UKCC approved blended learning programme

During my time with one of the most successful national governing bodies in sport, I was responsible for the design and delivery of a large blended learning programme. I created an accredited blended learning course, which formed the online component of a Level 1 Coaching Qualification.

What did I deliver?

The course comprised of nearly 30 media-rich modules, with online activities, videos, infographics,  audio narration, custom designed graphics and high quality photos covering core technical skills and “how to coach” skills.

I performed all aspects of Instructional Design and E-learning Development for this course, utilising the ADDIE framework. In this case the analysis phase was complete before I joined the company, but I was responsible for the remainder. I built scripts, storyboards, prototypes, templates, custom graphics and styled photo effects, and oversaw creation of other assets such as technical photos and videos.

Topics on the programme included:

• Communication
• Positive Coaching
• Professional Practice
• Safety
• Planning and organisation
• Training practices

Click on the picture below to view an example of the comic-book style, branching scenario template

(please note: this has had all content, colour schemes and branding stripped away, so serves as an example only to show the functionality and the unique comic book design I created). 

What job roles did I perform during this project?

• Training lead / project manager
• Lead Instructional Designer (managing and creating all aspects of the design and development through the ADDIE process)
• Graphic designer (using Abobe Illustrator and Photoshop to create a series of custom graphics to add visual style and demonstrate concepts, aswell as creating the unique comic book look for the scenarios)
• E-learning Developer (building the actual modules from scratch using Adobe Captivate and other supporting software)
• Moodle Developer (using our Moodle platform I created courses, resources, web pages and other components of the course where the SCORM packages were hosted)

What software did I use?

• Adobe Captivate
• Adobe Photoshop
• Adobe Illustrator
• Powerpoint and Word (for scripting and storyboarding)

Who did I work with?

• Coach Education Technical Officers / Internal Subject Matter Experts
• External SME’s
• Tutor workforce
• Fellow instructional designer for parts of the project
• Media team (Video production)
• Graphic design team
• External e-learning developers (freelancers and specialist companies who assisted with some modules in the final build)
• Internal IT team including Moodle system admin
• SME’s for Safeguarding and Equality & Diversity modules
• Team of internal testers

How did I do it?

Working closely with key subject matter experts, I created scripts, storyboards, templates and prototype designs for the online component of the blended learning programme. The rest of the Education team were responsible for the practical sessions and resources which were delivered alongside the online “theory” sections, but I worked closely with this group to create a truly integrated, blended programme.

I also supervised creation of an asset library including over 500 high quality photos, over 30 videos and personally created a selection of bespoke graphics to be used throughout the course. I also designed a unique branching scenario template to enhance learner interaction, an example of which can be seen above.

In addition, I created tracking processes for monitoring project progress, quality assurance frameworks and an “interaction index” to measure the level of interactivity and balance of learning methods per module. I ran a series of storyboard reviews with key stakeholders to ensure the content met requirements, and worked closely with them throughout the build to ensure accuracy. I also provided a variety of downloadable documents and supporting resources, along with links to external resources.

During the final stages of the build, some assistance was required from external third parties to complete some modules, and I managed the relationship with those individuals and companies, providing clear instructions and direction to ensure the final product matched the design of the other modules.

What was the outcome?

The first fully blended programme for the Level 1 Coaching Qualification was a great success:

Feedback:

Reactions to the new programme were positive, with a lot of praise for the new format and the emphasis on blended learning. learners loved the flexibility, user friendly design, and that they could check their depth of knowledge as they progressed through the course. The media library was particularly well received and

Assessment results:

• Overall practical component (pass) rate is 88%
• Overall logbook component (pass) rate is 94%

Cost savings:

• Mean cost saving per course (due to reduced tutor and venue costs) is £427.38 per course
• Annual savings of over £70k (meeting the original targets)

What did I learn from the project?

This project was a huge undertaking and afforded me a great deal of opportunities to work with different people, try new things and expand my skillset. I learned lots of new skills, and had a chance to use many aspects of my previous experience due to the wide variety of roles I performed during this project. Working with such a variety of people with different skillsets and approaches was very beneficial, and helped the course to be a success. I was particularly proud of the output, and am pleased I made a long term contribution to course materials that are still “out there” as a commercial product available via a national governing body and are being used to teach new coaches valuable skills.

I would be happy to answer any questions you have on this project or any other featured on this site – just get in touch! Please take a look at the rest of my portfolio…

Cheers

Jon