Ways the Government has Used eLearning for L&D

Just as any company needs to train their employees on important processes and rules, government agencies are no different. Learning and development programs need to be a priority for government establishments to ensure representatives and workers are educated effectively, prepared for responsibilities, and able to enforce and follow all laws and regulations as needed.

With the government being involved with so many different areas, there are a number of challenges that need to be overcome, just as within a traditional workforce. Fortunately, Designing Digitally has been able to work with many different government agencies and learn first hand many of the obstacles that are being faced - and how eLearning can be used as a solution.

Let’s take a look at some of the ways the government has used eLearning for L&D and explore different methods and approaches that can be applied to training. Below are some of our favorite case studies that showcase learning challenges and different ways to solve them with online learning.

The United States Census Bureau

The United States Census Bureau conducts a poll every ten years at the nationwide level. To do this, they hire nearly 50,000 individuals as temporary employees to go around to the houses in their local community and collect the census count. In order to prepare these temporary employees in the past, the Census Bureau sent trainers all over the country to deliver in-person training. Soon, they discovered the associated time and costs and realized a virtual simulation would be a much more efficient way to educate learners.

As a solution, we developed the United States Census Bureau 3D Simulation that teaches the employees how to follow necessary procedures and protocols for polling, in addition to teaching the operation and usage of the required software. The simulation includes a virtual trainer that guides the user through a 3D neighborhood to show them how to correctly approach homes, interact with the community members, and document gathered information. Learners also get to practice the new procedures on their own in multiple simulated scenarios in order to provide a realistic training experience, including a prison and hospital.

The simulation has almost eliminated classroom training completely, which is only used when an individual is in need of additional training. We are very pleased with the outcome of this and proud to say it was able to prepare employees for the 2020 census count that took place this year. To learn more about this project and to view the highlight video, see the entire case study.

Federal Student Aid

Federal Student Aid, or FSA, is an office within the U.S. Department of Education. Before the development of our eLearning solution, the FSA had conducted an in-person seminar on improving critical thinking skills which were delivered by an instructor. As they found the seminar held much value and offered new ways to approach and resolve problems, FAS wanted to implement the information into new hire training programs, as well as have anyone who missed the original seminar be able to take learn the information taught.

Realizing the expenses associated with continuously delivering in-person training that lasted for 8 hours, we partnered to create a way to deliver this information in a more efficient and cost-effective, flexible way that had these main goals to fulfill: teach the content to an audience who has never seen it before, provide a refresher opportunity for those who attended the seminar training, uphold 508 compliance, and be the first FSA course available on mobile phones.

Our team decided to use Adobe Captivate to build a responsive mLearning module, The Federal Student Aid Critical Thinking Course, that has a non-linear structure and allows learners to use menus and easily navigate to a topic of interest, allowing it to be effective for all audiences. However, after extensive testing, we concluded that while mobile devices do provide tools for accessibility, such as text-to-speech, they do not provide a true screen reader. And, smartphone screens do not provide physical keys for a visually-impaired learner to knowingly press. So, Designing Digitally, Inc. and FSA collectively shifted the focus to make a desktop/laptop version of the course that was fully 508 compliant and utilized the mobile version as an available helpful tool to provide just-in-time training for learners who do not require assistive technology. To learn more about this learning solution and to view the highlight video, view the entire case study.

Other Ways to Use eLearning in Government L&D

There are many other ways that eLearning can be used in government learning solutions, such as flight and aviation training, law enforcement, and much more. Here are some of the other L&D solutions we have created in the past to help improve learning.

Conclusion

No matter if you are in a government agency or corporate company, employee learning and development is very important to success. In order to create the best results, you have to provide the best resources to get your team there. Designing Digitally crafts custom learning and development solutions that are catered to your unique needs and goals. We provide proactive support and analytical reporting to ensure effective training and evolution.

If you are interested in talking with our team to see how online learning could be used to grow your team and performance, get in touch with us today.

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