Canadian HR Reporter

20 FeaTures/news DIsTAnce eDUcATIon Distant but within reach Online learning doesn't mean isolation, limitations By Eva Weidman d istance learning has moved from pen and paper correspondence courses to an interactive, self- directed learning experience delivered online or electroni- cally. It's convenient, accessible and fl exible — ideal for busy hr professionals. How does it work? Students register for courses at the university or college of their choice by selecting a program and a specifi c course. Once they have selected a course, registered with the post-secondary institution and made the necessary fi nancial transactions, they will receive in- structions on how to access the course. is includes a username and password to provide course access from home or a business computer. Every college or university has its own template for setting up and delivering the distance course but typically students fi nd an in- troductory section, an assignment section and a number of modules to work through. Instructors are available through the course communication chan- nel, most often by email, for dis- cussions and questions. Some dis- tance courses have specifi c assign- ment deadlines while others are completely self-directed, meaning students can send in their work at any time throughout the course. Chat times and discussions boards may be used. e instruc- tor may have an open forum dis- cussion board for students to post questions, comments or progress for student and instructor input. In more interactive courses, specific chat rooms may have designated discussion times in- volving the entire class. These are usually set up so students can view the discussion if they are not able to attend at a specifi c time. Courses can be delivered in a variety of other formats includ- ing online video, downloadable text or photo course materials, live-streaming of lectures, online libraries, physical textbooks or li- brary books and DVDs. Most distance courses are avail- able through a Learning Manage- ment System (LMS) such as De- sire2Learn. Every post-secondary institution has a preferred LMS to deliver distance courses. Advantages Shift work, child care, disabil- ity, transportation costs, a heavy workload — all of these former barriers for adult lifelong learn- ers are no longer obstacles to post-secondary education when distance learning is off ered. Another advantage is the learning is self-directed and self- paced so if a student has diffi culty understanding a specifi c topic, he can spend more time and ask more questions than in a group learning environment. On the other hand, if a student is a quick study, he can move ahead in the course. Not for everyone Even with all the benefi ts of dis- tance education, it is not for everyone. Distance learning re- quires discipline and time man- agement skills. It can be hard to manage life's demands and stick to a learning schedule. A student's learning style plays a big role in distance education. ose who enjoy classroom inter- action or who are easily distract- ed, technologically challenged or lack reliable Internet access may fi nd distance education does not work. There are numerous online tools that can assess student readiness and potential suc- cess in distance education (see sidebar). Distance education gives HR professionals an opportunity to reach their full potential by pro- viding flexible and innovative programming. Eva Weidman is a program facilita- tor at the Applied Arts & Communica- tion School of Continuing Education at Red River College in Winnipeg. She can be reached at (204) 949-8353 or eweidman@rrc.ca. Credit: zimmytws/Shutterstock Source: Thompson rivers University But there is a caveat, said Bania. "It's important for us to really understand what disclosure of salary does mean, however. In my opinion, disclosure of salary is speaking to what a desired job title or job family should be mak- ing — not necessarily what the individual sitting across the table from you does make," he said. "We know that there are incen- tive programs, we know there are additional types of compensa- tion for special projects or, if you are a sales individual, for hitting targets… so should employers necessarily disclose what John Smith sitting across the table from you makes? at's up for debate... "But should employers be able to say that 'At our organization, a junior accountant should make between $55,000 and $65,000 dollars'? I absolutely am onboard with that type of disclosure be- cause it helps employees and potential future employees of or- ganizations to truly understand what they're getting into." Many organizations could probably do a better job of com- municating around compensa- tion, said Kapel. "Not sharing any informa- tion on compensation programs and how they work can create an environment of distrust. Or- ganizations that want to open up communications around pay can always start by sharing more information about their salary ranges, so employees can see the details of their own salary range, and maybe the next range up, as well as the criteria for earning in- creases and getting promotions." And including context is cru- cial, said McLellan. " ere is an element that the transparency piece is important, but publishing salaries without context can be just a dissatisfy- ing than not knowing." Share info on salary ranges prIce TaG < pg. 6 CanaDian hr reporTer november 3, 2014

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