LearnScope team participants need to come out of a LearnScope project with a sense of achievement… a feeling that they have ‘moved along the road’ in their own personal skills development. Project Managers and Learning Facilitators have important roles in creating the right kind of environment for a successful LearnScope project experience.

LearnScope team leaders in South Australia in 2001 discussed this issue, and came up with the following list of suggestions to ensure that this happens successfully.

• Set realistic and achievable goals for the project.
• Work closely with your team to develop their own individual learning plans.
• Have participants complete a Skills Audit at the beginning of the project, then complete it again at the end so they can see their progress.
• Break up the project objectives into small, ‘bite sized’ individual goals.
• Use a visual image to show how the small goals will lead to a big Vision ie flowchart.
• Ensure that participants have a sense of ‘ownership’ of these goals.
• Allocate adequate time to discuss goals in a face to face workshop/meeting.
• Assist participants to develop small and achievable tasks to work on between meetings.
• Ensure participants are aware that there will be tasks and activities which will occur between formal meetings/workshops.
• Reward participants for progressive achievements.
• Formally publish achievements eg organisation/program newsletters
• Ask your Director/CEO to send participants a letter, recognising their achievements.
• Review and reflect on progress as a regular part of project activities.
• Use a Chat room or Bulletin Board as a means of reflecting and discussing progress
• Contact participants individually via email/phone/personal contact, to discuss their own progress and how they are feeling about the project.
• Use photographs to document the progress of the project – publish in local promotional material (ie newsletters) and on LearnScope Virtual Learning Community.
• Revisit goals at least once, halfway through project.
• Establish a “self assessment culture” so participants become aware of where they are “at” with regard to their own learning, and are not using a “group norm”.
• Organise contact with the participants of other project teams.
• Accept backtracking and changing of individual goals – modify the whole Project Plan if necessary and appropriate.
• Develop an understanding within the team that “little steps” are important
• Allow adequate time for the development of new skills.
• Ensure that LearnScope is a priority
• Use back-filling for staff to acquire time
• Work with the team to develop strategies for time management within the project.
• Structure activities so that participants gain a sense of achievement early in the project.
• Give constant encouragement, reinforcement and feedback.
• Use “post-it notes” for feedback exercises to encourage a “little but often” approach.
• Keep a focus on “after the project” so that participants do not feel that everything has to be achieved within a few short weeks.
• Encourage the involvement of ALL team members.
• Where skills are varied, encourage “buddying up”
• Attempt to develop a ‘bond’ between all team members … use an identity (eg. Hats or a specific theme.)
• Ensure that the project is FUN!
• “Whine” and cheese sessions to encourage reflection and honest sharing
• Lots of food!

Good luck with your projects in 2002!