WORKPLACE LEARNING DURING COVIDPANDEMIC: EXPERIENCES, CHALLENGES & POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
A Case Study of a Public Transport Company.
Abstract
Background
& Purpose:
The learning context of a public transport company that shifted to remote work during
the Covid-19 pandemic has been research3ed. The aim was to explore employees'
experiences and their needs concerning organizational settings for workplace learning.
Through this, organizational barriers to learning and helpful learning practices could
be identified to better understand learning in remote work contexts.
Theory: Informed by Billett’s conceptualization of workplace learning as the dialectic
relationship between the circumstances of the social environment (workplace
affordances) and the learners’ actions (learner agency). Further, the framework of
Communities of Practice by Lave and Wenger has been applied to conceptualize
learning in the organizational context.
Method: The research design was based on a case study, including three virtual focus groups
with employees of the company (n=11). These employees have been working in a
remote work setting during the pandemic and participated in a new digital, semiinformal,
and self-directed learning practice (Working Out Loud).
Results: The results show that the switch to a remote work setting created challenges and
opportunities for workplace learning. On the one hand, social interaction was hindered
and led to more barriers to engage in learning practices. Furthermore, the need to selfmanage
one’s work and learning increased because new routines and processes had to
be established. On the other hand, employees experienced more freedom in scheduling
their time and trying out new learning practices. Digital learning practices, such as the
semi-informal method of Working Out Loud, supported the workplace learning by
providing a structured framework for learning and by making it easier to set aside
learning time. The new learning practice encouraged meta-reflection about one’s own
learning goals and increased self-directedness. Moreover, it opened opportunities to
discuss which practices are perceived as valuable and can support a more transparent
learning culture.
Degree
Student essay
Collections
Date
2023-10-23Author
Ruge, Elske
Keywords
Workplace learning, remote work, learning practices, case study
Series/Report no.
VT/22-2920-155383-5982875-PDA699
Language
eng