Learning Cafe Call
MOOCs in
Corporate
Training
23 July 2013
MOOCs (Massively Open
Online Courses) can be a
mainstream employee
learning option. It offers cost
effective learning with the
benefits far outweighing the
challenges. L&D/HR need to
be proactive in exploring and
including MOOCs in learning
strategies.
1
Agenda
• Update and sharing MOOCs learner experiences. – 10 mins
• Discussion - Futures Scenarios for MOOCs for Workplace Learning John Forrest - 15 mins
• Discussion - Business Case for MOOCs at Workplace Sian Hartnett - 15 mins
• Discussion - Impact on current state Learning Processes/ Framework Jeevan Joshi - 15 min
• Call to Action – 5 mins
2
3
Lee Kirby
Working Group Advisory Group
MOOCs for Employees Update
• MOOCs Update • MOOCs visibility is growing
• Media
• Learner/ consumer -
• Either you know about
MOOCs or your don’t.
Academic world knows
• Course are generally Uni
based MOOCs or short paid
courses on Technology/Start
Ups
• Other topics and models are
emerging
4
Web site – moocsatwork.com
@moocsatwork
LinkedIn Open Group
Moocs for Workplace
Learning
MOOCs at Work Framework
Proof of Concept
Agree on approach across the
participating
organisations
Get a small group(2-3) of employees to
undertake MOOCs for
personal development
Consolidate learner and
organisational experience
Develop a framework for
using MOOCs for employee training
7
Environmental Scan
• Business Case Focus &
Assumptions?
– Experimentation
– Tactical project within an existing L&D
Program / Strategy
– Strategic as part of a L&D
Transformation
MOOCs Future
Workplace L&D
Future
?
Learners
L&D Professionals
Managers
Businesses
+ Political, Economic,
Social, Technological,
Environmental, Legislative
Considerations
MOOC Specific Focus
• Assuming Massive, Open, Online Courses are, by definition, ‘en mass’ – beyond the company context
• What are the key disruptive differences of MOOCs • Inexpensive (economies of scale change L&D business models)
• Wide variety of content (growing ever wider)
• More immediate availability (towards on demand)
• Difficult to assure quality (is it easy now?)
• Learning goals and evidence not subject to business scrutiny or alignment (are they now?)
• No (business) control over audience make-up
• Interaction with broader audience, work shared openly
• …
• Is it about control?
• Is this a threat to current bespoke, custom, closed approaches which have struggled to deliver measurable results?
• How do these disruptive differences influence the environment and how are they influenced by the environment?
A Future Influenced By the Past?
• Historical Content Examples?
• Software
• Music
• Books, articles and papers
• Movies
• …
• Historical Service Examples?
• Recruitment
• Product Sourcing
• Travel Agents
• …
Inevitable trends:
• Lower distribution costs
• Global accessibility
• More productive development
• Global sourcing
• Economies of scale for development
and maintenance
• Specialisation & intermediary costs
are more visible, require clearer ROI
to justify
Scenario Drivers
• Key decisions
• In general, what are the costs and benefits of
MOOCs over existing alternatives (if there
are any)?
• Are MOOCs available for your workplace
learning requirements?
• If so, how will they be made available and
managed in the workplace?
• What will be the roles of the intermediaries
between the MOOCs and Learners and the
business?
• Who will play these roles?
Five Scenarios
13
#1 MOOCs Not
Ready
#2 Raise the Draw
Bridge
#3 Learners Not
Ready
#4 MOOCs Take
Over
#5 Adopt, Adapt and
Evolve
Scenario #1 – MOOCs Not Ready
• MOOCs do not now (and are not likely in the next 3
years to) offer a viable alternative to existing course
solutions
• Over-hyped, unrealistic, can’t deliver
• MOOCs go for lowest common denominator mass
markets – most workplaces have narrower, higher
quality, professional level requirements
• Continue to evolve in-house L&D maturity, use
technology, outsource some content delivery and
development but keep business control
1
Scenario #2 – Raise the Draw Bridge
• MOOCs are viable
• The L&D practice community feels threatened by the
consumerisation of learning
• L&D professionals try to apply existing training course
management / development mind-set to MOOCs
• L&D professionals are dis-intermediated as business
managers & HR allow Learners to go direct to MOOC
providers
• L&D budgets are redirected to business managers
and HR for discretionary spend
• With lower budgets, L&D function struggles to
demonstrate any measurable outcomes
2
Scenario #3 – Learners Not Ready (L-
Plates) • MOOCs are viable
• Learners do not have discipline, skills and motivation
to self-drive
• As a result, L&D professionals are still heavily
involved as intermediaries between MOOCs and
Learners
• L&D professionals spend more time managing MOOC
sources than they would managing own content
creation
• Management overheads offset low cost of MOOCs
3
Scenario #4 – MOOCs Take Over
Guild Halls • MOOCs are viable
• Rise of an alternate intermediary, displacing business
L&D
• Professional associations drive standardisation and
endorse MOOC catalogues
• Workplace management relies upon professional
development bodies to be responsible for L&D
• HR provides incentives / requirements for Learners to
be accredited by external bodies
• Learners receive most structured training through
professional association, union etc..
