The Ergonetti - Web-Based Ergonomics Studies: A Qualitative Case Study

ABSTRACT

The Ergonetti is a Finnish web-based university-level instructional learning program about ergonomics and workplace health promotion. The Ergonetti program is open to all applicants and it is intended to serve the needs of commercial enterprises. The aim of this study was to evaluate the Ergonetti program. Its evaluation was based on the experiences of the participants in the Ergonetti program including students (n=7) and their work colleagues (n=18). Their experiences were collected using theme interviews. The qualitative data were analyzed with the inductive content analysis. The student participants were well-motivated to use the Ergonetti program which was considered to have a high quality of substance and technical usability. On other hand, the lack of time both at work and at home hindered learning motivation of the student participants. They implemented their learning tasks in the close collaboration with their work colleague participants. At workplaces, discussions about difficult problems increased the positive interaction of all personnel groups. The present results showed that the Ergonetti program was good in terms of substance content, technical quality and usability, and support the development and use of interactive and full-time web-based learning courses and programs. The results of this study can be utilized for advancing and evaluating actions of educational workplace health promotion and improving the Ergonetti program. The amount of the present qualitative data was adequate but the generalization of the results may be limited due to small numbers of different enterprises in the study.

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