digital learning transformation
Invitation to play.
Cast your mind back to the height of the pandemic. NHS Blood and Transplant were facing unprecedented demand for blood and plasma and their legacy learning pathways were reliant on face-to-face learning. We were asked to work in partnership with their talented learning team to create distinct learning pathways that were watertight for compliance and reduced the time to competence. It was an invitation to play that the team couldn’t refuse.
More than 100 eLearning sessions, a transformative trainer upskill, virtual facilitators, four skills and learning pathways and friends for life. Collaboration, respect, humour and a few late nights meant that NHS Blood & Transplant could meet demand during the pandemic. We thought it was a better way to contribute to world health and pandemic survival than making PPE out of toilet paper...
The Players.
NHS Blood & Transplant are a unique proposition within the NHS in the United Kingdom. Their purpose is to help people do something extraordinary – by donating blood, organs, tissues, or stem cells to save someone in need.
Blood collection forms a major part of that purpose and donation centres up and down the country work tirelessly to achieve that. The participants offered a range of experience – from those that had never worked in the sector before, to registered and competent nurses. Our challenge was to create some incredible learning that could elevate the digital learning experience, make more effective use of time, and get all participants to competency, and we had to work fast.
So we got to work.....
Play Time.
We mapped out 3 distinct learning pathways. One for Donor Carers, one for Nurses and one for Facilitators. We created an inclusive ‘Academy’ identity to become home to that learning, so participants could become familiar with the look and feel of their learning.
With so much eLearning required we wanted to create a connection with the learner that isn’t always possible with that amount of content. Our creative team created two facilitator characters that interacted with each other and with the participants – giving the feeling of a more human element to the digital world.
In addition to those set pathways and live simulation sessions to bring the learning together in a controlled environment, we also redesigned the NHSBT welcome experience into a digital experience that captured the hearts and minds of participants from the get-go. We know that when our sense of purpose is ignited, we can achieve great things – and saving lives leans into purpose beautifully, so why not make the most of that?
90 eLearning sessions, 3 pathways, a welcome package, certificates, and pin badges all formed part of the project and the design journey continues to this day with an additional learning pathway for Donor Centre Administrators now being added.
Project Complete.
Animation, film, interaction, virtual facilitators and supercharged engagement was the order of the day, but what was the outcome?
Well, time to competency was significantly reduced, learners were much more highly engaged and the approach is influencing global partners to achieve the same.
Against a backdrop of challenges, significant success has been achieved.
Even better than that… the Acceler8 team have made friends for life.
