After designing and piloting a workshop (the original preferred delivery medium), supported e-learning was the eventual solution that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and their selected partner, Walkgrove, decided was most appropriate to provide all 15,000 FCO staff with the necessary generic skills to enhance interpersonal relationships and related intercultural activities.
The FCO makes considerable investment in overseas postings; therefore it is important that premature endings of terms abroad are minimised. There are several reasons why postings terminate early but, drilling down, it is often cultural issues at the core. In particular there are a number of overseas locations, often — but not exclusively — in the developing world, where the predominant culture is so different to that of the UK, that it poses particular challenges for staff to work well there, engage with local life, and to enjoy their posting on a personal level.
Helping learners explore the meaning behind the word ‘culture’, which is bandied around so much in equality and diversity courses without necessarily being explained, requires an interesting mix of the intellectual and behavioural senses. Mixing media and using different techniques within media components was essential to convey concepts which are complex in terms of establishing the important start point of where you stand on the continuum of integration.
So, treatment of content, in addition to being colourful and richly written, is also informative, and action orientated. Although background is provided to support recommended actions, the focus is on motivating and encouraging behaviour recognition and hence change.
10,000 of these staff are locally engaged and do not usually have English as a first language; so not only was the product designed to appeal to and have resonance with a diverse audience but it also had to be written in plain English and use strong graphics to reinforce learning points.
Within the e-learning, effective graphics comprising vivid photographic images representing the diversity of people and places in the FCO global network, appeals to the eye and fixes the learning.
Subtle Flash movements give a dynamic and professional look and feel. Flash animations provide appropriate reinforcement of the learning point. A good example of this is the illustration of eye movements.
Audio reinforces key learning points. Users can turn it on or off depending on personal preference, working environment or to avoid conflict with assistive technologies.
A series of short vodcasts were filmed and stored in the Resource Bank. FCO staff, drawn from all levels and with varying experience, answer a range of questions on different areas of cultural interaction.
The International Profiler, a psychometric questionnaire, is completed online. Feedback is provided by telephone.
Country specific coaching is available from experts who usually live and work in that country.
The FCO have collected level one evaluation data. In the first six months:
It is clear and easy to work through; I liked the ease and pace of it. There is a lot of information that is packed into the course but it doesn't feel that way when your doing it.
