L.PGS.2015 - PGS Remote Delivery Technical Training and Support

Summary

There is a need for a targeted remote delivery training and support mechanism to enable deliverers to efficiently and confidently use technology to provide supported learning in remote rural areas where distances necessitate the provision of other measures to enable follow up delivery with Profitable Grazing Systems (PGS) participants. This will also increase the value proposition of PGS to both deliverers and producers. John James will conduct a deliverer needs survey and from this, develop specific training products and support to increase the confidence, capacity and capability of PGS deliverers to use remote delivery technology. These will include webinar development and delivery, and interactive technology use and training of producers to increase their confidence and capability in these programs.

Objectives

The key tasks of the Adoption program remote delivery project were to:

1) Design and conduct a training needs analysis to determine the current knowledge and skill level of the participants (up to 200) using SurveyMonkey. The survey will also gather data about participants' intended webinar usage and the technology their clients already use. This will ensure the subsequent training needs are met.

2) Once survey data is analysed, a one-hour introductory webinar was developed using Zoom. This webinar was delivered to 200 participants across seven sessions, covering the following topics:

a. benefits that webinars offer
b. equipment options
c. software options
d. steps to run a successful webinar
e. engaging with your attendees (slide design, polls, Q&A)
f. minimising presenter stress
g. helping producers use the technology
h. Q&A session.

Monitoring and evaluation data was then collected from each session and submitted to MLA.

3) After the training needs analysis, specific training webinars were developed for the three most popular platforms. Each of these sessions gives an overview of the platform and information on the following:

a. setting up a meeting
b. hosting a meeting
c. engaging with your attendees
d. Q&A session.

Key findings

The training sessions run were extremely popular, demonstrating the need for this type of webinar. Web meetings are an important tool for MLA staff and collaborators to engage with clients whilst adhering to physical distance requirements in a world affected by COVID-19. It is expected that as a result of the project, MLA staff and collaborators will make greater use of web meetings for client engagement.

A benefit of this training is greater client satisfaction due to continued engagement and potentially more frequent interactions during times of physical distance. The increased use of web meetings will also potentially decrease travel time and costs for both presenters and attendees.

The effective use of web meetings can potentially increase the adoption of other MLA funded R&D through improved engagement with users during development and implementation phases. Web meetings could help improve the adoption of practices promoted within the PGS program through increased follow up and support of producers after initial training events.

Benefits to industry

Attract and support Service Providers (SPs) to deliver high-value Supported Learning Projects (SLPs) during the Covid-19 restrictions and in remote areas of Australia using remote delivery technology.

Enable the ongoing delivery of supported learning via the support and training of deliverers and subsequently of producers. Enable the continued engagement of producers to engage in MLA Adoption programs program during the Covid-19 restrictions and ongoing for remote producer.

MLA action

As described in the 'future research' section, it is recommended that MLA conduct follow up webinars in 6–12 months so that value to the red meat industry can be quantified.

Future research

As it is likely that only early adopters and early majority were attracted to attend this first series of webinars, it is recommended that another series of introductory webinars are delivered in 12 months' time. This will attract other participants from the early majority and perhaps some in the late majority, which will achieve even greater usage of web meetings in the red meat industry.

It is also recommended that participants from the initial webinars will be followed up in six to 12 months' time to determine their usage of web meetings. This will help quantify the value of these sessions to the red meat industry.