Digital Workbook to Transform the Learning Experience in and out of The Classroom
June 2023
About the Project
This digital workbook was created after a need’s analysis revealed that the current face-to-face training program for this technical content was very analog heavy in its use of materials. The learners required an adapted version of the NFPA 99 Fire Safety Code book that they could interact with in multiple formats, take notes on, and keep with them for reference while in the field. Ease of navigation of the codebook was a primary concern for stakeholders. We landed on a workbook with an interactive table of contents, and an enhanced demonstration of the codes which included SME-written definitions and case studies that elicited a more authentic and relatable learning experience than the traditional technical manual was currently providing.
The Learners:
This was created for adults who may be coming from an Electrical Commissioning background or may be changing careers and have no technical background at all. They all were required to complete an intensive 40 hour in person training that required travel, for most. SMEs explained that almost all had smartphones and often requested digital copies of materials from the training in advance. These learners had to learn a lot of technical information in a short amount of time. While they didn’t have to memorize it, they did need to be able to “know where to find the information” later on-the-job and leave the training with a high level understanding of major concepts.
Skills for this Project:
This project required skills in the follow areas:
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Instructional Design
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Graphic Design
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User Experience Design
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Stakeholder Negotiation
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Design Thinking
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Active Listening
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Project Management
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Feedback Receptiveness
Software Utilized for this Project:
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Visme
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Canva
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Excel
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Word
Project Brief:
This project began as an “open” request for Instructional Design Consultation from the Director of Training (DoT) for a large corporation that handles most of the balancing, building and environmental certifications across the USA. I worked 1:1 with the DoT to determine the larger problem and narrow that down to one problem that we could create a “pilot” solution to present to stakeholders for review. With buy-in from larger stakeholders, the DoT hoped to get the greenlight to proceed with an entire overhaul of the training programs following new guidelines and standards. Since the introduction of more digital materials was a painpoint in the past for stakeholders, we created a digital workbook that could showcase the effectiveness of an interactive item that extended beyond the traditional static .pdf files they were used to. This digital workbook represented a potential paradigm shift in the learning and development of this organization.
Development Overview
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Review of entire training program/curriculum
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Determine overarching painpoints from learner perspectives
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Evaluation of need’s from DoT and stakeholder perspectives.
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Narrow focus to moving program into a blended/flipped model of learning
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Decision to adapt primary text/code book into a dynamic multimedia digital workbook
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SME Prepared “take-way” paragraphs from each section of code in an effort to make the technical language more accessible, with ID guidance.
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SME provided authentic case-studies which displayed historical evidence of the need for the specific fire-safety code
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ID developed the workbook with content provided by the SME using Visme
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8 iterations of the workbook were developed based on SME and stakeholder feedback
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Final version approval
Take a Closer Look
Asset Development Highlights
For this specific asset, it was important to manage client expectations while also keeping the learner needs in mind. Cognitive load was a problem for these learners but the client wanted to maintain a more traditional approach to training, such as paper/analog materials in their original format. The solution in this unique case was really to introduce a bite-sized concept that displayed how a digital version of an analog tool can transform and redefine the learning and teaching experience not just replace or substitute. Taking the intensely technical codebook and transforming it into a multimedia learning tool that could be used in a paper or digital format, and prompted learner engagement, peer-to-peer interaction and self-assessment—on a small scale— was the best way to get stakeholder buy-in for further development and Instructional Design support. .