eLearning: Managing knowledge to improve social care

Published: 2010

This elearning programme sets out to help front line social workers gain a basic understanding of the principles and practice of knowledge management, as well as organise and manage their knowledge and information as effectively as possible.

Short introductory resources to the programme:

• About this elearning resource (Flash slideshow)
• About Knowledge Management (Flash slideshow)

Below is a list of the modules in the programme:

	A day in the life Day to day work contexts for knowledge in a professional practice, deciding how useful different sources of knowledge are. View elearning module View the text only version View the Learning record Download the SCORM 1.2 version
	Types of knowledge The knowledge cycle and framework View elearning module View the text only version View the Learning record Download the SCORM 1.2 version
	How do I organise my knowledge? How the knowledge can be organised and accessed and the consequences of poor organisation. View elearning module View the text only version View the Learning record Download the SCORM 1.2 version
	When knowledge gaps occur Strategies for managing deficiencies in organising and managing knowledge View elearning module View the text only version View the Learning record Download the SCORM 1.2 version
	Sharing knowledge in teams Strategies for improving knowledge managing in teams View elearning module View the text only version View the Learning record Download the SCORM 1.2 version
	Using technology to improve knowledge sharing Choosing appropriate technology from the range available View elearning module View the text only version View the Learning record Download the SCORM 1.2 version
	Knowledge beyond the team Approaches to locating external knowledge resources and building a personal list View elearning module View the text only version View the Learning record Download the SCORM 1.2 version
	Knowledge is our business Identifying the culture enabling knowledge sharing View elearning module View the text only version View the Learning record Download the SCORM 1.2 version
	Innovation through technology Web 2.0 and user centred practice View elearning module View the text only version View the Learning record Download the SCORM 1.2 version

• Who they are suitable for?Open

  Practitioners working in social work teams:

  • Practitioners undertaking social work post registration training and learning (PRTL) activities.
  • Team leaders working in a social care setting.
  • Educators, trainers and developers working with the above audience in education and practice settings.

• About the authorsOpen

  Andrew Booth

  Andrew Booth is Reader in Evidence Based Information Practice at the School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR) where he also holds the corporate title of Director of Information. With over twenty-five years experience in health information, in organisations including the Medical Research Council, the King’s Fund and the NHS, Andrew is one of the most experienced trainers of health information staff in the country, both face to face and via the FOLIO Programme, an interactive elearning programme originally commissioned by the National Library for Health. He has worked at ScHARR since 1994 when his initial role was to set up a regional information resource to support evidence based practice. Andrew’s interest in knowledge management dates from the early 1990s when he conducted an organisation-wide audit for a Regional Health Authority. He is the co-editor of the book ‘Managing Knowledge in Health Services’ (2000) and its successor volume ‘Exploiting Knowledge in Health Services’ (2004). Andrew teaches on several modules of the University of Sheffield’s MSc in Health Informatics as well as on his own School’s Masters in Public Health programme.

  Andrew’s experience of knowledge management in social care is a natural progression from his work with the NHS. He conducted a regional information needs analysis for social care following this up by delivering a tailored information skills training programme within East Midlands. Andrew was the designer, and a joint editor, of the original series of twenty-five Social Care Briefings for the Social Care Institute for Excellence. These briefings were based on Andrew’s initial design and methods for Management Briefings for the National Library for Health. Andrew is experienced in all aspects of elearning and he has recently published a systematic review of workplace-based elearning for the Higher Education Academy.

  Rowan Purdy

  Rowan is an energetic advocate for sharing and learning. His diverse background includes studying Buddhism, graduating to become a postman and discovering a passion for emerging technologies.

  Rowan spent seven years working in the public sector as national knowledge management lead for the National Institute for Mental Health in England and the Care Services Improvement Partnership. During that time, he successfully led a range of innovative and dynamic learning and knowledge-based projects. Rowan has been instrumental in helping health and social care services to explore and embrace social networking tools and web 2.0 technologies to support their collaborative activities.

