Approximately 10 years ago, Mountain America Credit Union (MACU) began looking for a more efficient way to produce training manuals. At the time, manuals were designed, printed, and bound by each trainer. As the class sizes grew and the frequency of classes increased, this process began to affect the time available for other classroom preparations.
In response to this situation, MACU looked to third-party vendors to create the manuals. It priced various options and used three different vendors over the next few years. Though all created quality materials, one issue remained unresolved: Due to the ongoing changes in credit union processes and procedures, materials could be out-of-date before they were received from the printer. MACU trainers often would spend significant amounts of time printing corrected pages and inserting them into the manuals.
As the organization was considering how to handle this challenge, another question came to mind: Was there really a need for training manuals? Policies and procedures already were documented on MACU’s intranet and regularly updated. In contrast, printed manuals became outdated and an unreliable resource within in a short time of trainees returning to their branches.
The solution was the introduction of workbooks for use in class, rather than manuals. Workbooks would include key information but primarily would be a tool for creating employee interaction. They included adequate space for note taking and were a resource for trainees to use while taking quizzes and the final class assessment. This approach worked well temporarily, but increased size and frequency of classes quickly began to catch up with MACU.
MACU’s next step was the implementation of an electronic workbook (eWorkbook) using Adobe Reader.
Solution Details
eWorkbooks provide the following benefits:
- No last-minute printing of materials for late class registrants
- Embedded links to MACU’s intranet for the most up-to-date processes and procedures
- Potential for access to other learning opportunities such as YouTube videos, Ted Talks, and e-learning courses
- Materials and time savings
- Appeal to MACU’s current demographic of Millennials through both the use of technology and the “green approach”
- Ability to use the search function, allowing eWorkbooks and their notes to be saved for use as a convenient resource when trainees return to their branches
Results
MACU began testing the eWorkbook in August 2015 by making it an option for participants in its Lending class. Research on electronic note taking indicated there could be some drop-off in information retention when learners type rather than write notes, but MACU found the opposite to be true. The average daily check-in score for eWorkbook users in classes was .25 percent higher than those using paper workbooks. eWorkbook users also tested higher on their final course exam by 1.875 percent. When all classes are converted to eWorkbooks, cost savings impacting MACU’s corporate return on assets (ROA) goal are estimated to be approximately $29,000 for 2016.
