1. Running head: LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES 1
Learning and Development Activities
Name
Institution
2. LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES 2
Learning and Development Activities
Activity
AC1.1
Legislative Factors
Many institutions such as professional service firms have often been subjected to lots of
scrutiny from investor, politicians, companies just to name a few. The aftermath of the recent
financial has specifically intensified the levels of these examinations prompting the need to have
rules and regulations in place. For instance, following the financial crisis the United Kingdom
government did adopt compulsory audit rotation for a majority of its companies an aspect which
has greatly impacted on a number of organizations including Deloitte Firm. Based on the
compulsory audit rotation, the United Kingdom has made it compulsory for all listed companies
to put up their audit every ten years. Additionally, the compulsory audit rotation did emphasis on
the necessity for companies to change their auditors every two decades. All United Kingdom
companies had to comply with the directive of audit rotation and aspect which greatly affected
the design of learning as well development activities within the firms this is largely influenced
by the fact that most learning and development activities are subject to the laws of the land. As
such, the firms will only be left with one option which is to stick to the principles of work ethics.
Perhaps, for the employers to create a positive impact on an organization they ought to try to do
what is right. Therefore, it is very clear that through adherence to the rules and regulations
associated the firms the design of learning together with development activities will be
influenced.
Organizational Factors
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The design of learning and development activities are greatly influenced by two
organizational factors that are top management commitment and line managers' involvement.
Over recent years, the line manager’s role has gradually undergone lots of evolution. Ideally, line
managers are tasked with the responsibility of managing people and delegating functions such as
learning and development. In an organization, for instance, line managers it is the responsibility
of the manager to manage the organization's consultant personnel as well as guiding in design
learning and development functions. Well-equipped line managers with sufficient and effective
skills are very critical to any organization especially with regards to HRD functions which
require critical decision-making skills. In any organization, the subordinate staff is always bound
to rely on the encouragement of the subordinate staff to help in their continuous development. As
such, it is very clear that line managers play a very big role in employee engagement towards
design learning and development activities through their support and encouragement to their
subordinates. This, therefore, calls for the need for organizations to equip line managers
sufficiently. Top management commitment is the other organizational factor that influences
design learning and development activities. In terms of organizational development, top
management always plays a very critical role when it comes to the execution of new initiatives.
The mandate of the top management is always to provide resources for the implementation of
design learning and development initiatives in addition to providing direction. The overall focus
of the top quality management is to ensure continuous improvement of the organization’s
systems, processes and environment. The top management as such plays a very critical role when
it comes to the launch of new initiatives in a company. They provide the road map that will see
the projects to completion, provide resources for the implementation of new development
initiatives in addition to providing direction. The top management must always make sure that it
4. LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES 4
makes available all critical resources required. The top management are also responsible for
ensuring continuous learning and development to its employees.
AC1.2 Learning Principles
Pedagogy and andragogy are the two primary adult learning principles. Pedagogy is the
style of learning that is associated with the best ways to teach children (In Wang & In Bryan,
2014). As such trainers are always dependent on the teacher’s methods to help understand
concepts being taught. This model of teaching is considered to be an authoritative method of
impacting knowledge to young trainees because it gives the trainer complete control over the
learning experience of the trainees. Additionally, based on this model, the whole process of
learning is considered to be very formal since the assessment is based on a grading system that is
sued to analyze the learning progress of young trainees. Andragogy on the other hand, focuses
specifically on the teaching methods applied in teaching adults. It mostly concerns with the
experiences of the adults and the methods that best suits their learning process. Based on this
model, adult trainees often determine their learning schedule. Additionally, this model of
learning is based on cooperation where trainees work as team to understand the topic at hand.
Andragogy is mostly considered is mostly considered to be informal learning because most
assessments done to trainees are essentially not for grading purposes. Generally, the andragogy
model is very motivating because most of its learnings are goal oriented and help s adult learners
acquire the best learning outcomes.
AC 1.3
There are numerous aspects that trainers need to know in designing and development
initiatives. First, is the need to identify why learner is interested to learn, their goals and what
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they expect to have gained by the end of the learning and development activities. This is very
important because it will help the trainer in coming up with schedules that suit the needs of the
trainees. Second, it is very important for trainers to identify the most preferred and suitable
learner’s teaching techniques. When trainees are allowed to learn under their most preferred
learning techniques they will be most likely to understand better compared to being compelled
by to follow the trainer’s learning techniques. Lastly, it is very crucial for the trainers to identify
the communication abilities of their learners to ensure efficiency in communication during the
learning process.
AC2.1.
Learning and development initiatives are planned by the trainer based on the need and the
demands of the trainees to enable them meet the following objectives. The primary objectives for
learning and development initiatives can be broken down into the following; first, ensuring that
learners acquire effective skills by the end of the training process. Second, ensuring that learners
get to be taught at their own convenience. Third, enabling learners to learn new procedures and
technologies and finally enhancing effective transfer of knowledge from the trainers to the
learners.
A3.1:
E-learning, lecture method, case studies, and coaching method are the most common
training methods used by the trainers in learning and development activities. E-learning is
deemed as the most appropriate learning technique in remote locations. It is regarded as the most
effective method for training learners in remote locations since it learners to digest information at
their own speed while at the same time killing the boredom associated with classroom
6. LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES 6
environment (Pachler & Daly, 2011). Through e-learning, trainees are always free to take part in
the learning process at their own convenience. Our second approach is the lecture method. This
second approach best suits a setting where both the learners and trainers are all confined in one
locality. The lecture approach is deemed very effective in helping the learner create a general
understanding of the topic. Coaching approach is our third training approach. Its strategy is based
on one-on-one guidance aimed at improving the performance of the learner’s understanding of
the subject in question. The coaching approach is very important in motivating learners with
lower performance levels. The case study is our fourth and last approach. This training method is
mostly used to mimic real-life decision-making situations. In light of the case study approach,
the trainer will present the trainee with a historical situation based on either a real or imaginary
institution (Swanborn, 2010). The approach also provides key elements of the key decision
makers in the organization. Case studies do have a specific length and can range from a
paragraph to a whole booklet. Longer case studies often calls for the need for widespread
assessment and in most cases will force the trainees to outsource information outside the case
study. The type of responses generated from the cases studies may not always take a written
form. The good thing is that once the solutions have arrived the trainers facilitate the discussion
and diagnosis of the solutions. The discussions are very important since they equip the trainer
with a possible alternative to solving future case studies.
The evaluation of case study responses is often done by the trainer. Ideally, the trainer
will let the trainees know that there is no single right solution to the case study but depending on
the interpretations by the trainees there are very many possible solutions. Generally, when
dealing with case studies solutions are not always that important compared to the reasoning with
which the solutions have been established.
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References
In Wang, V. C. X., & In Bryan, V. C. (2014). Andragogical and pedagogical methods for
curriculum and program development.
Pachler, N., & Daly, C. (2011). Key issues in e-learning: Research and practice. New York:
Continuum International Pub. Group.
Swanborn, P. (2010). Case Study Research: What, Why and How?. London: Sage Publications.
Wang, V. C. X., & IGI Global. (2012). Pedagogical and andragogical teaching and learning
with information communication technologies. Hershey, Pa: IGI Global (701 E.
Chocolate Avenue, Hershey, Pennsylvania, 17033, USA.
