Case Study.
Health and Safety, with a difference.
Citation provide support to over 15,000 SME businesses in HR and Employment Law, Health & Safety, ISO and Staff Training. They approached Dynamic to partner in producing a suite of online training materials.
Citation requested the highlight of the suite be an Introduction to Health & Safety module. Our approach was to use scenario based online learning. That's because research shows that information becomes stickier when using stories in elearning.
Making health and safety training engaging.
When I came out, it was raining and the street was deserted. I stood in the doorway and watched the dull neons through the rain. They looked splotched and dim – like water colours rubbed with a damp rag. Citation’s words were still swimming around my head like the mechanical hare at the dog track – always just just out of reach.
“You’ve made health and safety cool!”
I’d made it cool alright, but if you’re not careful the coolest spot in town could be the morgue.
I tried to remember why Citation had come to me in the first place. Oh sure I know elearning. 'Exceptional elearning for every market’. That’s what it says over the door. You can dress it up any way you like, but it's easier if you let your slip show right from the beginning. What really made them sit up wasn’t just the facts, the rules or the figures. They may be right but they won’t cause any more stir than mother’s day in an orphanage. They wanted learning that would turn a glacier into a steam bath at 400 yards. Learning that was prettier than a Mozart symphony on a spring day.
So I’d agreed to help. It gave me a nice warm feeling, like a Bunsen burner in the middle of my back. In my line of work you either learn fast, get lucky or die young. You can only learn so much from a textbook before you need to see it for yourself, so I brought them along for the ride. I’ve learnt a thing or two in my time and maybe my previous cases could help them out of a jam.
Using scenario based online learning to tell a better story
We approached this module completely opposite to that of a traditional model of elearning. Instead of reading through some classic elearning followed by an assessment, the learner is put into the role of a hard-boiled PI in the film noir style.
Why use stories in elearning?
Stories help with online learning because they’re easier to remember. In fact, according to Harvard Business Publishing, psychologist Jerome Bruner’s research suggests facts are 20 times more likely to be remembered if they’re intrinsic to a story. And in every case, it’s our role to create elearning that makes an impact—always.
Cross-sector audience.
Citation has clients from every walk of life. More souls have been through their offices than a Hong Kong nightclub. I knew this case couldn’t be tailored to a sector. We’d have to make it work for everyone. I should have got out of there right then, but I use my brain like a bottle of medicine: a small dose every three hours. So, I set about making the course.
Designing the film noir look.
You can’t have a detective story without a detective. So here I am. I must be getting old because you can’t get this ugly without years of practice. My office is dark, stale and smoky, just the way I like it. It reminds me of a little bar I used to know on 10th Street. A gambling joint where they cut their whiskey and cards in different rooms and they’d serve you a bourbon that’d kill a redwood. I let these learners make their own choice, straight from my desk. Read the rule book, learn from my past cases or grab your coat, hat and gun and follow me on an investigation.
Linda Jorell
Chief People Officer
“You guys have exceeded our expectations here and done a great job in such a short time.”
