Get some inspiration in your tank with a taster of our favourite digital learning projects from this year. From curation to caring, these three elearning examples all strike at the heart of their users and their behaviours - delivering fantastically immersive experiences as well as practical, personalised toolkits - they help shape what we mean by elearning today.

1. Emotional elearning - immersive learning that makes you care

Emotions and elearning aren’t often thought of together. Yet emotional engagement is necessary for the brain to learn. Here’s an example of immersive storytelling that gets it just right.

“A Support Net” from the Open University

Developed in collaboration with Elucidat and Tilt, the Open University’s A Support Net is an immersive branching scenario experience that gives users a chance to influence f a character’s mental health. The decisions they make impact positively or negatively on the character’s wellbeing, building to a final, personalised summary of how they handled the situation. The poignantly scripted and fantastically produced, raw, videos pull the audience in from the off and make the whole experience tangibly real.

Brilliant storytelling and realistic, down to earth video production

Users learn through consequences of their own actions, and through reflection, not ‘telling’

Brings in social polling to show the choices made by others

Personalised final summary profiles the style of support the user gave, and shows different possible outcomes

Get advice on how to create your own immersive elearning

2 - Scenarios that don’t break the bank - audio-based sales training

Branching scenarios and simulations are popular in elearning because they get users learning by doing. Or, more accurately, learning by failing, and building confidence alongside competence. But they don’t always have to involve video or dramatic scripts. This audio-driven scenario shows how Sales training simulations can be achieved without snaffling all your budget. See if you can spot a qualified lead.

Do it yourself style audio clips simulate real customer phone calls without expense

Accumulative scoring tracks progress along the way

Final summary compares users’ response with peers and an expert - without ‘telling’ for adult style learning

Simple, clean look and feel can easily be switched into other brands

Get 5 tips for turning elearning gamification into a winning simulation

3. Taking a toolkit approach - learning as ‘signposting’

Most organisations have a load of tools and tips that would help their employees. The trouble is finding the right ones, at the right time, for the right problem or need.

Elucidat’s Elearning Project Toolkit aims to help digital learning producers find their way to better quality or smarter run projects. By asking a few questions, it signposts the relevant tips, tools and downloads that will be of help to them. It’s a great example of curated elearning.

Helps signpost users to relevant tips, tools and resources without trying to replicate or re-create that content as ‘elearning’

Uses smart questions to branch users down the relevant path

Gives users options to explore further should they wish - they can see demo projects or explore all the resources and guides available to them

More elearning examples to inspire your next project

These elearning examples have all been created using Elucidat’s award-winning authoring tool. Start a free trial today.

Kirstie is an experienced learning design and performance enhancement specialist at Elucidat. She has a passion for bringing about high impact, emotionally engaging digital and blended experiences that make an actual difference.

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3 eLearning examples to inspire you in 2018

Do you want to learn more about AB1825 and how this affects your business?

This employment law came to fruition in September 2004, when Californian Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger put his signature to the bill.

This law is all to do with preventing sexual harassment in the workplace and how businesses can promote an inclusive and safe office environment.

The law came into effect back in January 2005, requiring all employers and companies who have 50 or more employees to provide sexual harassment prevention training at least once every two years.

This continual training should be a total of two hours and be provided to supervisors within the business. It’s important to note that two hours of training doesn’t have to be consecutive – it can be over the course of a few days or even months. In other words, it’s a total figure.

In addition, while the definition of a supervisor is not specified, it generally means someone that has authority over other employees and has a responsibility towards them.

The number of 50 employees can also include full-time and part-time staff, as well as contractors that are even based outside of California.

AB1825 was a big deal when it was first introduced and continues to have an impact on businesses in California today. It was a big step towards tackling the issues of harassment in the workplace, particularly towards women.

The aim of this law was to make sexual harassment prevention training mandatory and a continuous area for improvement. Its goal was to cover issues of sexual harassment, discrimination, bullying and retaliation.

This is all known as unlawful and unacceptable behavior and by teaching the federal and state statutory provisions, as well as the impact of these actions on individuals, these situations can be prevented in the future.

What Constitutes Sexual Harassment in the Workplace?

Everyone in an office, from supervisors down to new employees, should know the signs of harassment and what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior. In some cases, people are unaware their actions will be constituted as sexual harassment and against the law.

