601 Building Stronger eLearning Communities: The Evolution of COPs in Washington State Government
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Thursday, April 6
There are hundreds of eLearning developers working for a variety of government agencies across the state of Washington. Many are experts in specific aspects of eLearning such as accessibility or graphic design, but lack expertise in other areas. Being disconnected, developers resorted to Google searches and larger online communities to grow knowledge and skills. Utilizing these resources, we found many others in Washington state government who had the answers to our questions, and we had answers to theirs. We needed a way to come together, share ideas, trials, and build a community where it is safe to ask questions.
In this session you will learn about the evolution of Communities of Practices (CoPs) in Washington state government. We will explore two particular CoP’s and share our experiences building these groups, the stumbling blocks we encountered, and where they are today. In the end, attendees will be provided with tools to help start their own CoPs.
Joe Waddington
eLearning Developer
Washington State Department of Enterprise Services
Joe Waddington started his career as a probation officer. He took a training position to take a "break" from the caseload work, and never looked back. He's been in the training world for over 20 years. A geek at heart, he has always tried to be on the leading edge of technology in the workplace. He developed eLearning for three different state agencies and leads a community of practice for eLearning developers throughout state government, helping to identify best practices and set development standards.
Sundae Delgado
eLearning Developer
Washington State Department of Enterprise Services
Sundae Delgado is currently a training leader, ITS, instructional designer & accessibility advocate for the state of Washington. She develops training for contract training for Washington state employees. She is the co-founder of the Washington state eLearning Community of Practice. She has worked for the Dept. of Labor & Industries as an instructional designer. While at L&I, she implemented the Customer Service University, a blended learning approach to improving customer service statewide through effective online (eLearning) and in-person training.