Over the past year, Oriel Square has been working with Carina Consulting to create effective online CPD for not-for-profits and professional organisations. Here, we speak to both teams to find out how.
What do clients want and how has Carina Consulting helped?
Professional organisations realised that online and mobile delivery of professional learning was something that their members wanted.
Even before the Covid-19 pandemic struck, professional organisations realised that online and mobile delivery of professional learning was something that their members wanted. Taking the first steps to provide it can be challenging though, and having an experienced team to support the process can provide the focus and understanding needed to make it a success. We help by working with the organisation’s leadership team to develop a digital strategy and plan, informed by relevant market and stakeholder research. We then support the implementation phases by helping the organisation select and develop the right technology solutions and content for their end-users.
Where do you see the benefits of eLearning?
Thanks to the wide range of technology available, we’re able to make eLearning and online CPD more accessible for all by providing different delivery formats, including video and animation, as well as voiceover and interactivity to consolidate learning.
By combining learning content with social media strategies, organisations can build online learning communities.
Busy professionals are able to come to the training at any time, saving their progress and returning to sections as needed. By combining learning content with social media strategies, organisations are able to build online learning communities that enhance CPD and build brand loyalty. It also means more choice for learners and lower long-term costs for organisations delivering training.
Where Oriel Square comes in
As specialists in educational content and publishing for digital platforms, Oriel Square ensures that face-to-face training is adapted effectively for engaging online delivery so that everyone can get the most out of it, no matter their learning style. Broadly, we follow a four-step process:
- Work with expert authors to develop the best content for eLearning.
- Develop the eLearning module, including quizzes, assessments, storyboarding animations and video and briefing artwork and photos.
- Work with specialist designers, animators and video producers to create bespoke media content to support learning.
- Build the eLearning module in the learning platform.
What has been the biggest challenge of creating eLearning during lockdown?
Shooting video and recording audio content has certainly been the biggest challenge for us. We have had to do a lot of logistical problem-solving – involving posting equipment around the country – to make it all happen!
We have had to do a lot of logistical problem-solving to make it all happen!
While filming professional video wasn’t an option back in the first lockdown, we managed to achieve high standards with a smartphone, a lightweight ring light and a lapel microphone, combined with remote direction via Zoom or Teams.
For remote audio interviews, we used online podcasting software and a quality microphone that was posted to the interviewee and connected to their laptop, allowing us to achieve studio standard quality for the final audio.
What are the advantages of online CPD beyond the pandemic?
The lockdown forced a rapid adoption of online learning – without it, many organisations that rely on education and training income would have floundered. What they tell us though, is that online delivery of CPD can really work well, and indeed there are some things that work much better than traditional face-to-face training.
Done well, it’s possible to establish online communities of professional learners and support them by giving them new engaging content, plus access to insight from recognised experts and, just as important, from each other.
To find out more about how Oriel Square and Carina Consulting can help you develop and deliver online CPD, get in touch.