That is why it’s essential to learn what is classed as sexual harassment and work to remove these actions from the workplace. In a general sense, sexual harassment can be verbal to another employee, a physical action or a written, inappropriate message.

The following actions will constitute sexual harassment:

Sexually suggestive remarks towards another, including jokes.

Physical contact that is deemed unprofessional and inappropriate. This can include touching, grabbing and hugging that makes another person feel upset, uncomfortable or nervous.

Asking invasive and prying questions about another employee’s personal life, sexuality or appearance.

Watching and staring at another employee and making them feel uneasy and uncomfortable.

Knowing what will be classed as sexual harassment allows employees to think about their own actions, as well as identify unacceptable behavior if they witness it.

The law in California means that an employer and company will be held liable for any unlawful sexual harassment by an employee towards another – even if they don’t know about it.

This means that letting your employees know what constitutes harassment will also lower the risk of lawsuits and problems for your business.

The Importance of Sexual Harassment Training in the Workplace

Unfortunately, the statistics and even major news headlines, show that sexual harassment still exists in the workplace. This is an issue everyone wants to tackle and one of the best ways to do this is through education, starting from the top, down to the employees.

Incidents at work, such as sexual harassment, can ruin working relations and bring down team morale, as well as effecting productivity.

Not only will this have an impact on company success, but it will also mean expensive litigation. Most importantly, these incidents can make employees feel unsafe in their place of work.

Sexual harassment training can highlight how you can identify bullying, discrimination and sexual harassment, in order for it to be tackled appropriately.

By demonstrating the impact these incidents can have on an individual, more can be done to prevent situations from happening in the future.

In addition, working to remove the stigma around reporting situations of sexual harassment will encourage more people to come forward.

How Online E-Learning Courses Can Help Your Workplace

Online sexual harassment training courses can satisfy the requirements of AB1825, which means that California businesses should consider this option seriously. E-learning courses can offer a host of advantages over traditional training.

For the company, online courses are cost-effective and save money on hiring instructors or sending employees on conferences. They’re more convenient and can be completed anytime, without interrupting the daily running of business.

Also, you can choose a sexual harassment training course and add it to your LMS straightaway, ready to use. It’s simple.

Most importantly, online e-learning courses are worthwhile and offer valuable information that can prevent unlawful conduct and harassment.

Through a wealth of memorable videos, real-life scenarios and interactive quizzes, employees can learn everything they need to know in an engaging course right from their own desk.

From an employer’s point of view, these online courses can help you to keep track of what supervisors are completing their two hours of training.

This is very useful, as new supervisors are being hired and promoted all the time and it’s essential they receive their training within six months of joining the company.

Ultimately, sexual harassment prevention training can help to bring unlawful situations to light and promote a safer working environment for everyone – we can all work together to achieve this.

What Californian businesses need to know about AB1825

Have you read our article about common buzzwords you’re likely to encounter in the eLearning space? Blended learning is one of those terms that’s used often in the learning industry, to describe a mix of both online and offline training methods.

With blended learning, you really get the best of both worlds, with employees learning through an effective combination of face-to-face instructor-led training and flexible online learning materials.

Today we’re going to look at the advantages this combination of online and offline training can bring to employees, as well as your business.

For employees and students, the combination of blended learning offers increased flexibility, greater engagement with learning materials, and improved knowledge retention. The flexible delivery of online training allows individuals to participate in training programs at a time and place that’s convenient to them. And what’s more, they can simply use their phone, tablet or laptop to access the training materials they need.

With increased levels of engagement, organisations can expect to see higher performance and productivity levels across staff. By incorporating online training methods, you’re also encouraging employees to take ownership of their learning and development. Taking a blended approach towards learning is great for catering to different learning styles, as the combination of online and offline training can be adapted to suit the individual needs of different team members.

It’s also great for recognising that in corporate learning, everyone moves at a different pace and responds to different levels of instruction. With blended learning, staff can access support if and when they need.

Blended learning also offers a number of important advantages to trainers and managers too.

Training delivered via eLearning can sometimes fall short when compared to the buzz and energy of social interaction in the physical learning environment. On the other hand, traditional classroom training won’t give you the same valuable data and figures that online learning can, such as reporting, analytics, quiz results and instant feedback.

