one way to do
  things and there never is
• Robert M Pursig
• Novelist and philosopher

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Todays process
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Objectives

• Advertised Objectives
• what a Learning Audit is and the issues involved
• carrying out the Audit
• analysing, presenting and delivering results
• Delegate Advanced Requests
• how to audit training needs and support
  structures
• methods of analysing Learning needs
• defining learning support structures
• Workshop questions
• does your organisation currently use Learning
  Audits?
• if yes, does it use them well
• if you use Learning Audits, do you feel you use
  them well

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Whats the learning need?
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Learning need

• Lets start with an example
• you are the training manager of a large
  organisation
• you are about to implement a new set of office
  tools
• you have no idea who needs training, or in what
  issues
• you have no idea who needs training first
• you have no idea of the full extent of your
  resources
• you need to deliver solutions quickly
• your budget is limited

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Issues you might be facing

• You might be facing some or all of the following
• not knowing
• time pressures
• lack of Learning Audit experience
• the need to act professionally
• the need to do a good job
• Does this sound like reality to you?

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Key questions

• Think about the following
• consider the specific learning needs your
  organisation is facing
• share these with your colleagues
• pick one of these to work on for the remainder of
  this workshop
• what would be the cost to your organisation of
  not undertaking the learning need?

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Getting the data
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• Not everything that can be counted counts,
  and not everything that counts can be counted
• Albert Einstein
• (1879 - 1955) Genius

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Key questions

• Think about the following
• what information do you need to know about the
  target audience
• list all the key areas
• what methods and approaches would you use to
  gather this information

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Key issues
Who needs What, where, when, how
often and how quickly
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A suggested approach

• A good approach should include
• dont rush in consider the issues
• understand the issues whats really needed?
• work backwards from when the learning is required
• prioritise, prepare and plan!
• work in small manageable chunks

results
practice
analysis
learning
design
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Asking good questions

• To ask good questions, you should
• avoid open questions
• be as specific as possible
• refer to the activities undertaken, not
  functionality used
• use scales or measurement for responses e.g.
• Frequency daily weekly monthly yearly
• Frequency Always Often Rarely Never
• Importance 1 2 3 4

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Funnelling technique

• High level
• Qualifiers
• Frequency
• Specifics

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Funnelling technique

• 1. Do you need to do XYZ
• if no, skip to next q
• 1a. Which of these do you use
• show a list
• 1b. How often
• 1c. Indicate proficiency
• if applicable

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Qualifying questions
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Alternative questions
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Expert user questions
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Getting meaningful answers

• To get meaningful answers, you should
• asking meaningful questions
• ask questions that relate to the role or activity
• using scales and measures makes it all easier
• chunk the information into small elements
• make the process easy for all parties

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Collecting information

• There are a number of ways to collect data
• you can provide questionnaires by paper, however
  its rather time consuming and laborious
• Alternatives
• using web-based/email-based questionnaires
• fast
• efficient
• auto-calculation features
• easy to track

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Analysing data
Role 1 power user 2 occasional user 3
information only, no manipulation
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Factor weighting
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Making sense of it all

• To ensure you get the right data in the right
  way
• allocate effort to priorities not inclinations
• use common assessment measures and methods
• ensure the needy are easily identifiable
• know what the learning outcomes should be

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What are your resources
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Key questions

• What resources are at your disposal
• what learning resources are available within your
  organisation
• list all that apply
• highlight any barriers or restrictions placed
  upon these resources

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Skills issues
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Desire Vs. Realism
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Balancing the books
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• No sensible decision can be made any longer
  without taking into account not only the world as
  it is, but the world as it will be.
• Isaac Asimov
• (1920 - 1992) Science Fiction Writer

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Key questions

• Balancing the books
• consider the demands for learning and your
  organisations ability to satisfy those demands
• are there any shortfalls, if so list these
• are there any other issues, if so list these
• can the original learning needs be met by the
  organisations current resource supply

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Key questions

• For each shortfall
• consider other approaches or alternatives that
  may also be appropriate
• list and discuss
• what actions would you need to take in order to
  balance the needs of your organisation with the
  resources currently available

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The balancing act
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Overcoming barriers
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Costs
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Key question

• Now that you have a balanced audit
• list all of the component parts
• training, resources, infrastructure etc.
• cost each of the components
• broad costs are OK for now

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Key question

• Think about the following
• what is the cost of undertaking the learning
  compared with the cost of not undertaking the
  learning
• what does this tell you
• what decisions will you make as a result of this
  information

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Facts, figures and fads

• Costs can be calculated in a number of ways
• people costs cost recovery
• facility costs rooms etc.
• equipment costs cost of workbooks etc.
• opportunity cost
• Some issues to consider
• what is your organisation cost model?
• what do people cost?
• how do you recover their time?
• are they all measured the same way?

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Working days

• Days in the year 365
• Discount weekends 104 52 x 2
• Allow for holidays 25
• Sickness 6
• Bank holidays 10
• Net working days/year 220

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People costs per day

• Salary
• 30,000 / 220 136
• Add overheads c80 109
• Total 245
• Opportunity cost sales
• 250,000 / 220 1136
• Contribution to profit
• 50m profit, 6000 Emps. 38

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Programme costs
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What does it cost

• The overall cost of your learning intervention
  could include
• resource costs
• materials costs
• development costs
• admin/support costs
• trainer costs
• people costs however calculated
• location costs
• travel costs
• support costs
• etc., etc.

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Is it worth it

• Youll need to consider the overall impact Vs.
  cost
• comparison with externally purchased options
• evaluation models
• Kirkpatrick
• CIPP
• CIRO
• Xerox
• IBM
• your own
• ROI

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Points to note
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Key question

• And finally
• what have you learned from today's session

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Conclusions

• Here are some point to note
• know the real issues at play before you start
• plan, prioritise and prepare
• prepare and use good questions
• allow for common measures and analysis
• work to results, not inclinations
• deliver to results

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• Businessmen dont have all the information.
  This idea that decisions are made based on lots
  of rational facts is wrong you take decisions
  based on 25 percent of available facts.
• Martin Taylor
• Journalist and businessman

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Questions and answers

• Thank you for your time
• We shall be pleased to answer any questions you
  may have