• L&D professionals migrate away from the business
and into professional development organisations
4
Scenario #5 – Adopt, Adapt and Evolve
• MOOCs are viable
• L&D professionals identify a value adding facilitation
and curation roles
• Provide governance and quality assurance over
portfolios of largely Learner self-service MOOC
offerings
• Business L&D focuses on the high value, low volume
opportunities for specialist intervention
• Business view MOOCs as one of the outsourced
products/services enabled and managed by the
business L&D function
5
Impact Challenges
• Short-form scenario challenges to Learning Café members around these themes
• Encourage scenario based decision making and consideration of enablers and constraints on possible future directions
• Open for group to share perspectives
• For example: • You learn from a contact in HR that a business unit manager has
funded MOOC enrolments for their staff out of the unit’s operating budget and allowed a few hours of week study time.
• The same unit manager recently refused to contribute a share of their budget to an integrated corporate training program.
• What do you do?
• Are there policies which determine whether this initiative is within business guidelines?
BUILDING THE MOOC
BUSINESS CASE
Some considerations for L&D Professionals...
Sian Hartnett
Yes?
Do you really need one?
Can you adopt without
a business case?
If a business case is required...
Organisational Context
• Business environment?
• Current & emerging opportunities?
• Rate of change in customer needs?
• Competition?
• Watch out for hidden costs for adoption e.g. flipping!
Organisational Priorities
• Is the organisation focused on learning as a priority?
• Product leadership?
• Operational excellence?
• Customer intimacy?
• Do they view bridging capability gaps as a current business priority?
Organisational “Culture”
• Valued learning events: “internal” or “external”?
• Willingness to allocate resources e.g. SMEs, time, etc.?
• Approach to risk (in learning provision)?
• Employee engagement to learning?
Some key questions to ask
Structure
• Current / upcoming organisational focus
• Do employees have the capabilities to turn MOOC learning into value for the organisation?
• Do employees have the time, space, tools, etc. to engage with the MOOC “way of learning”?
• Infrastructure and access to required technology?
Process
• Does the organisation have defined job roles?
• Do employees acknowledge impact of “external forces” on the organisation that might require a focus on learning / skill development?
• What processes (and the related costs!) will be required to integrate MOOCs into the existing training offered?
• Who “owns” the training function – do you have the power to change the current approach?
• How will MOOCs be integrated into existing processes e.g. performance reviews, KPIs?
Culture
• Do the business “stakeholders” have the authority to request the integration of MOOCs?
• How will MOOCs be integrated into existing processes e.g. performance reviews, KPIs?
• Possible barriers e.g. political?
• Are employees / leaders encouraged to leave their “comfort zones”?
• Who “enjoys promotions”?
Possible business case “buckets”
Creating a continuous learning
culture
Creating a new direction / facet for
performance management
Improving options for talent
management for individuals / teams
Improving bench strength
Developing a wider global mindset
Driving talent mobility
Increasing offering within a recruitment
model – “unique people strategies”
Providing wider options for employee
engagement
...
MOOCs at Work Framework
MOOCs for employee learning
Impact – Where & How
27
Employee
Capability
Gaps
Organisational
Gaps
Individual
Gaps
Gaps
Plugged
Custom
Training
workshops
Online
Learning
Coaching
L&D Organised
Internal
Knowledge
Bases
Performance
Support
Not
L&D Organised
Internal Driven Learning External
Generic
vendor
courses
Further formal
education e.g.
degrees
MOOCs
Formal
Less
Structured
Informal
MOOCs to Learner Approaches
28
DIY Facilitated Organised Laissez
faire
Learners
search for
MOOCs on
internet
Complete
Reporting in LMS
Learners go
to a portal set
up by L&D
Complete
Learners go to a
portal or
recommendations
pushed by LMS
Share with
internal
community
Complete
Share with
internal
community
Learners gets
personalised
recommendation
& supported by
L&D
Self Report Self Report Self Report L&D Report
Learning Process Impact
29
Requirements
Gathering
(LNA, TNA etc)
Learning
Design &
Development
Learning
Implementation
Evaluation
Call to Action
30
Follow MOOCs at work
• LinkedIn Groups
• Follow on Twitter - @moocsatwork
• Sign up at
Identify your area of interest
Cost
Usually free – Certificate - $70
Commercial MOOCS - $60
Levels of Engagement with MOOCs
31
Learning Modes Impact
32
Face to Face
Online & Blended Informal
Unstruct
ured
LMS Mobile Social Know Mgt
Business Drivers & View
33
Learning Strategy & Governance
Learning Planning and Budgeting
Business
Capabilities and Skills
34
Capability & Skills
Learning
Professional
Questions to Discuss
• One of the challenges the working group has raised is what part
does L&D get to play in MOOCs for Learning. The answer may turn
out to be very different to what we do now.
• Currently MOOCs are predominantly available for certain topics ie
IT, Management, Science which only meet part of organisational
needs.