So as the expression goes: porque no los dos! Why can’t we have both? By combining online and offline training, you can!

Managers can still retain that important face-to-face engagement with staff through offline workshops or training sessions, while reaping the rewards gained through the reports and data generated by online Learning Management Systems.

The combination of online and offline training is used successfully across schools, universities and organisations. What makes blended learning so perfect for the workplace?

For both managers and employees, time is a valuable resource. Blended learning reduces the number of face-to-face sessions workers are required to attend, giving them more time to work at their desks. And these days, with so many employees working remotely or from different geographical locations, online learning tools such as video conferences or webinars are invaluable.

Blended learning gives staff options. If an employee misses a particular training session or workshop, they can most likely catch up via online learning. They are not dependent on a single source of information. Besides, encouraging people to seek information and knowledge on their own promotes more self-led learning for staff. These are all great benefits for any business.

Online learning can also be used to reinforce employee training, helping to improve knowledge retention and performance.  Imagine if after completing a hands-on workshop or training session, you could go back to your desk and take a short online course or quiz? This is what blended learning really offers to corporate training – through a combination of online and offline learning.

Christopher Pappas, founder of The eLearning Industry’s Network, explains how “face-to-face interactions following online self-study, or vice versa, optimize the unique benefits of each; the productive partnership of real and digital world allows your employees to plan their learning and develop their critical thinking and problem solving skills.”

When “employees are given power over their learning, by being able to combine their face to face training sessions with online self study, they feel that their unique learning needs and behaviors are met; this way, their training becomes much more effective,” he says.

We just touched on the time you can save by implementing blended learning. But did you know this learning approach can also save your company money?

Think about it: in-person training sessions can take up a considerable part of your L&D budget. For every event, you’ll have facility hire, travel, catering, and the cost of instructors or presenters.

eLearning removes those costs, as well as the time spent planning those logistics. You’ll also cut down on the time spent gathering feedback from staff in workshops and sessions – your Learning Management System will be able to collate and report that data to you in an instant. A good LMS will help employees to stay on track and organised with their training, map their learning pathway, take and submit assessments, and collaborate with colleagues.

As Pappas says, “all in all, blending different delivering modes in your corporate training can significantly increase your training’s ROI, as reducing traditional training costs can be effectively combined with improved staff performance.”

Keen to help your learners get all the benefits of the traditional classroom, along with the flexibility and improved engagement of eLearning? Consider a combination of online and offline training, for effective blended learning.


The benefits of combining online and offline training

Before you can develop a successful training program for your team, you need to be really clear on exactly who needs to be trained, and in what. This is where a training needs assessment comes in handy.

By taking the time to carry out a proper training needs assessment, you’ll be making sure you’re delivering targeted, effective learning to your employees.

Need some help and guidance when it comes to this step in your L&D planning? We’ve got all the information you need, to start conducting successful training needs assessments for your staff.

Why Training Needs Assessments Are So Important

Often, it’s what happens before and after a training session that’s really important.

Your training needs assessment (also called an analysis) is a critical first step, helping you to identify who needs training and what kind of training is needed. In fact, many learning professionals consider it to be the most important step towards a successful L&D program.

Carrying out a training needs assessment will help you gain a clear understanding of the competencies needed to achieve organisational goals, while identifying which individual employees and teams most need training.

This step will also assist you in getting a clearer idea of the most cost-effective way you can meet your team’s training requirements, helping you to make sure your training resources are being used most effectively.

The Risks of Not Completing a Training Needs Assessment

So what’s at risk by not carrying out a proper training needs assessment?

Dr. Carl Greenberg, founder of Pragmatic HR Consulting, explains how poorly conducted needs analyses can lead to training solutions that address:

You can imagine how frustrating that must be, to realise you’ve been wasting company money on ineffective training - training that isn't going to help your company achieve organisational goals. It’s also frustrating for staff, if they’re being expected to complete training that isn’t necessary to their skills, or relevant to their professional development.

What Should I Be Asking in a Training Needs Analysis?

Greenberg also provides some guidance on the questions you need to be asking yourself about training, which will be helpful for you in developing your assessment.

According to Greenberg, the results of a training needs analysis should provide employers with answers to the following questions:

Think about each of these questions as you go through the following steps.

