The use of an e-learning constructivist solution in workplace learning

We wished to investigate whether an e-learning approach which uses constructivist principles can be successfully applied to train employees in a highly specialised skill thought to require expert individuals and extensive prolonged training. The approach involved the development of an e-learning package which included simulations and interactivity, then experimental testing in a case study workplace environment with the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data to assess the effectiveness of the package. Our study shows that this e-learning strategy improved the skills of the inexperienced operator significantly. We therefore propose that such programmes could be used as a work based training aid and used as a model system for the training of employees in complex skilled tasks in the workplace. This research demonstrates that the e-learning can be applied outside the traditional learning environment to train unskilled employees to undertake complex practical tasks which traditionally would involve prohibitively expensive instruction. This work also illustrates that simulations and interactivity are powerful tools in the design of successful e-learning packages in preparing learners for real world practical situations. Finally this study shows that workplace learners can be better served by elearning environments rather than conventional training as they allow asynchronous learning and private study which are valued by employees who have other demands on their time and are more comfortable receiving tuition privately Relevance to industry: E-learning using constructivist principles, and incorporating simulations and interactivity can be used successfully in the training of highly specialised and skilled tasks required in the modern workplace

District health authority family planning services in England and Wales Two surveys undertaken in 1982 and 1984 on behalf of the Family Planning Association

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Water and climate risks to power generation with carbon capture and storage

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) provides the opportunity to minimize atmospheric carbon emissions from fossil fuel power plants. However, CCS increases cooling water use and few studies have simulated the potential impacts of low flows on CCS power plant reliability. We present a framework to simulate the impacts of natural hydrological variability and climatic changes on water availability for portfolios of CCS capacity and cooling technologies. The methods are applied to the River Trent, the UK’s largest inland cooling water source for electricity generation capacity. Under a medium emissions climate change scenario, the projected median reductions in river flow by the 2040s was 43% for Q99.9 very low flows and 31% in licensable abstractions between Q99.9 and Q91. With CCS developments, cooling water abstractions are projected to increase, likely exceeding available water for all users by the 2030s-2040s. Deficits are reduced when wet/dry hybrid tower cooling is used, which may increase reliability at low flows. We also explore alternative water licensing regimes, currently considered by the UK Government. Climate change and growing cooling demands, individually and jointly present risks that will be prominent by the 2030s, if unaddressed. These risks may be managed if water-efficient abstraction is prioritized when supplies are limited

Single shared assessment : the limits to 'quick fix' implementation

Joint working between health and social services has been a key focus of policy in recent years, albeit - underneath the protocols and partnership agreements - integrated processes have developed unevenly. A single shared assessment tool has been one of the concrete expressions of policy on the ground. This paper explores the implementation of the shared assessment process in Scotland. It discusses the broader policy agenda, before exploring the introduction of the shared assessment tool in a large urban authority. Based primarily on interviews with front-line staff in health and social work and managers charged with delivering shared assessment, the paper suggests a lack of engagement on issues such as working cultures and equity of workloads, while some of the main reasons behind the implementation of shared assessment, such as overcoming duplication, have not generally materialised for staff. Overall, single shared assessment has been driven by process rather than by engagement with wider ideas about joint working, which has led to uneven and at times unwilling implementation