The Wider Context

This section explores how I engaged with legislation, policies, and standards in the context of learning technology.

Evidence of Policy Implementation

Image from the launch of our new Training Management System.

Understanding and Engaging with Legislation

My engagement with legislation, particularly the GDPR and Equality Act, was a key aspect of my role in digital transformation at IKON Training. Ensuring compliance while implementing the Digital Development Strategy required a deep understanding of these legal frameworks. My background in law helped me to understand how the law applied to our organisation. My analysis influenced how we handled data and ensured we respected the rights and needs of all learners.

Digital Development Strategy

My Digital Development Strategy, implemented over my first twelve months at IKON Training, was a comprehensive journey of aligning technology with organisational goals while adhering to key legal and ethical standards. The strategy encompassed several phases: Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and continuous Evaluation, each requiring a deep understanding of both technological capabilities and legislative requirements. Through each phase, there were many areas where I was able to enhance the wider learner journey and improve compliance.

Health and Safety Declaration

Many of our training courses contain a physical element, meaning that the learners need to be aware of certain factors that will increase their safety and reduce the risk of injury. Before the implementation of the Digital Development Strategy, this information was disseminated at the start of a training session. I drafted a digital version of the declarations, which the learners accessed via scanning a QR code.

With the integration of the TMS and the pre-registration of learners, we were able to make learners aware of these factors in advance, pre-course. This significantly improved the learner experience. For example, one learner was able to decide if it was suitable for her to partake in the training, considering she had recently become pregnant. She greatly appreciated being able to read this information in advance and seek personal assurances from the Training Manager before the session, all without having to discuss her pregnancy with her trainer at the start of the session in front of her colleagues.

The method of delivery for this information was through an email automation that monitored new registrants on courses tagged as 'Physical'. These emails contained a link to a declaration, monitored by a second automation that updated the register with a learner's acceptance, meaning that the trainer has full information pre-course about who has already accepted the H&S Declaration.

Reflections on Declarations by Email

Although there was a negative impact on some learners feeling 'bombarded' by emails pre-course, with other emails giving event details, it was felt necessary in a recent review to maintain this Health & Safety email because of the wider context of raised awareness, personal liberty to choose how and when to engage, and to reinforce the right of our learners to make informed decisions around their safety. In the future, I would like to combine the Health and Safety Declaration into the existing Course Details email, but this is not possible within the constraints of our current TMS.

GDPR Compliance

Implementing GDPR guidelines, I ensured that our eLearning platform adhered to data protection standards. This included secure data handling, clear privacy policies, and user consent for data usage. My role involved regular training and updating our practices in line with evolving legislation.

One significant change was improving our website's compliance regarding Cookies. After assessing that the website did not store sufficient data to trigger the requirements for a notification, I collaborated with an external company to develop a more robust strategy reflecting the increased data collected via our website due to Lead Generations and HubSpot implementation. Following my presentation of the report, I researched and implemented a modern Cookies Management System on our staging site, later extending it to our main website. The Cookies Notification is now visible on ikontraining.co.uk.

Equality and Accessibility

Under the Equality Act, I led efforts to make our eLearning content accessible to all learners. This meant designing courses with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, ensuring that our platform was accessible to individuals with disabilities and catering to diverse learning needs.

You can read more about my commitment to Accessible learning on the Accessibility page of IKON Academy.

Policy Engagement

Beyond legislation, engaging with institutional policies was crucial. I contributed to developing policies around eLearning, focusing on quality, ethics, and the responsible use of technology. I redrafted IKON’s Privacy and Personal Data policy and changed the method of how this was delivered to learners. Previously, this had been displayed and discussed at the start of training sessions, but I changed this to an opt-out survey emailed out to learners as soon as they were registered. This method gave learners time to research their rights, and to raise questions privately before the session. Although our previous method did meet the requirements of the law, I felt it was important for learners to have an opportunity to privately read, consider and question our policy before they consented without peer-pressure within a session. This was achieved via an automation in Zapier.

Recently, we transitioned this email to a more detailed explanation within the registration page to reduce the volume of emails sent to learners. This was particularly important given the additional emails sent for usernames and passwords associated with the new learning platform. I am currently exploring ways to streamline all this information into a single email, although this has been complex due to varying times and software managing the automations.

In time, I would like to streamline all this information into a single email, but this has proved complex due to the different times and software used to manage the automations.

Rights and Responsibilities

In the early testing phase of IKON Academy's Breakaway resources, it became evident that learners greatly valued the section on their legal rights and responsibilities. This appreciation likely stems from the fact that the majority of IKON’s learners are under a duty of care, thus they have a keen interest in understanding the legal implications of their actions. This emphasis on legal rights and responsibilities distinguishes the IKON Training Breakaway course from others, offering a unique aspect of learning that resonates with our audience.

The initial information for this section was provided by the Training Manager. Collaborating closely with him, I took steps to ensure that the content presented on our platform was not only accurate but also clear and concise. This collaborative effort was crucial in conveying complex legal concepts in an accessible manner.

Subsequent testing with the live version of the site reaffirmed the significance of this section. It remained the highest-rated resource, indicating that we effectively met our learners' needs by informing them about their legal rights and responsibilities. This feedback was a testament to our commitment to providing relevant and valuable learning resources that empower our learners with essential knowledge in their fields.

Live Captioning Compliance

In my time at the University, a significant focus was on aligning our practices with legal requirements for live captioning of lectures. The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018 mandated accessible time-based media, which includes captions and transcripts for pre-recorded content. For live time-based media, although not explicitly required by law, the guidelines suggested that such media, if archived for more than 14 days, should be considered as pre-recorded and made accessible accordingly.

I initiated a comprehensive review of our live captioning practices, comparing our approach with other leading institutions. This involved examining various tools and strategies, like the integration of automatic speech recognition technology, to provide live captions and subsequently convert them for archived content. Implementing these solutions ensured our compliance not just with current regulations but also prepared us for potential future legislative changes. It was a step towards creating an inclusive learning environment, catering to diverse learner needs.

The challenge was to balance legal compliance with practical feasibility. We considered different technologies and assessed them for accuracy, ease of use, and integration capability with our existing systems. This review process was crucial in selecting the most effective tools for live captioning, ensuring that our approach was both compliant and pedagogically sound.

My work in this area was a reflection of my commitment to accessibility and inclusiveness in education. It involved not only understanding and applying legal standards but also advocating for the best practices in digital accessibility, thereby enhancing the learning experience for all students.

Reflections on Legislative Engagement

Reflecting on this experience, I realise the importance of staying informed and responsive to legislative changes. My role in navigating these complexities has not only ensured compliance but also fostered an ethical, inclusive, and secure learning environment. I have pushed for accessibility at every opportunity, and always ensured legal compliance with the products I have created. Although, in practise, the legal guidelines are not always clear, as I found in my work on the Captioning. However, as long as the intention to meet the requirements of inclusion, honesty, fairness and accessibility are embedded, meeting the legal requirements often follows. I also find it reassuring to defer to experts, such as with our web-hosting, our Cookie Consent and legal support centres around issues on GDPR and Data Disclosure.

In the future, I will try to widen my network to include other learning professionals to ensure I am kept abreast of the latest developments. Although my current network has served me well so far. If you wish to get in touch with me, please contact me via the links below.