1. Co-designing technology tools for informal learning – in healthcare SMEs
Dr Micky Kerr
Leeds Institute of Medical Education
Rose Dewey
NHS Bradford Districts Clinical Commissioning Group

2. Today’s Presentation …
Learning Layers Project
Healthcare Context
Co-production
Help-Seeking Service > Confer Tool
Conclusions & Key Messages

3. Learning Layers
The general project objective is to scale-up informal learning technologies in SME clusters to create meaningful learning opportunities and thereby improve sustained competitiveness of individuals, SMEs and the cluster as a whole. 

4. Learning Layers Project Consortium
Project Coordination
Technology Research
Scaling Partners
Regional Application Clusters
Healthcare – Leeds
Construction & Building – Bremen
Technology Partners

5. Learning Layers in Healthcare
GP Practices
Healthcare Networks
Focus on developing technology to enhance multi-professional, informal workplace learning in healthcare SMEs

6. Co-production in Learning Layers
To produce in collaboration and partnership with others
Co-design
Coalition
Co-evaluation

7. Coalition Challenges Activities Outcomes
Cross-disciplinary, cross-industry international consortium
Different drivers, interests, and priorities
Activities
Whole consortium meetings – work and social activities
Creating focussed workgroups and small teams
Multi-modal communication and collaboration
Putting people out of their comfort zone
Outcomes
Learning about and understand perspective of others
Building relationships and trust

8. Co-Design (1) Challenges Activities Outcomes
Complexity of primary care and healthcare networks
Multi-disciplinary healthcare professionals
Activities
Multi-method, iterative approaches
Flexible, dynamic planning and design of workshops
Outcomes
Development of local champions and gatekeepers
Identifying and addressing real-world, relevant problems
Understanding and empathy around work and learning in context

9. Co-Design (2) User Centred & Iterative Process Relevant Work Practices
Co-design meetings and workshops
Targeted stakeholder events
Relevant Work Practices
Task-based and problem-solving exercises
Think-aloud and cognitive walkthroughs
Current and future application scenarios

10. Help Seeking Service Help-Seeking Service Example Learning Challenges
Help / Support Seeking for Practice Managers & Nurses
Inter-organisational networks
Trusted advice & reliable resources
Sharing experiences & guidance
Co-design meetings and workshops
To explore networking tools (e.g. LinkedIn; early prototypes)
Attitudes and use of social media
Storyboard and prototypes
Co-design sessions around relevant scenarios
Testing by the design team using role play
GP Practices

11. Help Seeking Service > Confer
Interests
Practice-demand (bridging between face to face meetings, keep tasks on focus and moving forward, offer easy, early engagement in collaborative work)
Research interest (hybrid social networks, scaffolding for networked learning, progressive inquiry model)
Confer Tool Supports
Easy collection of ideas from F2F discussion
Structuring (scaffolding) of collaborative task for working groups
Discussion throughout
Support for early development of ideas prior to formal writing
Support working groups - focus, flow, discussion, consensus

12. Confer Tool
Confer:
Supports working groups, maintains focus and flow of work, structuring task, supporting discussion, reaching consensus

13. Co-Evaluation Healthcare pilot studies (3-4 months using tools)
GP Practice Federations (x2)
Academic Health Sciences Network (AHSN)
Health Education England (HEE) Workgroup
Current activities
Using tools within Learning Layers project team
Initial training workshops and focus groups
and telephone support
On-going pilot group feedback

14. Our journey
Collaborative working within the consortium team and with healthcare professional end-users
Dynamic co-design to inform theory and practice
Lead to a co-produced solution – co-design + evaluation

15. Best practice? Co-production with NHS staff
Collaboration
Difficulty: staff time to get involved in the project
Any tool must really solve a real problem – time-saving, better than the current state of play
Users must be able to see a benefit
So many initiatives in the NHS – users want to have confidence that the tool will be worth their time investment to even learn
Even taking this into account it’s difficult to get them to find the time – fighting fires