Author:
Lauren Bradley
Product Manager – Learning Libraries
[email protected]
Introduction
The document highlights the latest Library Title Releases, Features & Improvements to the ‘Off the Shelf’ Learning Libraries. This month, we’re looking back at the year 2021 and how we’ve developed our Learning Libraries to meet our customers’ needs.
Our primary focus this year was to ensure complete understanding of our learning libraries, development of content that encompasses inclusion, accessibility, and authentic stories.
Where we started:
We kick-started 2021 with Brexit & Data Protection updates and Accessibility enhancements.
Brexit & Data Protection
Brexit presented us with a much anticipated requirement to review and update all of our Data Protection lessons/modules swiftly and in line with any new guidance. This was done in conjunction with our SMEs in Data & Cyber Security Training.
Making certain that we’ve got your back, our own internal Information Security manager reviewed this content again mid-year to ensure we hadn’t missed any changes.
Accessibility
Accessibility is very important to all of us. From all the teams at Learning Pool, to our customers, to all the Learners we have globally. We made the decision to become WCAG 2.1 AA compliant. At the beginning of 2021 we partnered with the RNIB, to update all of our Off-the-Shelf content, as well as upscale the entire Adapt & Learning Experience teams on all things accessibility. This partnership was hugely successful, and enabled us to determine how we could do the right thing for your learners when it comes to making eLearning accessible.
Throughout 2021 we updated 700+ Lessons in our Learning Libraries to WCAG 2.1 AA and beyond.
We didn’t want to keep how we did that to ourselves, so we created a starter guide to creating accessible eLearning, along with a guide on how to use our OTS Libraries accessibly (both can be requested).
If you want to find out more about what we did, you can read our Accessibility Report on Showcase.
The stars of 2021
The challenges, the triumphs and everything in between.
Inclusion & Equity
Never has this been more critical to recognise and redefine training on equality, diversity, inclusion and belonging. 2020 was a year of change, COVID exposed inequities in how we live, how we learn and how we work. The world shifted, unconscious bias training was deemed useless, BAME as a term is finally going to be a thing of the past.
All over the world, people may be experiencing isolation or feeling excluded for many reasons. As we all move forward and deal with the current crisis, it has sparked an energy to recognise and push for diversity & inclusion through understanding and action. However, the real need is ensuring that everyone feels supported, included and valued inside and outside of the workplace.
At the beginning of 2021, we met up with Focal Point, an organisation dedicated to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. Working with one of our Senior Learning Designs and 9 SMEs from Focal Point, we started evaluating our current offer. Following from one of the Star developments of 202, ‘The Uncomfortable series’, we decided to develop a new collection, growing into something impactful and meaningful.
We spent 4 months researching where & how we could best support our learners and then, the last 8 months in development. We’re almost ready! 12th January, we’re launching a new Collection, packed with new content on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. Want a sneak peek? Check out the EDI collection on Showcase and don’t forget to watch the lesson previews. I highly recommend starting with ‘Does Diversity and Inclusion training work?’
Collections
Collections are the future of Learning Libraries at Learning Pool. You may have heard the term from your account manager. Don’t worry if you didn’t – it’s probably not the best option for you at the minute.
In 2021 we developed a new way to structure our content into focused collections that centre around a theme, such as Safeguarding, Cyber Security and Self Care.
We took all the lessons/modules we have on offer and repositioned them into packages that allow customers to get more meaningful use and allows us to develop new content that is specific to a theme, i.e. LOLER and PUWER in Health and Safety Level 2 Collection.
Our aim is to give customers more flexibility on the topics they would like to subscribe to, a cleaner pricing structure and the ability to understand every lesson/module in your subscription.
If you are already on collections, that’s great – we’d love to hear what you think! And if your account manager hasn’t had that conversation yet, don’t worry – they know when it’s best to start talking about it and they will talk about it. If you’d like to get a preview of the collections, head to our new Showcase Site to see all 40+ Collections.
Showcase
Supporting the Future of Learning Libraries is our new Showcase website. Showcase is your one stop show for off the shelf eLearning. Here we have all of our collections, where you can find everything you need to know about our OTS Libraries.
Want to learn about our Accreditations? Want to know who are Subject Matter Experts are? NEed to find some training on Hybrid Working? You’ll find all of that and more on Showcase.
IFE, iiRSM and Health & Safety
Did you know we gained a brand new Accreditation on all of our Health and Safety lessons/modules this year? We got approved by the iiRSM this year. This adds to already gained CPD. If you want to read more on the iiRSM Accreditation, you can do that in this iiRSM article.
Our Fire Safety and Fire Warden Training courses also got a new Institute of Fire Engineers Accreditation, after going through a rigorous approval process with their experts.
Where we are now
By the end of 2021, we’ve created a New Website and structured 40+ Collections from Existing and New Content. We’ve released over 100 new lessons/modules to our Libraries and upgraded the accessibility features in all 650+ lessons/modules in our Learning Libraries. All this was done while also carrying our regular maintenance work to all of our Libraries for legislative and industry updates.
Sneak Peek at 2022
What’s coming in 2022?
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
From our Inclusion and Equity release, we’ll have a new collection of new lessons available to subscribe to from 12th January!
We created a product that encompasses inclusion, accessibility and authentic stories. Packed with interconnectivity and great conversation between the lessons. By designing a new collection, we are able to hone in on specific issues without having to overlap the content in fear that it might be the only EDI/DEI lesson that a customer has.
Even if you don’t have our new EDI Collection, we’ve updated Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking for everyone, so check that out on our website, and it will be maade available as an editable lesson on Adapt to everyone who already has it or is getting it as part of EDI on 12th January.
Net Zero Collection
Global travel, growing waste year on year and the ‘throw away’ culture has tipped the scales. Our new Net Zero Collection, coming in 2022 is designed to give practical lessons and resources on how we can all help.
As people, we need to take a serious look at the problems and come up with solutions that we can apply to our everyday lives. If you want to be part of designing a cleaner future, this collection has been developed with our Subject Matter Experts at Wylde Connections. We aim to deliver eLearning that can empower your learners to make better, more informed choices that benefit the earth and future generations
- Money and Finance
- Food and Food Waste
- Travel and Transport
- Technology and Digital Future
- Designing the Future
- Conscious Consumerism
- Influencing change
- Biodiversity and Nature
- Healthy Living and Ageing
Recap
To recap on the year 2021, we’re very proud of the hardworking and innovative teams here at Learning Pool that enabled us to carry on getting new titles and products out during the difficulties of 2021. We’d also like to thank all of our customers for their patience and support to ensure that the content we created was relevant and applicable to their needs.
We’d like to wish all our customers a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!