Steps to Conducting a Training Needs Assessment

Now that you understand the reasoning behind training needs assessments, you can get started on developing your own. Here are three steps when conducting an analysis, covering the organisation, tasks and individual employees.

Eric Sokolowski, writing for Knowledge Wave, recommends starting with a good look at the organisation. Talk to senior leaders and managers, getting them to articulate their training priorities. When doing this, ensure that there is always a clear alignment between the training goals and business objectives.

Sokolowski also encourages looking at organisational readiness for training – are there any obstacles that might make training less effective? What can you do to remove those obstacles before rolling out training?

The next step involves talking to subject matter experts and employees to gather information for your job-task analysis.

In this, you’ll break down each role into its component parts. This will give you a clear list of tasks that are required to perform a particular job. From this, you can identify the skills and competencies needed to perform those tasks.

The information you get from this step helps you to decide exactly what to include in training. As Sokolowski says, “the final output should include a detailed description of manual activities, mental activities, task durations and frequency, any necessary equipment, and the skills and competencies required to perform a given task.”

He also recommends being aware of the difference between things that a person need to know versus information that they will need to access. “This can have a big impact on your training design: teaching people how and where to find job-relevant information can be even more effective than requiring that they memorize certain information,” Sokolowski explains.

In this final step, you want to focus on the individual employees you are designing training programs for.

Analysing your target audience helps you to understand the kind of employees who will be participating in training. Sokolowski gives the example of millennials: “you might discover that they are primarily younger workers – so in this case, you might intentionally design your training to resonate with Millennials,” he says.

By targeting your training directly at your audience, you’ll be able to create more relevant, engaging and effective learning materials. You’ll also have clear information on which team members require further development in certain areas, so through this step you’ll also be helping individual employees master the skills they need to boost their career.

Ready to get to work on your own training needs assessment? Follow those steps, and take time thinking about the questions and tips suggested here. All of these things will help you to create a more in-depth analysis of your employees’ needs, which will in turn help you develop far more effective training.

How to carry out a training needs assessment

Are the rumors true – is it really that hard to keep millennial staff happy?

Well, it’s no secret that millennials have become known as job hoppers. In today’s world, people don’t spend their entire life with the same employer as much as they used.

In particular, millennials are more likely to leave a company if they don’t feel like they’re valued and are more resilient when it comes to making a career.

Perhaps it’s because millennials are more ambitious and independent or maybe it’s that they’re impatient and anxious to progress.

There’s a bunch of reasons why staff turnover is higher than it used to be. But, what’s most important is what you can do to change this in your company.

The answer is setting up a good onboarding program.

Onboarding is all about welcoming new employees into the office and preparing them for their new role in the company.

This includes introducing them to the daily running of the office and allowing them time and the support to build up the skills and knowledge they need to feel comfortable in the job.

But, the truth is, a lot of employers don’t spend enough time and effort with new employees and this is what can lead to a high staff turnover. That’s why a good onboarding program for millennial staff is important now more than ever before.

After all, it can take months to find the right candidate for the job. It’s take a lot of time and effort, not to mention, money. You want your new employee to stay after all that work, right?

That’s why you can’t just give employees a handbook and leave them to their own devices after a quick tour around the office. You’ve got to put in the hard work from the beginning to make sure they settle in, know what they are doing and importantly, stay.

So, you’ve got to have a good onboarding program from the start. First impressions count.

When we’ve been in a job for a long time, we forget how hard it is when you’re new. But, a good onboarding program is the way to make this transition into a new workplace a lot easier and more enjoyable for the employee.

You want to promote integration for maximum staff retention. A good onboarding program is simple to introduce to the office and it all starts with online e-learning courses for training and orientation. You can add these courses to your LMS instantly and you’re all ready to go!

So, let’s have a look at some of the benefits to e-learning, compared to more traditional forms of training.

From an employer’s point of view, it’s going to save you a lot of money on instructors and classes. Now you don’t have to send away new employees for training – you can do it right in the office. This all saves time.

From an employee’s perspective, e-learning offers familiarity and value. With today’s technology, millennials are always on their phone or using the internet for everyday tasks.

That means that e-learning is a way of tapping into those tech savvy skills they have in a way that offers familiarity with their everyday routine.

