CASE STUDY
Online course development with the TUC
With a 160 year legacy and 5.8 million members, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) is the national trade union centre representing the majority of trade unions in England and Wales.
Offering continued education and training for their members and representatives forms a core part of the TUC’s campaign for making the working world a better place.
Supporting the TUC’s internal Digital Learning Team, Can Studios were selected through a rigorous tender process to provide end-to-end development of a bespoke online organising course for union representatives.
The brief
The TUC’s representatives and members reflect the full diversity of the modern workplace, and have a wide range of different working patterns, requirements and learning styles.
Organising is a fundamental part of the TUC’s work in empowering union representatives who want to take steps in their branch or workplace to reaffirm, revitalise and rebuild their union.
To provided accessible, convenient and flexible training on effective organising, the TUC sought to engage a partner to provide end-to-end development of an e-learning course.
It was extremely important to the TUC that their development partner understood the need for inclusive instructional design and communication to ensure the course appealed to a diverse audience.
It was also essential any partner was able to engage with the TUC’s subject matter experts to effectively incorporate wider expertise into the course’s content.
Key points
Bespoke instructional design
End-to-end project management
Inclusive graphic design
Integration with existing authoring too
Accessible content and interface
“Can Studios are obviously a capable bunch who know what they are doing and the quality of their work is great. I would highly recommend the team.”
Craig Hawkins
Online Learning Officer – TUC
Our solution
After being selected through a competitive tender process, we started the project with a kick-off meeting to discuss the different possible approaches and solutions to the brief. This scope went through a number of iterations before being finalised.
Throughout the project, we worked closely with the TUC education team and Subject Matter Experts, holding weekly catch-up calls to report back on progress and gather feedback at every stage.
The project then had three key phases, scripting (Alpha), build (Beta) and release (Gold).
In the scripting stage we developed the content for the modules using an iterative design process. This allowed the incorporation of regular feedback and reviews, ensuring new insights were be acted on, and adjustments were made in an effective and transparent way.
The build stage took the completed scripts and developed them into e-learning modules.
Finally, the Gold stage represents the finished product, incorporating all of the learning and decisions made throughout the process.
Our process is much more flexible than working directly from scope to a finished product, allowing the ongoing refinement of ideas and requirements.
“Can Studios are one of the most efficient and focused external teams we have ever worked with. They understood we were under pressure as an internal team during one of our busiest periods and clearly communicated with us throughout the process.”
Craig Hawkins
Online Learning Officer – TUC
The results
The completed Organising Course for Reps consists of 7 modules, and gives union representatives from all backgrounds the knowledge and skills they need to organise effectively.
Post-development, the course underwent a review phase by internal stakeholders to ensure that it embodied the TUC’s high standards and the inclusive values which are at the heart of its work.
From 2021, course will be offered to over 150,000 representatives from across the TUC’s union network.
It is hoped that in the future, the course will be used within blended learning programmes alongside face-to-face training to support even more learners.
“We have worked with companies who go straight from concept to build. I much prefer the iterative approach taken by Can Studios as it allows us to constantly incorporate feedback and really nail each stage of the project. Other companies can sometimes underestimate our internal expertise, that wasn’t the case with Can Studios. There are no egos, the team is extremely professional and easy to work with.”
Craig Hawkins
Online Learning Officer – TUC
Contact us.
We can’t wait to hear what you want from your elearning.
Let’s see how we can help you get the best results for your learners, your business and your budget.