Resumen de En busca de un entorno virtual de formación flexible y capaz de adaptarse a distintos contextos organizacionales
Today's organizations are embedded in highly demanding and changing markets, where knowledge and learning has become a key asset to remain competitive. Technology advances modify products and processes at high speed, lifecycle of products is getting shorter, globalization triggers the number of competitors, entry barriers decrease and staff mobility is very high.
Organizations need to continuously adapt the profile of its workers to the changing needs and to those for an uncertain future. Thus learning institutions need to adopt a flexible learning system, able to meet a training demand that can be described as urgent, massive and diversified. A Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) allows creating and managing learning spaces (courses), where students and teachers interact with each other and learning resources over the Internet. These spaces are created within an organizational context that sets general policies and guidelines above courses. VLEs flexibility, known as its capability to match the requirements of different organizational contexts and learning programs, is one of the major challenges to address.
This research aims to contribute to the generation of knowledge for the creation of more flexible virtual learning environments (VLE) which are capable to cope with the urgency and diversification of a massive learning demand. Framed in a real context el Centre dErgonomia i Prevenció de la Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya-, the research is aimed at finding real solutions to real problems. The starting point is the analysis of the institutional, administrative and academic organizational context and the objectives of the institution in order to define its e-learning strategy. The interest of the problem is verified by a literature review of the state of the art of the following subjects: the demand-driven training strategy approach for a more flexible learning, and the virtual learning environments evolution (VLE).
After the initial analysis, three strategies have been identified to help managing a learning demand of such characteristics: E1) modularizing, reusing of contents and fitting course needs; E2) keeping enrolment permanently open; E3) suiting organizational context and its different audiences. To study these strategies, a VLE has been defined and implemented integrating the following features: 1) a content reusing model based on a repository of unit templates used to compose courses; 2) a course creation model based on three structural configurations and optional sections; 3) a set of features designed to meet the particularities of courses that keep enrolment open; 4) a corporate campus model organized in associated campus and collectives.
The VLE has been implemented and exploited in several real organizational contexts, most of them related to the field of occupational risk prevention. After a period of ten years of operation, four organizational contexts are analyzed: 1) the context that originates de research; 2) a Learning Institution; 3) a Mutual Insurance Company for Occupational Accidents; 4) an External Occupational Health and Safety Service. The first two contexts correspond to training institutions offering a wide variety of programs to professionals who access them individually or through the companies in which they work. The other two context use the VLE with two different purposes: internal training of their workforce and training of the employees of its client companies in specific areas related to safety and health at work. The data registered in the e-learning platforms and the qualitative information from the support system have been analyzed in order to evaluate the functions implemented and to identify areas of improvement and other needs.
