Blended Learning Induction Development
Situation and Task
Upon evaluation of the current induction process for new apprentices within the business, we found there was an unusually high number of dropouts and negative feedback for certain programmes. My task was to redevelop this induction into an improved format for the 17 apprenticeship standards that Seetec offer, including the Customer Service apprenticeship with British Airways. The aim was to reduce the dropout rate and improve learner feedback on the overall experience, as well as increasing flexibility for the learners.
Action
The current apprenticeship inductions turned out to be 2-hour long Microsoft Teams sessions consisting of 50 slides, which was too passive, long, unengaging, and required no interactivity from the learners. I decided to redevelop this into a blended learning format by pulling out suitable content, such as passive foundational knowledge, to be developed into asynchronous E-Learning using Articulate Storyline and Rise, which was hosted on the Moodle Learning Management System for learners to access before their upcoming live session. Using this blended learning format with the addition of self-directed learning to be completed before the live induction session, would make the learning more flexible and engaging for the learners.
The duration of the live session was then cut down into a bite sized format, now being less of an information dump with an increased emphasis on interaction, discussions, and advanced topics where learners may want to ask questions.
To turn the induction into more of an active learning experience, I focussed on linking the asynchronous resources and synchronous session together by setting research tasks within the eLearning, which the learners are required to complete and bring to the live session ready for discussion.
One of these tasks asked the learners to research the different career paths that could be of interest to them by speaking to colleagues and researching online. This would tap into their intrinsic motivation by inspiring them, requiring the learners to think about their future, and where the apprenticeship could take them.
I also incorporated structural gamification elements such as the 'unlocking' and 'progression' principles to improve learner engagement and retention. I did this by chunking the eLearning up into modules, ensuring learners move through the resource linearly by having to unlock each module in order. I also gamified the final quiz at the end of the eLearning by adding a progress bar which rises every time they get an answer correct.
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Before this new blended learning induction was rolled out across all standards, I focussed on one apprenticeship induction to be used as a pilot. The ‘International Freight Forwarding Specialist’ induction was chosen due to its high learner dropout rate. I collaborated with the lead coach who runs the programme to get her feedback throughout the process and QA any new content- such as the new activities I developed. Throughout the design process, I presented ideas to the lead coach and asked for any adjustments on my ideas, in relation to the sector and relevance for her learners. I also used the Review 360 feature within Articulate so all stakeholders could easily QA the content and leave their feedback.
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Once all stakeholders were happy with the pilot induction, I then reached out to the lead coaches on the other apprenticeship standards, to start work on the redevelopment of their programmes.
Results
The data has shown the move to the new blended learning format reduced the dropout rate of learners from 40% to the sector standard of 20% and improved learner satisfaction scores. This new blended learning format resulted in an engaging and flexible induction experience for the learners, which is vital for work-based training. It had a proven impact of increasing revenue for the business by retaining the learners throughout their apprenticeship programme.