Countryside Agency Market Towns Learning Network

What was the stimulus/ need?

The Countryside Agency (CA) is promoting the concept of on-line Learning Networks as an operational solution to problems of capturing and spreading information and experience, targeting communications, and enabling 'joining up' its own and partner activities.

The Agency has identified such networks as a means of addressing its Knowledge Management corporate objective ("A way of working which makes information more accessible and encourages better knowledge sharing both internally and externally"). Learning Networks are potentially very appropriate in meeting the needs of a community of users who are spread geographically across the country, active out in the field, and with limited time to attend seminars and workshops and generally keep up-to-date.

An example of such a group are people working as local coordinators of the Agency-funded Market Towns Initiative, which supports regeneration in over 100 towns in England. This programme seeks "a new lease of life for market towns so that they provide convenient access to retail and professional services that surrounding communities depend on, training and jobs, leisure and cultural opportunities" (Countryside Agency Corporate Plan 2002/03).

How was the need tackled?

Market Towns Learning Network was one of three pilot Learning Networks launched by the Countryside Agency in October 2001 to test the effectiveness of a web-based, multi-functional, interactive resource. Its purpose is to provide:

• a forum for identifying research needs and priorities, disseminating findings and learning from experience
  
• learning opportunities for the Countryside Agency and its partners, based on the experience of exemplar market towns in the national network
  
• opportunities for exchanging information between people involved in the programme, eg, in local authorities, Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) and local partnerships

It also seeks to raise awareness of the Market Towns Toolkit (developed by the Agency and supported in partnership with the RDAs), and to encourage its use and further development. The core of the toolkit is the Market Towns Healthcheck, which has two parts: the Healthcheck Handbook which explains how communities in market towns and the surrounding countryside can work in partnership to identify the town's strengths and weaknesses and draw up a plan of action; and worksheets which contain the questions to be answered in the Healthcheck. The Agency has also wanted to use the Learning Network to obtain feedback on implementing the Healthcheck process and resulting action plans, and to speed up project management procedures relating to its funding.

The Market Towns Learning Network (MTLN) is web-based and open only to members. It is related to the Countryside Agency's corporate website which includes an open-access section dedicated to market towns - www.countryside.gov.uk/market-towns/. This features the Healthcheck and examples of how market towns are developing and implementing their action plans, along with a range of directories (eg, on funding, business support, and participating towns). MTLN provides considerably more in-depth information than the corporate site, and in addition is designed to be interactive and participative.

MTLN has been assisted by a facilitator whose work has included:

• recommendations and assistance with site design
  
• managing membership, including support to members, eg, technical support
  
• promotion of the LN and promoting its use by members, eg, generating discussions
  
• working with CA staff and the network steering group (NSG) to integrate the network with the Market Towns programme

In the early stages of the MTLN, the facilitator took a proactive role to stimulate information sharing and debate between members, telephoning or emailing to encourage participation. It was important to reassure members that the LN did not involve new work: rather, it was about changing the way in which they work to make it easier and quicker, eg, using the LN for discussions and document sharing rather than relying on meetings and conferences, email or post.

As the LN developed, his role has changed to one in which he provides support to members, develops new networking opportunities, and helps to identify how the LN can be most effectively used as a tool by CA staff. Every two or three weeks he emails a newsletter to members summarising network activity, and encouraging them to log on and participate.

CA staff and NSG use the MTLN as the primary data storage area for information updates on regional activity and programme areas. For example, best practice examples from completed healthchecks are posted on the site. It is also used as an integral part of NSG meetings, in conjunction with a telephone conference, and in place of face-to-face meetings between head office in Cheltenham, and staff in the regions.

In Spring 2001 a protocol was introduced stipulating that in order to retain their membership, members should access the site at least once a month, and make a contribution to it at least once every two months.

What were the outcomes?

