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eLearning and Flexible Learning Management System for the British Council
Setting the Scene
Founded in 1934, British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities, creating friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and other countries. British Council work with over 100 countries across the world and reach over 20 million people face-to-face and more than 500 million people online each year. The British Council in South Asia were looking to help 13 to 19-year-old girls improve their life prospects by developing English language skills and digital proficiency. To do this they needed to strengthen their English and Digital for Girls’ Education (EDGE) programme. Through EDGE, British Council specifically work with girls who are either currently out-of-school or living in socio-economically marginalised communities. The programme supports these adolescent girls to make more informed and independent life choices in order to contribute more fully to the family, the economy and society.
The Challenge
The peer-led course materials for British Council’s EDGE programme were being delivered in hard copy format, however, as the focus was on developing digital literacy and because distribution of hard copy materials at scale is both time consuming and expensive, British Council were keen to work towards a digital solution for course delivery. The existing 330 hours of paper-based content needed to be enhanced and shaped into an appropriate format for digital delivery, to ensure the best learning experience and maximum learner engagement. To ensure smooth & efficient delivery of the content, British Council also needed a flexible learning management system (LMS) that would be easy to use, even for users who may be new to using digital technology, with a clear, easy to navigate and contextually appropriate user interface. They also needed to have both online and offline capability, to allow for learning to take place even in areas with low levels of internet connectivity. To help them achieve all this, British Council were seeking external support and eCom was delighted to be chosen as their preferred digital learning partner.
The Solution
Our instructional design team worked closely with British Council to create an engaging and impactful eLearning resource. The existing content was enhanced and made more appropriate for the audience, with audio and video utilised to help demonstrate and enhance language skills. In addition, a number of interactive features were also included throughout the eLearning resource to make it easier for learners to develop their skills, such as knowledge checks that help learners assess their understanding. eCom also ensured the navigation was intuitive and our graphic designers used appealing, modern designs. British Council will also shortly benefit from eCom’s cloud-based, flexible workforce development and LMS, eNetEnterprise.
eNetEnterprise has both online and offline capability, allowing it to be used in places with low levels of connectivity. Learners can download content and upload assessment data while they are connected, but can consume the content in offline mode, with tracking data cached until the device is back online.
The Benefits
Using our eLearning, the British Council are now able to provide a more appealing, engaging and contextually appropriate learning experience for 13-19 year old girls on the EDGE programme, helping them improve their digital skills and English language proficiency. Switching to a digital delivery model will enable British Council to avoid the logistical challenges of shipping paper-based resources to numerous locations, whilst simultaneously making the significant financial savings they were looking for. In choosing eNetEnterprise as their flexible LMS, British Council can be confident that both the system and the eLearning content are fully accessible at any time, on whatever device the user chooses, regardless of their location. For users who may not always have a secure, reliable connection to the internet, the offline sync capability of eNetEnterprise ensures those learners can still access the eLearning and participate in the same way as those using the system whilst online.
