Impact Research iLB

Project lead
Prof. Dr. Ralph Conrads
Prof. Dr. Thomas Freiling

Project participants
Nathanael Opitz, M.A.

In cooperation with the BA head office - POE 22
Steffen Niemann 
Raphaela Weiß

Duration
2018 – 2024

Individual Learning Support (iLB) was developed in the year 2012 and enables National Employment Agency employees to receive experience-based, work-related learning based on real work tasks.

The aim is the transfer of what has been learned into professional practice to encourage the sustainability of knowledge. iLB sees the acquisition of new skills ("Vom Wissen zum Können" - from knowledge to skill), a reduced level of transfer loss and a strengthening of self-learning skills allowing for the individual learning type as well as personal strengths and weaknesses. Gaps in transfer can also be reduced, meaning that what has been learned in training and further education courses is actually applied to everyday working life.

The exchange between employees and specially trained learning support workers is dedicated to specific and individual development needs. Learning support offers assistance with structuring individual learning processes. iLB actively avoids providing technical input or concrete solutions, instead supporting employees , helping them come up with their own, individual answers .

Concomitant research examines the extent of the effectiveness of individual learning support as a form of internal qualification within education management. The effectiveness is based on changes in interdisciplinary skills (methodological, social and self-skills), supplemented by technical skills.

The aim is to enable a more solid and sustainable development of skills than would be possible  without the use of iLB.

This is to be examined in a complex research design with qualitative and quantitative methods (control group design).

As part of the qualitative research phase in 2018, 43 people (participants, learning support workers and managers) were interviewed about their experience, their opinion and their estimation of iLB. Previous results show iLB to be a positive, effective learning platform. However, suitable conditions are essential for this to be the case. Provisional findings are that…

• there is a general high level of satisfaction with the iLB programme and the corresponding support services. It is perceived as an "effective learning platform" by those interviewed.
• several success factors for the execution of iLB could be extracted: individuality, the chance to reflect, practical relevance and confidentiality. The positive overall effect of iLB is mainly due to its individuality and its practical relevance.
• after initial findings, iLB appeals more strongly to employees who want to strengthen their personal skills (e.g. resilience, independence, learning ability) or methodological skills (the ability to solve problems, reflexivity). The relevance of specialist skills is still being researched.
• for success and the achievement of iLB goals, it is necessary to have the support of supervisors and colleagues as well as the provision of the corresponding resources in order for implementation to take place.

The quantitative survey asks employees nationwide who are completing an induction or specialisation programme due to being new in the position or having changed positions. Whilst in these induction or specialisation programmes, they can draw on iLB as an additional support tool. Due to iLB participation being on a voluntary basis, there is an experimental group and a control group.

In c. 10 - 15-minute onlinesurveys data is collected on iLB experience as well as the assessing of personal skills. Participants are asked to evaluate  the long-term learning success when using iLB&nbspat several points  .

• t1 (Survey before iLB)
• t2 (Participating in iLB / control group)
• t3 (Survey 6 months after t1)
• t4 (Survey 12 months after t1)  

The following research questions are to be answered, amongst others, in the quantitative survey:

• To what extent can changes in competence development (technical, methodological and interdisciplinary skills) for participants in the certificate programme "Professionelle Beratung" (professional counselling) or among those new in positions or who have changed positions after completing the induction programme be determined, such as strengthening self-learning skills and problem-solving skills?
• How far can the changes in competence development be attributed to the use of iLB?

Due to necessary adaptations in the acquisition of participants as well as the effects of the Corona pandemic, the quantitative phase has been extended and further target groups added.