By making the user experience smooth in Brightspace, we have gained the confidence of our leaners and are providing them with a high-quality, immersive learning experience which our metrics show is leading to higher engagement.
Seán Goucher, Technology Enhanced Learning Manager, RCPI
Challenge
To provide branded on-demand distance learning
Before 2020, RCPI’s learning was largely classroom-based, and physicians had to travel to Dublin to benefit from it. That changed when the COVID-19 pandemic prevented face-to-face courses and digital learning became a key part of RCPI’s training delivery.
“We quickly realised there was a huge appetite for it,” says Seán Goucher, RCPI’s Technology Enhanced Learning Manager. “It meant they no longer had to take lots of time off work, they just needed to take a half day and step into a quiet room, and they could do their course.”
With more learning online, RCPI wanted to give its physicians a consistent, cohesive and engaging experience. Seán explains that when learners clicked from the website into the learning management system (LMS) RCPI used, it was very clear they were somewhere else.: “It looked totally different, and we found the engagement wasn’t great,” he says.
The LMS was a custom solution that, in theory, could deliver bespoke features to order. This appealed to RCPI, but Seán found that those new features sometimes caused problems with existing functionality. “When we met with different vendors, we realised how complex our business is and that a stable platform is more important to us than having something that claims to do everything,” he notes.
Solution
A cohesive, feature-rich learning experience through Brightspace
RCPI launched courses on Brightspace in 2019, although a lot of its training was still in person at that time. Despite this, the organisation made early inroads into achieving a more cohesive learning experience through Course Merchant. Through this, physicians could discover, browse, purchase and self-enrol in RCPI’s courses through a brand-matched online interface.
Automating administrative tasks with Brightspace was an early win for RCPI, and it also began issuing reminder emails, certificates and surveys in this way. Then, when the COVID-19 lockdowns prevented face-to-face training, it accelerated its learning content transition. There were challenges, but D2L was on hand to help, as Seán explains: “Migrating content from the previous platform was the most troublesome, owing to its quirks. The implementation team was great at helping us convert content and advising on best practices.”
When RCPI was ready to update content directly on Brightspace, Seán says it was “much smoother” than previous experiences. The team worked with Learning Services to create a range of templates to give all courses a cohesive feel. “We continue to use third-party authoring as well,” he adds. “Even embedding videos, it all integrates really well.”
There is a wealth of knowledge that’s available to us via Brightspace. We had heard from other customers beforehand but seeing it in practice for the last five years, it’s been really great.
Seán Goucher, Technology Enhanced Learning Manager, RCPI
Video is an important part of RCPI’s content and so it invested in Creator+, a tool for creating content without the need for specialist technical skills. Creator+ is generally used for building HTML, but RCPI uses it in an innovative way to capture lecture videos, edit them and generate captions.
Over time, as RCPI’s knowledge and experience has grown, it has accelerated its use of features on the platform. From a starting point of using around only 5% of the platform’s capabilities, it now incorporates discussion boards, quizzes and digital assignments into its courses. To help administrate learning, it also makes use of announcements to keep learners informed.
Results
Convenient, high-standard courses
RCPI has achieved the consistent, cohesive learning experience it wanted for its learners and a strategic approach that supports ongoing development within the profession.
“Ideas have to come from somewhere and usually they’re from doctors who are members or fellows,” explains Seán. “Now, we have a well-worn development path from idea to implementation of a high-standard course—we can see quite easily how we can implement it, thanks to Brightspace.”
Learning adoption, Seán believes, has been helped by the branding Brightspace supports, because it reassures learners they are in an RCPI space. Meanwhile, the stability of the platform and added functionality RCPI has introduced over time, have helped learners take courses the way they want to.
“They like the on-demand nature,” Seán adds. “If they’re working late or on an overnight shift and it’s quiet, they can log on at 3am; they don’t need course faculty. They like that aspect.”
Discussion boards provide opportunities for learners to engage with their peers, share what they have learned, make connections and gain an element of networking that could otherwise be absent without face-to-face sessions. Meanwhile, Creator+ has enabled access to videos with single sign on, rather than through a separate platform, for a more convenient experience.
Brightspace gives us the flexibility to give different types of learners what they need.
Seán Goucher, Technology Enhanced Learning Manager, RCPI
Learner and educator feedback on Brightspace has been positive. Educators can now see class progress at a glance, including who has engaged with what content. This is especially useful for tailoring follow-up tutorials to deliver the maximum benefit.
There are timesaving benefits too, which is very important as RCPI’s educators are often doctors themselves. “Previously, we had email submissions, so they had to gather the emails, mark them, and send out the results. They’re not doing that anymore. It’s all encapsulated in Brightspace and that’s a massive timesaver,” Seán explains.
It’s a timesaver for administrators too, as emails to learners reminding them to attend live sessions or fill out a survey are now all automated in the system.
Learners can also self-serve, which means RCPI can provide a smooth learner journey from discovery to certification, all over the world. “We log off on a Friday evening, but somebody in another part of the world can log in to our website on a Saturday afternoon, browse our offerings, book an online course, take the online course and get their certification, all before we come back on the Monday morning,” Seán says.
Throughout, the partnership with D2L has supported RCPI in progressing its learning strategy, from the beginning, when the team made recommendations to meet the training organisation’s needs, to post-implementation, when RCPI has benefited from peer learning through the Brightspace Community. Looking ahead, RCPI plans to extend automation to its portfolio exams, which see learners submit case studies, and explore further capabilities within Creator+, to increase efficiency when it comes to course creation.
To learn more about Brightspace for membership associations, visit https://www.d2l.com/en-eu/solutions/association
INTERVIEWEE
- Seán Goucher, Technology Enhanced Learning Manager
