Evaluation of e-learning policy, processes and practices in a corporate environment

M.Ed.Information and communications technology (ICT) has an impact on every aspect of our lives. Using ICT has required the development of new knowledge and skills, which also has an impact on facilitators and learners who need many new skills to learn, work and adapt to the ever-changing world. Therefore, successful technology integration into teaching and learning requires learners to have access to an appropriate range of tools and the abilities to analyse, synthesise and present information. Hence, technology integration should be an essential part of an organisation’s learning culture. While ICT has been part of education for over 10 years, its use in teaching and learning, both in educational and corporate environments, often perpetuates instructivist models of education, rather than supporting social tool-mediated knowledge construction. The purpose of this research was to gain an understanding of learning technologies as a tool to design, develop and deliver learning interventions within a corporate environment. The study makes use of an acquisition-participation-contribution framework, which is part of cultural historical activity theory, in order to determine how the Training Department at Discovery has designed and delivered learning and to evaluate learner expectations. This case study made use of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. The first phase involved the analysis of the organisation’s documents and reports on the strategies deployed within the company. During this phase, the organisation’s annual report, learning strategies, learning technologies strategy and the annual training report were reviewed and analysed. In the second phase of data collection, questionnaires were conducted on 82 participants, who included learners, facilitators and training managers from all business entities within the company. The first part of the questionnaire asked demographical information and the second part was made up of 27 statements relating to the acquisition, participant and contribution framework. These data were analysed statistically to determine how participants rated the importance of each statement in its current state and how they would like to experience it in the future. The last phase of the data collection involved three focus group sessions. Participants in the focus group sessions were from the head office in Johannesburg and a branch in Cape Town. The questions asked in the focus group sessions were designed with the aim of getting a better understanding of the differences in learning expectations of both the Training Department and learners. These data were analysed deductively against the acquisition, participant and contribution framework. Results from both the qualitative and quantitative investigations found differences in what learners want and what the Training Department actually delivered. The results from the questionnaire and focus groups clearly indicated that learners want to experience learning interventions that are social and collaborative in nature. They want to be able to contribute to the learning process. However, the Training Department designed and delivered learning interventions that focused on the distribution and acquisition of knowledge. These results suggest that in corporate environments, the department responsible for the professional development of employees needs to understand the needs of staff better and that learning is not the consumption of information, but is concerned with knowledge production to support individual and collective transformation

Strateginen toiminnanohjaus : case: Icepeak

Tämä opinnäytetyö käsittelee strategista toiminnanohjausta ja Balanced Scorecardia sen välineenä. Balanced Scorecard on 1990-luvun alussa kehitetty tasapainotettu mittaristo. Työn tavoitteena on selvittää, miten yritys onnistuu toteuttamaan strategiaansa käytännössä ja mittaamaan suorituskykyään. Tutkimuksen case-yksikkö on Icepeak-merkin tuotekehitystiimi. Icepeak on L-Fashion Group Oy:öön kuuluva tuotemerkki, ja sen tuotekehitystiimi on L-Fashion Group Oy:n tulosyksikkö. Opinnäytetyön teoriaosuudessa selvitetään strategian merkitystä, strategiaprosessin vaiheita sekä Balanced Scorecardin perusteita. Lisäksi esitellään strategiakartan merkitys Balanced Scorecardin apuvälineenä ja mittariston käyttöönottoprosessi. Teoriaosuuden lähdeaineistona on käytetty kirjallisuutta ja Internet-lähteitä. Opinnäytetyön empiirisessä osuudessa selvitetään case-yksikön strategiset menestystekijät ja rakennetaan yksikölle strategiakartta sekä Balanced Scorecardin esimerkki-mittaristo. Empiirisen osuuden aineisto on hankittu haastatteluilla, henkilöstökyselyllä ja tutkimuksen tekijän omalla havainnoinnilla. Tutkimustulokset osoittavat, että Balanced Scorecard on myös tiimitasolle soveltuva johdon työkalu, jonka avulla strategia tuodaan abstraktista käsitteestä toiminnan tasolle. Balanced Scorecard tuo rahamääräisen tulosseurannan rinnalle tasapainottavia, ei-rahamääräisiä tavoitteita ja mittareita, joiden asettaminen ja seuranta liian usein unohtuvat. Tutkimustulosten myötä myös case-yksikössä havaittiin strategisiin menestystekijöihin sekä suorituskykymittaukseen liittyviä kehittämiskohteita.This thesis deals with strategic operations control and the Balanced Scorecard as its tool. The Balanced Scorecard is a barometer of a company’s performance and it was developed in the beginning of 1990s. The aim of this thesis is to examine how a company manages to put its strategy into practice and measure its performance. The case unit is the product development team of the Icepeak brand. The Icepeak brand belongs to L-Fashion Group Oy and the product development team is a profit centre of L-Fashion Group Oy. The theoretical section explores the meaning of strategy, the phases of strategy process and the basics of the Balanced Scorecard. In addition, both the meaning of strategy map as the Balanced Scorecard instrument and the implementation of the scorecard are presented. Sources of the theoretical part include literature and Internet material. The empirical part examines the case unit’s strategic elements of success and provides an example of strategy map and the Balanced Scorecard for the case unit. The data were obtained by interviews, by a questionnaire presented to the staff and by participant observation. The study results indicate that the Balanced Scorecard is also suitable for team level and it is a management tool which brings strategy from intangible concept into action. Besides financial achievements, the Balanced Scorecard takes into account the targets and meters of intangible assets of which setting and monitoring are too often disregarded. This study also showed the development needs, in the case unit’s strategic elements, for success and performance assessment