  Over the past three years, Rowan has ventured on a journey into the wonderful world of freelance consultancy. Together with a small group of enthusiastic and innovative entrepreneurs he established Surepoint, providing trusted knowledge consultancy services to a variety of clients. Rowan feels that Surepoint has a unique offering founded on the breadth and depth of the services it offers. Surepoint’s work spans consultancy and advice, communications support, building technical applications and delivering a range of training and development offerings.

  Rowan spends the rest of his time dedicated to Tracy, his wonderful wife, and Bria and Evan, their two amazing children.

  Sandra Ward

  Sandra Ward (Beaworthy Consulting) is an independent consultant whose goal is to help organisations to make better use of their knowledge and experience, as well as the wealth of information at their disposal. All sectors, private, public and third sector organisations face the challenges of doing more with less and of working as efficiently as possible. Using information and knowledge is a key factor in improving work performance in any sector. 

  Sandra’s working life has been spent almost entirely in the Information Services and Knowledge Management (KM) business. As a consultant she has worked on projects to develop KM strategies and implementation plans in the health, education, and business sector, identified why information services are failing in local and central government, professional institutes, and others. Throughout she has been engaged with promoting the importance of information skills and the value of effective knowledge management and she was also one of a three person team that developed national occupational standards for the library, information, records and archives workforce on behalf of Lifelong Learning UK. 

  Her practical experience was shaped by managing information and knowledge services for the pharmaceutical companies, Wellcome Research, Glaxo Group Research, and Glaxo Wellcome, all recognised as leading edge companies in their use of information. Moving to TFPL Ltd. as a board director in the late ’90s, Sandra worked to develop its consultancy and training business in knowledge management, records management and information and library services. She is still an associate consultant for TFPL Ltd. Over the last few years, she has contributed to projects aimed at transforming the value of their own knowledge and their use of externally published information for the NHS, Macmillan Cancer Support, Motor Neurone Disease Association, and many government related bodies.  

  Outside the day job, Sandra has been actively involved in gaining recognition for the value of information and knowledge skills. Sandra chaired the Council of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals for its first four years and is an honorary fellow of CILIP. Other professional commitments have included membership of the ESRC’s Communication and Information Committee, the British Library’s Advisory Council and the Library and Information Commission, and chairing the British Library’s Advisory Committee for Science and Technology Information.  Sandra has a PhD in Chemistry and a Certificate in Education. 

  Becoming self employed followed a move to rural Devon to realise the lifetime ambitions of a large garden, more walking and a more balanced lifestyle. Weather and climate permitting, these are all still in the frame for the future.

  Dion Lindsay

  Dion Lindsay is owner and principal consultant of Dion Lindsay Consulting Limited (dion@dionlindsayconsulting.com). He specialises in making knowledge management practical and cost effective to people in growing charities and in organisations in the public sector.

  At the strategic level he has designed strategies and implementation plans for rapidly developing organisations (Amnesty International, General Social Care Council), and advised top boards in the value of knowledge management (Equality and Human Rights Commission, Motor Neurone Disease Association).

  At the hands-on level, he has trained contact centre workers to become effective front line knowledge workers in the Commission for Racial Equality; developed libraries into modern proactive information centres at Macmillan Cancer Support; and helped survey the nationwide information needs of NHS staff.

  His passion is helping people in organisations leverage their effectiveness through knowledge management. He has experience of working with hundreds of staff in the public and charity sectors, which he combines with technical expertise in knowledge management and communications.

  He was an information manager in a wide range of roles in the Civil Service for 20 years, and the Knowledge Manager of the Motor Neurone Disease Association in its search for rapid professional development from 2001 to 2004. He is proud to be a trustee of his professional institute, the Chartered Institute of Librarians and Information Professionals.

