With the large and growing number of minorities in the workplace, trend towards globalization and the increased need for teamwork, it has never been more important to be educated on the issue of Diversity.
Target Audience:
This module is designed for employees and employers who need general information on and exposure to the issue of diversity in the workplace.
The main topics covered include:
ü     History of events concerning diversity
ü     Meaning of discrimination
ü     What is the hostile environment?
ü     Different kinds of discrimination
ü     Religious discrimination
ü     Gender or "sex" discrimination
ü     Age discrimination
ü     Racial discrimination
Additional features:
ø Â Â Â Â Hypothetical situations
ø Â Â Â Â Includes interactive quiz that is based on the hypothetical scenarios
ø Â Â Â Â Certification of completion is provided
ø Â Â Â Â The Spanish version is promised to be coming soon
Overview:
The course involves a general overview of the main topics mentioned above. The module is designed so that the participant learns what is and what is not considered discrimination. Specifically, it is taught that discrimination occurs when someone is treated differently because of their race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, or sexual origin. The module notes that it is acceptable to treat people differently based on their performance and qualifications.
The training module highlights the three good reasons to care about diversity:
The module also explains what a hostile environment is. It is suggested that for there to be a ´hostile environment´, the conduct must be offensive. That is, the conduct is offending if a) a reasonable person would be offended and b) the victim in fact is offended. Additionally, the conduct must be repeated and extreme.
It is interesting to learn from the module that you can complain to your HR department about an incident of discrimination that you have heard about but may not have witnessed.
I think it is appropriate to finish this overview with the wise words with which the learning session ends: "The United States was built on a principle of equality for all persons. We haven´t always lived up to those standards but we should try to reach the goal."
Accessibility:
The employee is able to access the course anytime through the Internet by typing in the secret password provided by your company´s assigned Administrator. The enrollment option requires the participant to provide her name and the last four-digits of her social security number for tracking purposes. CertifiedHR provide a standard e-mail that can be sent out to your employees explaining the training module and how to access it.
Tracking
CertifiedHR´s tracking system allows company administers to follow the usage and completion patterns of the employees. The system is able to print certificates and reports concerning participation. CertifiedHR''s tracking system follows the employees through the entire course and allows the administrator to view the employees who have started the course, completed the course, as well as the length of time spent on the course.
Pricing
CertifiedHR''s pricing model is based on the number of employees you are training. Below are some examples:
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Since this is a web-based training module, a good internet connection is necessary.
The animations included in the module require Shockwave Flash. If you don´t already have it, there is an option to download it for free.
The module also makes extensive use of sound, which requires a Sound Card. If you don´t have it, the module will still work except there will be no sound.
As mentioned before, the training module explains that there are three good reasons for caring about diversity. Mainly, that 1) it''s the right thing to do, 2) it makes good sense, and 3) last but not least, it´s the law. In most companies, the task of implementing programs that take these points into consideration are usually the responsibility of the HR department. With globalization, changing demographics and increased emphasis on teamwork, it is becoming more and more necessary to be concerned about diversity.
The training module started off well by showing how diversity contributes to your everyday life. (This is done by showing all the different kinds of restaurants you can go to.) The interactive and practical nature of the Hypothetical Scenarios makes them fun as well as educational. The questions after each hypothetical also help to test the users understanding of the issues.
Unfortunately, the word "discrimination" is mentioned a lot more than "diversity". In fact, a couple of the slides used are the exact same as the ones used for the Discrimination learning module developed by CertifiedHR. I found this to be very frustrating since I kept wondering if I had signed up for the right module. (In fact, I had entered the right module.) The only explanation for this is that the creator´s definition of diversity is different then my own. For me, diversity has more to do with understanding and harnessing the differences between people for the benefit of the organization rather than the unfair treatment experienced as a result of these differences. It may be that the creator(s) simply didn´t pay attention to the content and just ´borrowed´ information from an already developed module. I did speak with a representative of the company who explained that different teams are responsible for developing the modules and that the "similarity between the topics may be responsible for the overlap".
Although, the animation and the interactive nature of the module are effective, the training could really be improved with a little more attention to the content. I guess this is the trade-off for the program to be cost-effective. This product may be a good low cost alternative if compliance is your motivating factor.
CertifiedHR produces interactive e-training modules for human resource training needs. The Internet accessible modules, range in substance from avoidance of sexual harassment to company-specific training. Feature flash-animated real world hypotheticals that track employee''s progress.