Health and safety elearning with a difference
Our client, a leading global compliance specialist, provides 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.
The highlight of the suite was to be an Introduction to Health & Safety module. But we knew it had to be health and safety elearning with a difference. Our approach was to use scenario-based online learning. That’s because research shows that information becomes stickier when using stories in elearning.
Audio example
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. The client'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 my client 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 for more impact
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 rivate investigator in the film noir style.
Why use stories in elearning?
Stories help with online learning because they’re easier to remember. According to psychologist Jerome Bruner’s research, facts embedded in stories 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. And who says you can’t create health and safety elearning with a difference?
“You guys have exceeded our expectations here and done a great job in such a short time.”
Chief People Officer
