This case study walks through my instructional design journey in the end-to-end creation of an eLearning course. Gilbert's Pharmaceutical is a regional pharmaceutical retailer that is seeking seasonal training for its sales associates and pharmacy techs.
Despite the hiring of additional staff in the fall of 2022, pharmacies experienced frequent staffing shortages due to sickness-related absences. This caused a major strain on daily operations and customer service, evidenced by an increase in customer wait time as well as complaints. As a result, some locations even had to close temporarily in February.
compared to last year, we will...
The initial phase of analysis focused on understanding Gilbert's strategic goals and the target audience. This project was done for a design challenge, and thus, background information was provided. From there, I zeroed in on the company’s goal for the retention of associates and reducing illness-related callouts. The target audience, comprising new seasonal associates and pharmacy techs, necessitated a nuanced approach to facilitate seamless operations and enhanced customer service.
three learning objectives were identified:
To boost engagement and interaction, Articulate Rise was chosen as the authoring tool, incorporating a captivating webtoon-style narrative. A diverse set of characters, including a mascot, colleague, and customer, are featured to enrich the learner's experience.
ScriptingAfter brainstorming learning activities that align with the objectives, a script was written embedded with a variety of activity types.
StoryboardingPowerPoint was used to create simple storyboards that would guide the visual design. Assets required for the development, such as illustrations, were listed.
Asset CreationFor the final deliverable, I created job aids in Word, illustrations in Procreate, and videos/GIFs using Runway, an AI tool. Here are some essential components that I have created specifically for this course:
Development ChallengesFine-tuning intricate details within Articulate Rise proved to be a difficult endeavour, requiring a delicate balance between visual precision and technical feasibility. The lack of global font adjustments forced me to painstakingly change the font size of each text block one by one.
Additionally, grappling with limited scenario constraints prompted innovative solutions, including the integration of Storyline blocks to enhance the learning experience. These challenges were instrumental in honing my adaptability and problem-solving skills.
PersonalizationAfter publishing, additional Javascript was added to capture and use learners' names throughout the course.
I took an iterative approach when it came to development and evaluation. I strategically shared the alpha version of the course with a handful of people to gather constructive feedback. The insights gathered played a pivotal role, leading to the identification and rectification of errors and the implementation of subtle changes based on user perspectives. This approach resulted in the evolution of the course, which brought us to the current version, showcasing a commitment to continuous improvement and a user-centric learning experience.
As it was created for a fictitious company, it was not implemented in reality. However, I have considered how it would be rolled out. This course would be published using xAPI to a Learning Management System (LMS) to track user engagement and completion. xAPI is great for compliance training, and we would be able to use the collected data to pinpoint specific challenges. In addition, we would collect and compare key metrics such as absenteeism rate, customer wait time, and number of complaints with the previous year to evaluate the effectiveness of this course.
From strategic contextual analysis to iterative development and feedback loops, the process of developing this course exemplifies a fusion of creative storytelling, technological adaptability, and a user-centric approach. The learning experience would not only equip Gilbert's associates with essential knowledge and skills but also foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement within the pharmaceutical retail workplace.