An evaluation of the MTLN was carried out in Autumn 2002 when it had been operating for almost one year. By then, the network had 190 members (excluding administrators), including CA officers, health-check coordinators and action plan managers, businesses, practitioners and academics. (Over 25% are action plan managers.) Of the 190 members, 43 had not yet visited the site. The membership had been created mainly by invitation from the CA, with healthcheck coordinators and action plan managers automatically given membership.

The evaluation shows that the site is well used by the 147 "active members", but that non-CA staff are primarily readers rather than contributors, ie, the information flows are predominantly from the CA to the members. However, in terms of feedback on the healthcheck, CA staff have received useful contributions from the LN. There is also evidence that members who have shared experiences through the LN have found this (and the associated networking) helped them at work. There is little evidence that members see it as an interactive tool that can help them communicate, as well as being a source of information.

The News, Events & Announcements and Links functions of the MTLN had been little used; the Chat room and Polls functions had not been used at all.

The Countryside Agency is committed to supporting the further development of the Learning Network. Its board agreed in November 2002 that, while it had been slow to develop, it was "now considered an invaluable use of technology for sharing ideas, problems and solutions between towns undertaking healthchecks".

The Agency is also now supporting further learning networks: Greenspace Management, South East Rural Affairs Forum, East of England Rural Affairs Forum, Rural Transport Partnership Officers, Network Finest Countryside, and the Rural Affairs Forum for England.
(See www.countryside.gov.uk/reception/learningnetworks/)

The MTLN migrated to a new website in March 2003. This was done to ensure that the MTLN would use the same format as the other new Countryside Agency learning networks.

What was learnt?

• the early stage of the MTLN has shown that:
  
  • different members of the network use it in different ways, and so far most non-CA members have not been inclined actively to contribute, although are keen to access the information available
    
• the MTLN is not yet one of members' normal work tools, although they value it as an additional on-line information resource
  
• CA staff are the most active members of the MTLN, having gained the most benefit from it in the early stages. For them, it is a useful resource for sharing and accessing files between the regional and head offices, and is a useful way to communicate, eg, in place of face to face meetings. The main barrier to further use has been a lack of skills or comfort with IT or internet systems among some staff members.
  
• given the different ways in which members use the site, the "use and contribute" protocol may not be the most appropriate way to stimulate inactive members into participation. Publicising the benefits derived by other members, and how they went about using the site might be more successful.
  
• the email newsletter has kept awareness of the site high. Through publicising new documents and activities available on the MTLN, the newsletter has successfully encouraged members to log on
  
• the network has been built on an artificial basis, largely by invitation from the CA, rather than evolving from existing connections. The facilitator plans to "build the community" by means of a series of off-line regional conferences and meetings, which it is hoped will give members confidence to arrange or attend "virtual" interactive events
  
• the sub-groups only work if they self-select, and are strictly confidential areas for their members only
  
• further development and support for the MTLN will be needed to help it realise its potential as a tool to enable communication between members of a community of interest. The facilitator is considering plans to increase activity, including:
  
• providing at least weekly site updates on news and events so that the MTLN becomes members' first port of call for current information
  
• actively seeking out and uploading more documents and papers so that the LN becomes members' preferred information source
  
• generating and publicising discussion "topics of the month" each with clear purpose and outcomes
  
• inviting guest members, eg, senior government figures, academics, for specific, time-limited topic areas
  
• setting up a "Help Needed" area, distinct from the Discussion Board

The process of moving site in Spring 2003 has been very disruptive. Members have had to re-learn the functionality of the Learning Network, as this is quite different from the old site, and in the process many have clearly stopped using the site. This shows that there is a slow learning curve in adapting to a new site with different interactive features. It indicates the importance of developing a site which is intuitive to use, and that a slow start can probably be expected with any new learning network as members learn how to use it and become comfortable with the new format.

Contact

Simon Michaels
Network Coordinator
c/o Countryside Agency
John Dower House
Crescent Place
Cheltenham
Glos
GL50 3RA

Tel: 0845 4580060
info@market-towns.org.uk
www.countryside.gov.uk/market-towns/

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