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Michael Donoghue

Damita Majette
Brenda Reed
Veronica Reyes
Kay Venteicher
OMDE 608 Section 9040
April 10, 2014
HabitatLearns:
A Case Study of Habitat for Humanity International

Introduction
This case study reviews HabitatLearns, the online training provider of Habitat for
Humanity International (HFHI), its relevant contextual factors, characteristics, available
resources, learners, learning outcomes, major challenges and major opportunities.
Relevant Context and Factors
Habitat for Humanity International is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
originating from the concept of partnership house created by Jordan and Fuller in Americus,
Georgia. Striving to improve the welfare of others, HFHI supports a housing development
program with the goal of providing affordable, no interest houses thus improving the health,
safety and quality of living for low-income families as an advocate against poverty (HFH,
2014c).
The nonprofit organization began in 1968 with the building of 42 homes at no profit or
interest, with volunteers building alongside those in need. Funding for building costs comes
from house payments from new homeowners, fundraising monies, and no-interest loans from
supporters. Today the project has grown to over 800,000 houses built or repaired and more than
4 million people globally served. HFHI is supported by volunteers who value the goals of HFHI
and raise awareness for affordable housing (HFH, 2014c).

Education Provider
HabitatLearns is the online education portal for HFHI offering online courses to orient
and develop new staff and volunteers. Courses include content created by HFHI and links to
other groups and institutions which offer a partnership arrangement with Habitat for additional
training opportunities (i.e., MIT). The online course sampled through the LMS is based on a
cognitive philosophy although parts were behaviorialist-based. Courses are computer-based
training with computer generated scoring and recording with no learner-teacher or learnerlearner interaction (HFHI, 2012; Intellum.com, 2012).
HFHI training materials are developed and maintained by Intellums Exceed LMS.
HabitatLearns original legacy system began in 2005 as a text-based LMS and, by 2011, had
expanded beyond its capability. Exceed LMS transformed the materials in Sharable Content
Object Reference Model and the Articulate Presenter for the LMS platform allowing
HabitatLearns to become a portable and sustainable training program (Intellum.com, 2012;
OConnell, 2012).
Training Model and Support Services
HabitatLearns is a learning portal for online courses, articles, and downloadable
resources. The LMS includes foundational courses on HFHI, its history and mission,
construction basics, working at HFHIs ReStore facilities, leadership and management skills,
communications, and Microsoft Office tools. The courses do not have clearly identified learning
pathways for learners to follow nor do the courses lead towards specific credentials, rather
courses stand alone, serving more as reference tools. The exception to this observation is the
required courses for college chapter leaders (HFHI, 2012; Habitat for Humanity of the
Chesapeake, 2013). Ideally, a learner will become a better volunteer or seek positions of

differing responsibility based on training achievements. HFHI can benefit from well-defined
paths and explanations as to how the classes would benefit the learner and thereby the
organization (HFH, 2014b; HFHI, 2012).
HabitatLearns courses are available online 24/7 and are free to the learner and include a
step-by-step start-up manual. Learners are self-directed participants to the online training
opportunity. Since HFHI provides services to many countries, HabitatLearns offers courses in
Spanish for Hispanic learners. Most courses are designed for adult volunteers who work on the
construction sites or in offices as well as introductory courses for staff. Not all learners can
access the courses since many courses are not designed for use on dial-up connections or mobile
devices and most courses do not have sound, requiring the learner to read and understand the
material (HFH, 2014b; HFHI, 2012).
A sample course reviewed (Residential Construction Basics One) included 37 full-color
slides with narrative, photos, and diagrams, but no sound. The course is cognitive theory based
with some behaviorialist activities where an expected response is required of the learner. The
course contains an interactive activity and short comprehension quizzes, with a final 10-15
question exam at the end, requiring a passing score of 80%. These computer-scored assessments
provided immediate results to the learner. It is self-paced and the LMS remembers where the
learner stops, providing easy access during the next login, and there is a help link in the slide
presentation. The completion certificate is placed in the learners online history on the LMS and
is downloadable by the learner (HFH, 2014a; Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake, 2013).
HFHI has a separate LMS affiliated with the Lockton Affinity, HFHIs insurance
provider. These courses focus on safety training for construction worksites. Courses are taught
similar to the ones offered through HabitatLearns with only content-learner interaction. Courses

