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I recently attended a PD Place Development Team meeting, which highlighted new features available in the upcoming release of PD Place version 3.9. In that meeting, I was thrilled to see the addition of a “managed content” section into PD Place. This functionality was actually suggested to CoreSolutions by several PD Place Users during our bi-annual PD Place User Group Meetings. These PD Place Users originally envisioned a module in PD Place that would allow their members to review embedded content, such as YouTube videos or internal text-based memos and then indicate that the entire content was reviewed. Our Development Team was quick to jump to the challenge and several months later that idea has now come to fruition.
With the new “managed content” section of PD Place version 3.9, PD Place Users are provided additional functionality to complete a variety of PD-related tasks. For the sake of brevity, I will focus on three specific duties that can be achieved vis-à-vis the “managed content” section of PD Place that will save you time and money, increase efficiency and maintain accountability within your organization. I will commence by discussing the ability to house video and text-based content for the purpose of pre-course review, followed by an exposition of how organizations can utilize this section to deliver and keep track of acknowledgement and disclaimer forms. Finally, I will discuss a unique opportunity for organizations to create a library or collection of past professional development courses by recording live PD events and then re-offering these PD courses as “on-demand,” credit-based PD opportunities.
The ability to house prerequisite video and text-based content within the “managed content” section of PD Place version 3.9 is a task my colleagues claim has already created a “buzz” at several organizations. PD Place Users can now direct their members to the “managed content” section to review all desired pre-course material, wherein staff are prompted to place a check in the box provided to designate that the material was examined and understood. With respect to video-based content, this box only appears once the clip has reached completion. This functionality comes in handy when prerequisite content must be reviewed prior to the inception of a course or if there is course material that could be reviewed outside of course hours, to save time and money. Administration can keep track of and manage who has reviewed the mandatory material and similarly, who has not reviewed the material. As a result, processes become streamlined, thereby increasing efficiency; Instructors can save course time by having registrants review documents and videos prior to attending a PD opportunity. Not only does this save valuable clerical time and money in terms of professional development hours, but it will also save time and money in terms of paper and printing costs and in terms of the length of time it takes to disseminate, receive and record information relating to course materials.
But that is not the only advantage to the “managed content” section of PD Place. PD Place Users can also upload acknowledgement and disclaimer forms that require staff to indicate that they have reviewed and understand the mandatory material. Administration can track which members have or have not completed the assignment. Organizations can upload internal documents that require review, legal documents, documents that pertain to policy or procedural changes, notification forms, anti-bullying or workplace harassment videos, health and safety forms, and so on. Ultimately, any form, video or text-based documentation that staff are under obligation to review and acknowledge can be incorporated into the new “managed content” section of PD Place. Consequently, all members of the organization are “kept in the information loop” and all members of staff are held accountable for their actions. Since forms are delivered electronically via PD Place, organizations will save valuable time and money relating to printing and paper costs and the associated clerical duties.
Finally, the new “managed content” section of PD Place offers organizations the unique opportunity to create an online and on-demand library or collection of past PD events that can be reviewed for PD credit. Think of it this way: generally-speaking, if a PD course is no longer being offered by the organization, it becomes obsolete. What if there was a way for you to continue to offer those past PD courses, but in an on-demand and online format? After pondering this question for quite some time, I came to the realization that if organizations simply recorded their live PD events, then they could continue to offer these events in video-format in the “managed content” section of PD Place. Staff could access these courses at their leisure and still receive PD credit for successful completion of the course. Once the recorded PD course video has reached completion, the member of staff will be advised to mark a check to indicate that they have reviewed the online course. Clearly, this will save time and money that would have been expended on facilitating the same course on multiple occasions. It’s true that there may be instances where it is better suited to run the desired PD course again, as for example there may be a high degree of interest in the course. However, when interest exists but is limited, it may be more economical for the organization to consider offering this course in a pre-recorded format by making use of the “managed content” section in PD Place. If administration note increased interest in the recorded version of the course, based on the number of registrants who have completed the online version of the course, then they can consider facilitating another live session of the PD event. As administration have the additional option of offering the same PD event again in an on-demand format, as opposed to cancelling a specific course because the enrolment figures have not reached the desired course minimums, efficiency within the organization increases. If a member of staff does not complete a required on-demand course within a specific time-frame, administration can track this information and hold this member of staff accountable. Administration may chose to contact the member of staff via email through PD Place.
The new “managed content” section of PD Place version 3.9 can assist in the completion of a variety of tasks that you can track and manage online with ease. Offering pre-course or prerequisite course videos and text materials, along with acknowledgement and disclaimer forms vis-à-vis the “managed content” section of PD Place, will save you time and money, increase efficiency and will maintain accountability at your corporation. For those of you who are willing to take the extra step of recording and uploading your professional development courses into the “managed content” section of PD Place, you will reap the rewards of having new flexibility with respect to how you offer professional development courses at your organization. Simultaneously, you will begin to create a comprehensive library of on-demand and online past courses that your staff can access for PD credit.
What was once an idea in the mind of a few PD Place Users has now become reality ~ please keep informing us of features that you would like to see in future releases of PD Place and our CoreSolutions Development Team will work their magic and make it happen!
