Swine Flu e-learning course created by Devon County Council

As swine flu spreads across the world and the numbers affected increase, informing and educating people to combat the pandemic is vital. Devon County Council's e-learning course provides the much needed background information on how a flu pandemic is caused and how to combat it.

The learning resource makes extensive use of all the research that has been carried out to prevent outbreaks of a pandemic. The e-learning uses storytelling, quizzes, video and scenarios to convey the key messages.

E-learning is a cost effective way of reaching a large number of people remotely. Bringing people together in one room to discuss how to combat the risk of flu, would only increase the risk of infection. As a result, the Workforce Development Team designed a distance learning booklet, a briefing session for line managers and an e-learning module accessible via the intranet.

One of the team responsible for designing the e-learning was Karissa Marker. She explained that
'whilst our plan was to prepare all Devon County Council staff in the event of an outbreak of flu, it was particularly important that our social care staff were trained, as in the course of their work they come into contact with vulnerable people on a daily basis.

The actual writing of the e-learning module took very little time using Learning Pool's e-learning authoring tool. We shared our e-learning course because we believe in the ethos of Learning Pool and in sharing with our colleagues in other authorities.'

Mary McKenna, Learning Pool Director added 'From a standing start, Devon CC has created its own e-learning and made it available at very little cost, in a matter of weeks.

What they have achieved shows how the public sector is grabbing e-learning with both hands and improving their learning and development programmes, whilst making efficiency savings at the same time. No mean feat.'