careers


Each issue Peter Williams talks to someone carving out a career in e-learning. This issue he speaks to Gill Chester


A job like mine G


ill Chester was one of the speakers at June’s Learning Technologies Summer Forum. Chester runs Little Man Project based in Stroud in


Gloucestershire. Speaking in the Learning Content Design slot her talked offered “10 design ideas for your next elearning project”. With her knowledge and experience you can


wonder how she kept the presentation down to just 10. While many people rather fall into L&D, Chester seems to have been quite deliberate over her choice of career. Working with JANET, the government funded organisation that provides IT and network support to UK higher and further education, Chester became interested in how the network was being used to support learning. This led to a Masters in Networked Learning at Lancaster University where modules included psychology of learning, multimedia development, evaluation and network learning. She says: “I wasn’t interested in the bits and bytes but more about how the network was being used to support learning”.


After completing her Masters in 2003 she took on the role of training manager at JANET responsible for delivering customer training to IT people in universities and colleges. Along with the face-to-face training Chester’s team created an online platform that supported all JANET members. While in that role she also gained experience of commissioning work from e-learning suppliers, although she often found herself fulfilling the role of the instructional Designer


I like that we can be the master of our ship because if we identify a better way of working we are agile enough to make a change. You can’t always do that in bigger companies where processes are harder to change and mistakes get repeated.


e.learning age june 2015 Gill Chester: Master of our ship


(ID). “I would have a very specific vision. I did not want e-learning with just the next button I was after something more engaging.” By the time she left Janet she had been involved in the development of over 30 pieces of bespoke e-learning and a huge library of video resources.


A move to Stroud in Gloucestershire prompted her departure from JANET, although they were one of Little Man Project’s first clients. One of the elements she loves about working in a smaller company is their ability to make changes to the way they work: “I like that we can be the master of our ship because if we identify a better way of working we are agile enough to make a change. You can’t always do that in bigger companies where processes are harder to change and mistakes get repeated.” The business has three distinct strands: bespoke development of e-learning mainly using Articulate’s Storyline; training; and support and mentoring. Chester is passionate about increasing the reputation of e-learning with users and believes one of the best ways to do that is to work with, and support, in- house L&D teams to help them improve the quality of the materials they are producing. That includes delivering practical training on ID and Storyline but also extends to providing one to one mentoring and as such she is currently working with an animal charity creating a new online programme via this


The low down n Perhaps her love of the work she does is best


shown from a discussion with her five year old son about hobbies. After discussing the definition of hobby, the five year old declared mum’s hobby was ‘going to work’.


n Is a big fan of Cathy Moore’s Action Mapping process for getting to the heart of business problems and away from content for the sake of content “These days less is definitely more”.


n Thinks it’s vital that clients are given their project files at the end of a project. Gone are the days when clients are tied to a supplier who holds their files hostage so they are the only ones who can make future updates.


n Little Man Project mainly works with the charity sector, which Chester believes is often overlooked by larger development companies, but is an absolute pleasure to work with.


approach. Chester’s support has included a design workshop, tailored one-on-one training and regular support calls.


This desire to support her clients even extends to bespoke development projects, where Chester hopes clients feel like they are hiring a trusted colleague not just a traditional supplier. The ethos of providing support means clients are always welcome to call and ask questions, receive support and even send in projects for review. “I am still supporting people I have trained years ago.” Chester may have a strong academic background but she is keen to offer practical advice and support. She says her goal is to demystify the process of creating e-learning and make it as clear as possible how to achieve good results.


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