Client Problem

Our client, a Federal Government Department, wanted to increase staff awareness of their record keeping responsibilities and increase the productivity level in the use of their Electronic Document Management System -
TRIM.

It was established that staff members were either under utilising or incorrectly using TRIM to keep records of their documents. Face-to-face training, with the support of a user manual, had existed in the past and it was intended to have a presence in the ongoing support of the system. However at the commencement of the project, it was determined that the staff at the National Office were the only employees using TRIM and the system was to be deployed to all state offices around Australia.

SMS Approach

Upon approval of the recommendation put forward, SMS Operational Learning completed the template design, content research, story board and technical development resulting in approximately 100 minutes of eLearning in the
form of:

• One conceptual eLearning module for recordsmanagement awareness, made available to all national staff. This was an assessable module
• One conceptual eLearning module, diverted into a further two modules at the point where the National Office, State Headquarters, Branch Managers and Process Centre Managers audiences use different procedures

All modules provided system simulations which allowed the users to perform tasks as part of the interactivity of the module. Client specific scenarios served as a basis for the simulations, so that the modules are a blend of walkthrough instruction as well as active simulations.

Recommendation

In line with the clients objectives, SMS Operational Learning recommended that a suite of eLearning modules were developed to promotes awareness of record keeping, assisting users to be compliant and accountable when creating records using TRIM. It was anticipated that these eLearning modules would:
 

• Cover topics such as policies, guidelines, roles, classifications, requesting files etc
• Ensure that users gained a thorough understanding of good record keeping practices
• Ensure that users were aware of TRIM as their electronic document management system
• Ensure that users knew how to effectively and efficiently use TRIM
• Provide eLearning as a medium for primary (Records Management Awareness module) and secondary (subsequent modules on using TRIM) sources of learning 
• Cover the distance issue in relation to records management awareness and TRIM training for users in the interstate and regional offices

Outcome

SMS Operational Learning’s eLearning effectively assisted the client to increase the records management awareness and utilisation of records management in their staff. In addition to this, the learning provided a central framework of the process support necessary to ensure practice
efficiencies and compliance in this critical area.
 
The provision of a nationally accessible, standardised suite of eLearning products has given the Department’s staff both the conceptual understandings and the practical knowledge required to undertake records management tasks appropriately.

The eLearning program was developed to align with existing standards and initivitaves around eLearning and has contributed to the overall quality and cost benefits being realised by the Deparrtment through its growing utilisation of online training and process support.