Most importantly, e-learning courses offer value to new employees. You can introduce all the key concepts they need to know through short videos and presentations that are more engaging and interesting than traditional forms of training.

You can also use simulations to teach employees about software they’ll be using, as well as practice assessments. This will allow new employees to build up their confidence and advance their own skills, instead of being launched into the real world with no experience.

You can even use gamification to encourage your employees to learn and give them targets and goals to work towards while they get used to the office. Every loves games - so what’s better than an educational one?

Since e-learning courses can now be access from anywhere and from any device, employees can learn at their own pace. This ensures everyone can progress at a speed they are comfortable with.

In addition, you can keep an eye on an employee’s progress and provide feedback through quizzes and mini tests. You’ll be able to see who’s scoring well and completing their courses, as well as who could do with some additional support.

The great thing about e-learning courses is the endless variety you can choose from. It doesn’t matter what sector your company is in, there’s a course for everyone.

As well as off-the-shelf courses, you can also use software to create your own short videos. This gives you the chance to introduce the workplace and values that are important for your company.

You can show your brand and make it more personal for new employees.

You can even talk with current employees and let them explain their roles and give an example of where new hires can go in the future. This can allow them to aspire and reach new goals within the company.

At the end of the day, a good onboarding program is going to help your company and your new employees equally. Not only can you keep staff turnover down, but you can also enjoy having more knowledgeable and productive staff.

Plus, employees can enjoy better job satisfaction and progress their skills. This can make them feel included and it can cement a loyalty to the company from the very beginning.


How a good onboarding program can reduce millennial staff turnover

Do your employees need an extra push when it comes to creativity?

A lot of people think that new ideas will just come to them and wait to be inspired by something that never appears. But, innovative thinking is really about applying the knowledge you already possess and using the environment around you to conjure up new thoughts.

When we talk about innovative thinking, we’re referring to the process of coming up with a new concept that’s different.

Whether it’s a product or business idea, it’s something that requires creativity. In fact, it doesn’t even have to be one thing, it can start as small parts and develop into a single idea.

Innovative thinking is big business for your company. Employees who show their creative potential through new concepts or even by solving old problems are always an asset to your workforce- and the truth is everyone has the potential to be an innovative thinker.

Of course, you can’t force someone to come up with good ideas. This is a sure way to not get the final product you’re looking for! It’s got to come naturally. But, there are a few things you can do to encourage-to slightly nudge-your employees to get creative and think outside the box.

By providing your employees with the right tools and the best work environment, you can ignite the creative spark that’s going to bring success to your business and fulfillment to your employee’s career.

So, how can you encourage innovative thinking in the office? What are these tools we’re talking about?

Well, a great way to promote creativity is through using the right training materials. Don’t worry, we know what you’re thinking. Training doesn’t typically stir up much excitement amongst employees…

But, if you have the right kind of training materials that don’t feel like hard work at all, you’ve got a new way to learn and motivate creative thinking. (Hint: it’s all about keeping it interesting!)

After all, most employees want to learn. You’ll find that if you can bring out their passion, they’ll perform better at their job and out will come a lot of innovative ideas and fresh perspectives.

You’ll have new and valuable ideas floating around the office in no time!

Let’s have a look at the best ways you can encourage innovative thinking in the workplace.

Innovative thinking doesn’t have to be by one individual nor by working on your own.

In fact, you’ll find that great ideas come from the inspiration of many. By providing a platform on your LMS where employees can brainstorm and share ideas together, you can encourage everyone to have their say on a topic.

An online forum is a place where you can bounce ideas and express new concepts together as a team. By creating an interactive place where employees can go to communicate, ask questions and support each other, new ideas can come to fruition and point towards future success.

You can create topics to discuss or leave it up to your employees to guide the way and choose what they want to discuss.

Employee training is rapidly moving to online resources and this is for good reason. There’s a lot of e-learning courses out there now that are doing a great job in keeping training interesting and engaging for employees.

Let’s be honest. Nobody wants to listen to someone lecturing on for hours on end – e-learning courses cover the important stuff in half the time.

What’s more, there’s courses out there that are delivered through amusing and colorful animations that keep employees interested in learning and feeds your imagination.

Pictures and stories can help your employees to create an image in their head and this can encourage them to come up with new concepts and ways to approach things in business.

