e-Zee+Feet+Case+Study

= e-Zee Feet =



=**Executive Summary **** ﻿ **=

e-Zee Feet is an E-learning Innovations project that uses the business-training provider partnership model. Island Health College partnered with two organisations who provide services in the aged care and disability sectors. The partnership led to the development and trialling of e-learning tools in reflexology. Three health conditions were identified as the areas of focus for the reflexology training. Staff in the business partner organisations were able to access the e-learning tools via the Island Health College website. This enabled staff to develop the skills to apply the reflexology techniques to the clients in their care.

=Background=

This project came about from a need identified by Island Health College, an RTO in Hobart, Tasmania, in discussion with our business partners, The Parkside Foundation and Vaucluse Gardens Residential Care, who are service providers in the aged care and disability sectors. These organisations wished to train their employees in a selection of reflexology techniques that they could use for the benefit of clients/residents in their care. Reflexology is a complementary therapy that involves treating a range of health conditions through gentle pressure applied to reflex points on the feet. These reflex points relate to all parts of the body, utilising the principle that certain parts of the body reflect the whole.

Further discussion with our business partners identified three health conditions that would be the focus of the reflexology training. These areas were
 * 1) relaxation and wellbeing
 * 2) digestion
 * 3) lymphatic drainage

These health conditions were chosen because reflexology skills developed by staff in these areas would be most beneficial to clients in their care. The business partners wanted the employees to develop skills and techniques that were non-invasive with clients/residents, and could be easily implemented in different settings, eg. at the bedside, or in a day care setting, and used over different available time frames eg. five minutes, or twenty minutes, depending on the demands on staff. They also expressed a difficulty in getting staff to training, and desired flexibility around the delivery of the learning tools, ones could be accessed repeatedly by staff to help embed their learning in the workplace.

The project team at Island Health College consisted of Angela Baker (Project Manager), Diane Donovan (College Director and Facilitator), and team members Kasha Mikoda and Marie Ferrar. Our industry expert was reflexologist Lisa Davidson-Lim.

Our partners expressed a desire to support clients with the health conditions mentioned above, in ways that were more holistic, and which improved quality of life, with the possibly added benefit of reducing the need for some medications. Without funding for this project, these options would not have been possible.

=What was done=

The project team developed a group of videos, some resource documents and a selection of photographs. These e-learning tools provided the training in reflexology techniques for the three health conditions. We spent a considerable amount of time shooting the videos, learning as we went about how to best demonstrate by sound and vision the reflexology techniques. Sometimes getting the right angle, with no shadow over the foot while it is worked on, was very difficult. Good quality equipment, including plenty of lighting, was crucial. Developing the right 'script' for each video was sometimes a challenge. We had to refilm some videos a number of times in order to get synchronicity between what was demonstrated and what was being said, which naturally was also a challenge. If we were producing videos again, I think we would spend more time before filming firming up what we wanted to shoot and __how__, before turning the camera on!

We made several short videos. We did this because we wanted to demonstrate one technique at a time. We didn't want the learner having to go back over a long video trying to find one small part they needed. Feedback from our partners said that this worked very well, as it was easy to dip quickly into one or two videos at a time when training, especially when time was short.

Here is one of our videos.

media type="youtube" key="qnL1UgGxZJY?rel=0" height="390" width="480"

Photographs were produced, with simple graphics added to show, for example, the direction of movement over the feet, or the section of the foot that needed to be worked on during a given technique. Some of these graphics were difficult to apply accurately, but feedback from our partners said that these 'stills' were very useful as they could be printed off and were a portabe resource to help remember the techniques when in the workplace.

Here is one of our photos, before graphics were applied.



=Benefits experienced by=

This was a terrific learning experience for us as a training organisation, and for me as the Project Manager. I personally learnt how to make training videos relevant for our industry sector, ie. natural therapies. The benefits for us as an organisation are significant. We are increasing delivery and assessing our training via e-learning. This year is the first year that we have a learner cohort that are doing blended training, with a combination of theory subjects off-site, and intensive weekends on-site to develop their practical massage skills. Being able to film our own videos will be a way we can help them to embed the skills they have learnt in the classroom, as they practise their skills at home using the videos.

=Lessons learnt=

There was a difference between the levels of participation of our two project partners. A lesson we learnt was how important it is to work closely with the partner project champion, and perhaps talk with them about a team of people in the organisation with whom we could liaise.

At the end of the trial period, staff gave us valuable feedback. The most important feedback was that blended learning would be an improvement. The staff found the training materials valuable, and e-learning a flexible option. However they would have liked one session with a reflexologist in addition to their e-learning, to help them cement their skills, and understand some aspects of training unable to be conveyed by video, e.g. how much pressure to use when applying reflexology techniques to the feet. Next time we would look at blended learning options sooner, as this may be more appropriate for natural therapies generally.

Below is a photo of one of the staff applying reflexology techniques to the feet of her client.



Our videos, photographs and resource notes were given positive feedback as to clarity, and simplicity of organisation. Staff found them easy to access, view and use in the work with their clients. One partner organisation made the time for staff to work together on each other, using the e-learning tools, and is planning to use the tools in their annual training week. They would like one of our staff to be present during this week, to help them in one session cement the skills they have learnt. We are keen to assist here, and this will bring blended learning into reality.

=Project Outputs=

Our videos, photographs and resource notes will be available on the Framework. I would like to see more complementary therapies available to learners using e-learning. The technology available now means that effective training can be undertaken wherever the learners are.

=Framework connection=

The national training system’s e-learning strategy, the Australian Flexible Learning Framework funds and supports projects which aim to embed e-learning into the national training system by supporting and enabling innovation in training design and delivery, at the state and territory level.

Our project aims to embed e-learning into the national training system by producing training materials in selected reflexology techniques that can be accessed by learners anywhere, anytime. Students of reflexology can use these tools in combination with classroom learning to help develop knowledge and skills appropriate to their industry.

=Acknowledgement=

This is a Tasmanian E-learning Innovations project output, developed by Island Health College, The Parkside Foundation and Vaucluse Gardens Residential Care, with seed funding from the Framework.



=For more information=

For more information on the Australian Flexible Learning Framework: Phone: 07 3307 4700 Email: enquiries@flexiblelearning.net.au Website: flexiblelearning.net.au