Sector diversity and Lofty values?

It is interesting that the ALT values are quite sector related, where as the engineering are quiet lofty ideals.  It would appear to me that as the role of the professional in the sector become more diverse as we see with the e-learning sector, then the values which the professional holds within it become more elevated and abstract.  The wide diversity of the engineering sector requires values which include, welfare and safety, the environment, identification of risks, remaining up to date, not misleading anyone and acting with integrity.  These too could be used by the e-learning professional aspiring to professionalism and indeed may become necessary as the diversification of the sector approaches that of the engineering sector.  I guess what I'm trying to say is that the professional values of the engineer could be used for the e-learning professional, but they couldn't be used visa versa.  Therefore are lofty values of much use or value, or as I'm beginning to believe, the route to professional recognition?

E-learning Prof values in MoD?

Ah would have been helpful to put my own ideas of values down as well!  I however, work in a sector devoid of e-learning understanding and actually delivering e-learning isn't what I do, but I spend a great deal of time espousing the merits of and cajoling and bulling others into hearing me out on the subject.  Therefore my experience of the e-learning professionals values within my field constitute:

1. An infectious enthusiasm for e-learning.

2. A commitment to Lead the discussion and persuade others.

3. To remain abreast of technology and its application and relevant pedagogy.

4. To understand the needs of the customer and deliver against it with confidence.

In the final analysis I much prefer the lofty and generic values of the engineering fraternity as outlined in Bronagh Powers doc.

11 December 2010, 11:40

The E-Learning Professional

An E-learning Professional is someone who develops, implements, evaluates, and administers online education in all fields of learning.  Through their efforts they advance the technical and institutional support for practitioners and encourage the dissemination of online education, its related technologies, necessary skills, and perspectives as a discipline.  They apply educational theories and research to online education and exchange ideas and engage in scholarly debate, promoting a professional discipline based on sound pedagogical theories.

Adapted from the vision statement of the World Association for Online Education (WAOE).

Deborah Judah Post - 15 November 2010, 22:41

This is quite strange!! Deborah's review of the Lit comes to the conclusions that the Kely Activities of a LT are: 

1. Actively seek to keep abreast of developments in learning technology

2. Facilitate access to learning technology expertise and services

3. Liase and collaborate with other units in the university having related interests and objectives

4. Act as consultant, mentor or change agent for other staff

5. Advise and assist with introduction of new technology into learning and teaching programmes.

This is almost my Job description for my secondary tasks at the DCAE.!!

The Envisaged E-Learning Professional Breakdown of DCAE by Current Roles

Below is an adaption of The Research Center for e-Learning Professional ‘5 kinds of e-Learning Professional.  I have broken them down into how I would envisage the departmental responsibility across the existing DCAE according to current function, future functions and level of understanding (and therefore training required). 

Instructional Designer - As Is - The leader of Design and Development phases, design an e-Learning course to deliver the Key Learning Points are required by the course sponsor.  Would require significant awareness training. 

Contents Specialist
 - Technology based Training Unit - Developers of specialist content and media. Manages the Content Management System and is responsible for finding, tagging and utilizing existing resources. Where external assistance for media development is  necessary the TBTU would assist in its specification, and Project/contract management.  Media development unaffected, Project and contracts management would require significant training. 

Instructor and Training Development Officers- As Is - Offer the educational help to implementation phase
 subsequently grades achievement.  Critical component to the system,  considerable training would be required to develop the skills and attitudes for wholesale implementation. 

Mentor
 / Coach - Support and encourage students to learn for themselves and become independent learners.  This role would be led by a specialist team, but coaching skills would be required as part of the wide instructor development program. 

Learning System Producer
 - Implementation
 manager who sets, maintains and manages the e-Learning system.  Responsible for the implementation of and development of standards.  Holds the executive responsibility for Continuous Improvement. 


These are some initial thoughts which I will need to refine over time as I believe we will be implementing Training Transformation on a huge scale in the not to distant future. 

Reference the ‘profession’, ‘elearning’, and ‘elearning professional’

Some thoughts....  I work for the MoD and the most glaringly obvious point to come out of my recent dealings with a world leader (apparently) in training was that they didn't understand our business and were always going to struggle to deliver it more effectively and efficiently than we did, despite the promise of e'learning huge swathes of our courses. The complexity of translating our requirement into their systems and therefore producing content was immense. What it has highlighted in my mind is that when asking questions of whether elearning professionals need to have educational  qualifications I would suggest no, but they do need a background in it. A few of my current cadre of instructional staff have  a Cert Ed but the remainder have a three week train the trainer course behind them.  I am now attempting to justify the upskilling of these instructors in order deliver in a modernised context.  The key point here is that they have Subject Matter Experts in their subject, they have taught / instructed in some way shape or form and now we are going to convert them into 'learning facilitators', but the skills they require are readily lifted from the educational world.  I have previously referred to reflection as a dirty word in the MoD but I value my instructors being able to do it.  Truth is the greatest challenge for us is to get the instructor to give up the all knowing position they currently hold and become more facilitative in their approach.  Instructional Designers need to understand the art of the possible, the content specialists deliver the media and the instructor deploys it as appropriate.  The Mentor role remains unchanged here except for the fact that some of the communications methods are text based rather than face to face.  Lastly, on the Japanese model, the system producer is where I see myself sitting. Putting it (the system) in, and making it grow and develop from a management perspective.