• AcknowledgementsOpen

  CIE would like to thank the following organisations and people:

  1. Our peer reviewers: Catherine Beverley (Cumbria County Council), Jo Cooke and Zeno Leung (Hong Kong Polytechnic University)

  2. Everyone who took part in our user trials: Christine Edgington, Lovely Miah, Claudette Russell, Heather Scott, Elaine Campbell, Carmen MIlitaru, Jane Ayres, Bilal Dunoo, Hema Dattani, Sianne Wilford, Mareike Wiegratz Costa, Heather Hughes, Hardeep Kaur and Susan Linder.

• Technical developmentOpen

  Programming and graphic design by Cimex Ltd.

• SCORM Compliant versionOpen

  If you are a member of staff from a Higher Education institution who would like to download the activity for use in a virtual learning environment (VLE),such as WebCT, Blackboard or Moodle you should use the SCORM compliant version above.

  Please note that this resource was not designed to export any scores or track progress throughout the resource. Therefore, this resource can be imported into a virtual learning environment and freely accessed by users, but there will be no tracking or grading functionality.

• AccessibilityOpen

  This elearning resource has been designed to be accessible to the widest audience possible and reviewed for compliance to accessibility standards by the Digital Media Access Group at the University of Dundee. This page lists some of the features used to make the resources easier to use. If you are experiencing problems using the resources, or have any questions and comments about their accessibility, please let us know.

  Using the resources without a mouse

  All materials have been designed to be accessible using the keyboard. Use the Tab key to access navigational elements such as buttons and interactive diagrams. Pop-up windows with scroll bars can be accessed with the tab key, with the scroll-bar being operable via the up and down arrow keys.

  Changing the appearance of the resources

  If you need to adjust the way the resources appear, a Text Only version has been provided for each resource, allowing you to make changes to the resource's appearance through your browser. For example, you can use your browser to make the text larger, or change the font or colour of the text to suit your personal preferences. For more help on how to do this, visit the BBC's My Web My Way website

  Accessing the resources with a screen reader

  All resources have a narration of the main text. However if you use a screen reader, we recommend using the Text Only version for each resource. These provide broadly the same information and experience as the Flash version, but currently the nature of some features of the Flash resources mean that these features do not work as required in a screen reader

• CopyrightOpen

  All material in these elearning resources, including text, graphics, photographs, video and audio is copyright of the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE). Use of these resources for educational purposes is freely permitted, but commercial use of these resources or any modification to the resources is not permitted without prior authorisation from SCIE.

• Images and audioOpen

  The majority of the images and voices used in this resource are those of actors. This approach has been adopted to protect the identities of the service users and carers whose accounts have been drawn upon or the accounts have been based on situations indicative of the events or issues being covered.

• AccessibilityOpen

  The ‘Managing knowledge to improve social care’ elearning resources have been designed to be accessible to the widest audience possible and reviewed for compliance to accessibility standards by the Digital Media Access Group at the University of Dundee.

  This page lists some of the features used to make the resources easier to use. If you are experiencing problems using the resources, or have any questions and comments about their accessibility, please let us know.

  Using the resources without a mouse

  All materials have been designed to be accessible using the keyboard. Use the Tab key to access navigational elements such as buttons and interactive diagrams.

  Pop-up windows with scroll bars can be accessed with the tab key, with the scroll-bar being operable via the up and down arrow keys.

  Changing the appearance of the resources

  If you need to adjust the way the resources appear, a Text Only version has been provided for each resource, allowing you to make changes to the resource's appearance through your browser. For example, you can use your browser to make the text larger, or change the font or colour of the text to suit your personal preferences.

  For more help on how to do this, visit the BBC's My Web My Way website

  Accessing the resources with a screen reader

  If you use a screen reader, we recommend using the Text Only version for each resource. These provide broadly the same information and experience as the Flash version, but currently the nature of some features of the Flash resources mean that these features do not work as required in a screen reader.

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