Learning Research: Integrity and Trust

While academic institutions have guidleines and policies such as Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) and human subject protections for conducting research, the corporate world has few research regulations or standards. It is important that anyone conducting Human Resources Development (HRD) research and/or evaluations within their organization maintain research integrity.

Hatcher (2005) outlines the following ethical principles to ensure research integrity in organizations.
1) Respect for persons, beneficence, and justice
2) Guidelines on conflicts of interest and conscience
3) Activities of peer review

Respect, beneficence, and justice are carried out via research practitioners taking on the role of "guardians and guarantors of the protection of the participants in (...) research, beginning with their knowledge-able, voluntary, and informed consent." (Hatcher, 2005) Informed consent is achieved only after participants have been given adequate information outlining the research including participant selection criteria, and full accounting of any risks involved in participation. Two potential risks of participation in HRD studies include loss of privacy and/or ownership of intellectual proerty. Persons are then given the option to participate or not participate in the study.

Guidelines for conflicts of interest are necessary contracts to be sure researchers do not compromise their professional judgment for financial or personal gain. Many "researchers base their behaviors on tacit or implied knowledge or assumptions that may not be ethically correct in every case," (Hatcher, 2005) so it is especially important to use peer reviewers to ensure research integrity. "Peer review works because it can screen for weaknesses and inadequacies in design, method, or interpretation of results." (Hatcher, 2005)

Check out this additional resource: #lrnchat March 31st, both early and late chats. Peruse the answers to: Q1) What learning data does your org collect? Q2) Are there ethical issues in collecting learning data?

Reference:
Hatcher, T. (2005), Research integrity: Ensuring trust in the academy. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 16: 1–6. doi: 10.1002/hrdq.1120

Learning Theory: Androgogy

This great introductory video to androgogy by Janet Finlay provides context for the differentiation between androgogy and pedagogy, and also outlines the 6 assumptions of the theory.

Androgogy- Leader of Men
Pedagogy- Leader of Children

6 assumptions of Androgogy as proposed by Malcolm Knowles:
1. Need to Know
2. Self Concept
3. Experience
4. Readiness to learn
5. Orientation to learn
6. Motivation to learn

The main critique of Androgogy is that there is "little or no acknowledgement that every person has been shaped by his or her culture and society," (Merriam, 2001)and simply presents all adult learners as "autonomous, free, and growth oriented." (Merriam, 2001)

References:
Finlay, Janet (2010) Androgoy (Adult Learning). YouTube Video, retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLoPiHUZbEw

Merriam, S. (2001). Andragogy and self-directed learning: pillars of adult learning theory, In The New Update on Adult Learning Theory, Ed. Sharan, M. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, pp.3-14.

Learning Evaluation: Formative Assessments

Formative assessments mimic internal quality control within organizations, and in this case refer to the initial assessments and testing of newlt developed eLearning programs. Formative assessment criteria largely falls into two main categories: instructional design and interface design. The goal of conducting formative assessments is to gauge learning effectiveness. Lockee, Moore, and Burton (2003) outline 6 formative evaluation needs as follows:

Design Review - Fellow designers evaluate Instructional/Visual Design
Expert Review - Industry experts evaluate relevancy of Content/Subject Matter
One-on-One Review - Member of target audience review
Small group Review - Audience component/module testing
Field Trials - Small groups testing program in distance setting
Ongoing Reviews - Reanalysis, Redesign, Redevelop as necessary

Formative assessments should evaluate the program's ability to meet learning objectives and accessibility standards while also providing for the special needs of learners. Assessments during the development stage are proactive not reactive. As quoted by Dr. Robert (Bob) Stakes, "When the cook tastes the soup, that’s formative; when the guests taste the soup, that’s summative." We will talk about summative evaluation in a later post :)

Reference:
Lockee, B., Moore, M., and Burton, J. (2002) Measuring Success: Evaluation Strategies for Distance Education. EDUCAUSE Quarterly.

Learning Management: Resources and Support

Online support and resources are required to foster a meaningful distance learning environment; it imperative in an eLearning situation that learners have access to instructional, counseling, and technical support.

Depending on the pedagogy of the learning framework in which the eLearning is designed, and in combination with the fact that not all students will need and/or want support services, it is difficult to determine the exact levels of learner support needed at various stages of the program. However, Fritsch recommends that following general phases of learner support be available and implemented as necessary:

Information Phase - Decision/ Sales
Guidance Phase - Admissions/ Long-term plans
Registration Phase - Financial/ Administration
Integration Phase - Orientation/ Pedagogy
Help Desk - Technical Troubleshooting
Learning Phase - Social/ Instructional/ Resources
Final Results Phase - Assessments/ Career Counseling

Fritsch gives us a range of areas in which learners may require support, and strengthens the notion that "learner support is defined as all those elements capable of responding to a known learner (...) before, during, or after the learning process."(Thorpe, 2002)

For additional resources, check out: Christopher Pappas, eFront: Refreshing Learning Tools blog, "e-Learning Programs' Support Services to Learners" post.

References:
Fritsch, H. (2003) The role of student support services in e-learning (Hagen, FernUniversitat ZIFF Papiere 121).

Thorpe, M. (2002). Rethinking Learner Support: the challenge of collaborative online learning. The Open University, Institute of Educational Technology, UK. Vol. 17, No. 2.