If they’re more engaged with the information, the more likely they are to use it in real life scenarios and come up with new business ideas using what they’ve learned.

In addition, since a lot of e-learning courses are integrated onto mobile phones and tablets now, employees can learn on the go and at a time that suits them.

This is important for innovative thinking – it means they are fully switched on and ready to learn. This is going to boost their creativity and bring out the best in your employees.

A great way to make employees think about what they’re learning in training and apply it to future situations is by including e-learning courses that have assessments. These are usually featured at the end as simulation questions.

It’s easy to sit through training and listen to the information, but it’s another thing to understand it and use the key points. Simulations will not only test and evaluate your employee’s knowledge, but it can also help to bring out new ideas and new ways to approach a subject.

Employees can use these simulations in their workplace in the future, solving different problems and coming up with creative ways to tackle everyday tasks.

The great thing about all three of these ways to encourage innovative thinking is that they can be added to the LMS in your office instantly.

Plus, they’re all interlinked and can be used together simultaneously to help employees grow and promote successful business for your company.

It’s all about finding ways to release an employee’s skills and creativity. We’re all capable of innovative thinking – we’ve just got to realize it!


Over the past few months the Go1 team has been improving on the functionality of our Awards tools that allow you to create custom training programs for your team combining your own training with off the shelf content. In our November update we have made assigning Awards to users in bulk easier by leveraging our groups tools.

Admins can assign award to group or learner

It’s now quick and easy to assign an award to a group by clicking the Assign Learning button on the Award. This can the be viewed by the learner in the Learning tab, and My Learning assigned page.

Improved user interface for small devices

Sign up for a free trial today and try it out for yourself!

If you have any questions about any of the updates and improvements listed above, please let us know and our Customer Success Team can help you out!

Find out what’s new in the Go1 November update

If you’re a business owner or employer, you have certain responsibilities when it comes to first aid in the workplace.

As Safe Work Australia reminds us, “incidents can happen without warning and in every type of workplace - it is critical you are prepared for any first aid emergencies that could happen in yours.”

No matter what industry you’re in, it’s important that employees know how to respond in the event of an emergency. You can help staff feel more prepared by providing regular workplace first aid training.

By complying with national first aid code of practice, and ensuring you have qualified, trained first aiders on hand, you can significantly reduce the impact of incidents at your workplace.  You’ll also be helping individual employees to develop the skills – and confidence – they need to make the right decisions in the event of a first aid emergency.

The Responsibility of Employers for First Aid 

All Australian employers are responsible for providing staff with a safe workplace, free from hazards and health risks – and this includes having proper first aid procedures, facilities and equipment in place.

If you run a company or organisation, it’s important that your business is compliant with current workplace safety laws and regulations, to promote a safer workplace and ensure the safety and wellbeing of your employees.

Employers are legally responsible for providing first aid equipment in the workplace, in locations that all staff can easily access, and close to areas that present higher risk of accident or injury. If you’re a large worksite or organisation, spread out across a number of floors or buildings, this means providing multiple first aid kits. If employees travel for work, kits must also be present in all company vehicles.

Your business must also make sure there’s an adequate number of trained first aid providers that employees can go to for assistance. As a rule of thumb, Safe Work Australia advises that there should be one first aider for every:

50 workers in low-risk workplaces (an office)

25 workers in high-risk workplaces (a construction site)

These first aid officers must hold a current first aid certificate that is relevant to their state, and have the skills and knowledge to handle the situation until further medical assistance arrives, if necessary.

Helping Staff to Prepare for First Aid Incidents

Would your staff know what to do in the event of a first aid incident in the workplace?

Whether your workplace is considered high or low risk for first aid incidents, it pays to be prepared. It’s not just constructions sites or factories that present a risk to employees – team members can still experience serious cuts, burns or falls in an office environment.

The best way to help staff feel prepared is to provide workplace first aid training for all employees. Training modules should be repeated on a regular basis to make sure individuals can refresh their knowledge and skills from time to time.

While it’s important for all staff to attend first aid training, your designated first aiders will require more intensive additional training to be qualified to respond to incidents in the workplace.

There are many reasons why you should consider getting first aid training. We've listed them here along with explaining why first aid is essential.