A guidebook of living for Setlementtiasunnot Ltd. : Activity based thesis

This activity based thesis was made in cooperation with Setlementtiasunnot Ltd. It consists of two different guidebooks of living, both in Finnish and English, for Setlementtiasunnot Ltd. The other guidebook consist of general information regarding living as a tenant at Setlementtiasunnot Ltd. and the other is targeted to a specific housing unit’s use. Only the general guidebook is attached to this thesis, because the other contains house specific information. The purpose of this thesis is to demonstrate the importance and effects of regulations among communities and to introduce the core factors, which are vital to build community and maintain it. Setlementtiasunnot Ltd. promotes communal living and a social communal housing model, which led to further studying of community theories. Therefore, this thesis includes a brief, narrative literature review introducing theories of community. My main aspect has been to explore how communities are formed and upkept and what are the possible positive outcomes of providing written regulations to a community. Also, the company must follow legislation and regulations concerning rental apartments, which are restricted by ARA and government. Therefore, the theory part contains introduction on specific laws and ARA-based regulations. Moreover, I looked into the concept of project work, since this thesis’ active process followed the nature of a project.Tämä toiminnallinen opinnäytetyö tehtiin yhteistyössä Setlementtiasunto Oy.n kanssa. Opinnäytetyö koostuu kahdesta erillisestä asumisen kansiosta Setlementtiasunnot Oy:lle, jotka ovat sekä suomen-, että englanninkielisiä. Toinen asumisen opas keskittyi yleisiin säännöksiin, jotka koskevat Setlementtiasunnot Oy:n asukkaita ja toinen asumisen opas sisältää tietyn asumisyksikön tarkat asumisen säännöt. Näistä kahdesta erillisestä asumisen oppaasta, vain yleinen asumisen opas on liitettynä opinnäytetyöhön, sillä asumisyksikkökohtainen opas sisältää yksityiskohtaista tietoa asumisyksiköstä. Opinnäytetyön tarkoituksena on tuoda esiin niitä tekijöitä, jotka ovat tärkeitä yhteisön luomisessa sekä ylläpitämisessä. Setlementtiasunnot Oy. toteuttaa yhteisöllisen asumisen mallia, jonka vuoksi opinnäytetyön teoreettinen osuus pitää sisällään lyhyen, narratiivisen kirjallisuuskatsauksen valituista yhteisöteorioista. Teoreettisen viitekehyksen keskiössä on toiminut tunnetuimmat teoriat yhteisöllisyydestä ja se, miten säännöt tukevat yhteisöjen ylläpitoa. Setlementtiasunnot Oy. noudattaa myös keskeisiä lainsäädäntöjä koskien vuokrahuoneistoja sekä ARA-säädöksiä, jonka vuoksi teoreettinen viitekehys sisältää kyseiset osa-alueet. Tämän lisäksi, opinnäytetyössä käydään läpi projektityön peruspiirteitä, sillä toiminnallinen osuus toteutettiin niitä noudattaen