are more learner-friendly than HabitatLearns with audio, although courses appear to lack handson or interactive learning components. Certain volunteer leaders are required to complete
specific courses (HFHI, 2012; Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake, 2013).
It is unclear how learner completion records are reported to HFHI or how the learner can access
these records (HFH, 2014a; Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake, 2013).
Resources
Habitat for Humanity relies heavily upon contributed work in designing its online
courses. In 2011, it was noted that the association only employed one instructional designer
(Abernathy, 2011) and that the work of volunteers makes Habitat for Humanity courses possible.
This is due for the most part to a partnership with LINGOs (Learning NGOs), a body of
organizations established to freely share their learning resources between each other, where
Habitat for Humanity both contributes and retrieves course material (OConnell, 2013). As a
result, any financial and technical resource data that may demonstrate Habitats commitment to
distance education are not obtainable or non-existent. While this approach to shared resources
between agencies does provide great opportunities for those organizations that have limited
ability to produce distance education materials, it also can impact the ability for any one
organization to develop its own materials, including its dependency on individuals to perform the
work.
Learners
Courses given by HFHI are open to volunteers and the public, ages 16 and up. Learners
are a diverse and multi-cultural population requiring training and learner support capabilities able
to handle a wide range of learner needs. Learners orient to the mission of HFHI by joining the
HabitatLearns and participating in e-courses.

Desired Learning Outcomes


Course objectives are clearly listed in the course descriptions within HabitatLearns,
although not within the courses. Learning outcomes for online learning are related to content
mastery with a computer-based learning presentation and do not include opportunities for handson skill mastery(HFH, 2014b).
Major Challenges
With more than 1 million volunteers, the challenge is supporting the needs of the vast and
diverse HFHI population. Record maintenance, transfer of learner records between affiliates,
consolidation between two HabitatLearns and Lockton Affinity LMSs, and local affiliate training
(including some local online courses) create a challenge for HFHI. A lack of technical and
counseling support contributes to training challenges. Additional hurdles to participation include
a lack of support for learners with visual impairments and reading difficulties. Most classes are
available in English. As a result, this limits access to materials by Spanish-speaking learners.
Since HFHI is a nonprofit organization and its income subject to contributions and grants, there
is limited funding to support an online training system(HFH, 2014b; HFHI, 2012;Habitat for
Humanity of the Chesapeake, 2013).
Major Opportunities
HabitatLearns supports 1 million learners a year. With the increasing number of
volunteers and projects, the demand for training will continue to grow. HFHIs growth and the
previously discussed challenges offer opportunities for HabitatLearns especially in the area of
servicing individuals with disabilities or limitations. This necessitates new material development
and possible inclusion of new technology into the LMS (HFH, 2014b; HFHI, 2012; Habitat for
Humanity of the Chesapeake, 2013). As a nonprofit organization, which relies on financial

contributions of individuals and corporations, HFHI needs to locate support for increased online
training courses and possible LMS upgrades, as well as evaluate the alternatives of charging a
fee for non-volunteer or staff learners.
Conclusion
HFHI offers many opportunities for learners to experience personal growth through the
HabitatLearns courses and applying skills during HFHI projects. While still growing its training
program, HabitatLearns has come a long way since its revitalization in 2011. Improvements to
the online training program will provide Habitat for Humanity volunteers a streamlined means of
acquiring desired training and increased productivity for the future as the organization continues
to contribute to a worldwide sense of fellowship as a way to measure social development.

References
Abernathy, M. (2011, March). Archive for March, 2011. [Web log post]. Retrieved from
https://lingos.wordpress.com/2011/03/
Habitat for Humanity. (2014a). Habitat for Humanity International's annual reports and 990
forms, 2013: Building toward 1 million and so much more. [Adobe Digital Editions
version]. Retrieved from http://www.habitat.org/support/report
Habitat for Humanity. (2014b). HabitatLearns. [Website]. Retrieved from
http://www.habitat.org/habitat_learns
Habitat for Humanity. (2014c). The history of habitat. [Website]. Retrieved from
http://www.habitat.org/how/historytext.aspx
Habitat for Humanity: HabitatLearns. (n.d.). Catalog home. [Website].
http://habitatlearns.exceedlms.com/catalog
Habitat for Humanity International. (2012, August 27). HabitatLearns user instructions: Habitat
for Humanity International learning and organization development. [Adobe Digital
Editions version]. Retrieved from
http://66.29.205.178/home/resources/HabitatLearnsUserInstructions.pdf
Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake. (2013). Construction volunteers. [Website]. Retrieved
from http://habitatchesapeake.org/get-involved/individuals/construction-volunteers/
Intellum.com. (2012). Habitat for Humanity A construct for lms selection. [Website].
Retrieved from http://www.intellum.com/habitat-for-humanity-a-construct-for-lmsselection/

OConnell, S. (2012). Habitat for Humanity A construct for lms selection. [Video podcast].
Retrieved from http://www.intellum.com/habitat-for-humanity-a-construct-for-lmsselection/
OConnell, S. (2013, May 8). Susan OConnell with Habitat for Humanity International.
Learning Insights. [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from
http://learninginsights.businessradiox.com/2013/05/08/habitat-for-humanity/

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