eLearning to Microlearning Conversion and a Centralized LMS

The 2-fold Challenge:

Transform 11 existing training modules, and deliver them in 5 languages
Shift from the current 3 LMSs to a single LMS

CommLab India’s Integrated Solution: Transform the existing training modules into short microlearning modules in 5 languages, to be accessed on any device. Replace the existing LMSs with Effectus LMS for training, admin, and medical content.

The Result: Easily accessible microlearning modules in learners’ own languages plus one centralized platform for training, tracking, and access to experts.

Our client is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on finding solutions for serious unmet medical needs through the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel medicines. Since they started in 2002, they have grown into a global organization with operations in North America, Europe, and Asia. The company employs more than 2000 employees and has a robust portfolio of treatments across Oncology, Inflammation, and Autoimmunity.

Their unique expertise in medicinal chemistry and biology has enabled them to create a diversified portfolio of marketed products and clinical candidates, most of which were discovered by their own scientists. With 7 approved products and ongoing clinical trials in dozens of disease areas and recognized by Science Magazine as a top employer for 4 consecutive years, their revenue for the twelve months ending September 30, 2022, was $3.331B.

CommLab India’s association with the client started in 2017 when they approached us by filling the ‘Contact Us’ form on our website. That led to our first project worth USD 2989, translating an English eLearning module into European Spanish. Since then, we have been partnering with them on a regular basis, and have done around 150 projects for them, working with 4 stakeholders from the organization.

The client first came to know about CommLab India through our inbound marketing efforts. They chose to try us out as we are one of the very few eLearning vendors offering multiple services under one roof – classroom to eLearning conversion, Flash to HTML5 conversion, eLearning translations, and LMS services. Added to that was our expertise in most of the popular eLearning authoring tools including Articulate, Lectora, Captivate, iSpring, and dominKnow.

It was CommLab India’s quality, responsiveness, speed of execution, and 24/7 availability that tilted the balance in our favor in the highly crowded eLearning space of corporate training, and placed us on their list of approved vendors.

Requirement #1: The LMS

The organization was using 3 different LMSs previously for their internal training and administrative needs – one for human resource functions, the second for training their commercial sales personnel, and the third for high-end medical content.

Having 3 separate LMSs led to a lot of issues. Trainees who were Key Account Managers (KAMs) needed to switch LMSs frequently to access or navigate training resources. This made the training process unnecessarily tedious and complicated. And as the training was being conducted at local and global levels, with some learners required to take the training in a particular order, tracking the training on three LMSs became problematic.

So, the requirement was for a single LMS that would:

Act as a central platform for trainees to access the required training and management to track the training easily
Manage training at both the global and local levels
Serve as a repository of resources in all formats with a search feature
Be compatible across platforms and devices (desktops, laptops, and iPads)
Allow for gamification that would provide learners a competitive environment
Enable learners to take the training in order, catering to both new hires and experienced employees (New hires to take courses linearly, experienced employees to access courses in any order.)
Provide uninterrupted access to users
Allow learners to use the LMS in the language of their choice (from 5 language versions)

Requirement #2: The Training Content

The requirement was to transform their existing 11 product training modules (each 60 to 90 minutes long) in older, less-effective formats to industry-standard eLearning with appropriate interactivities. They also wanted the content to be updated with current information as per research and advancements related to the drug and medical condition. So, the requirement was to:

Convert lengthy courses into brief, easy to learn, digestible modules
Add interactivities, graphics, and audio to increase engagement
Upgrade content based on changing regulatory norms

Owing to the diverse learner profile, the modules had to be available in the native languages of the learners – Italian, French, Spanish and German – in addition to English.

Based on the client’s requirements, CommLab India came up with an integrated solution that addressed both the LMS shortfalls and the need to transform existing content.

For the LMS issues, CommLab India proposed their Effectus LMS which would act as a centralized platform where both global and local training could be deployed and managed. The LMS solution included:

A simple and intuitive user interface
Gamification elements such as leaderboards to build a competitive environment
Confidence-based assessments to help learners assess their knowledge levels
Both structured and unstructured ways to access courses, based on the learner profile
Accessibility on desktops, laptops, and mobile devices
Availability of the platform in English and 4 European languages
Ability to accommodate new content or upgrade existing content
Customizability based on future needs
Uninterrupted access through hosting on a cloud server

The CommLab India team visited the client premises to understand their LMS requirements. They recommended features to be included in the LMS to address their unique requirements. Certain features (proven to work well) from their existing platform were also retained. The client and CommLab India worked together to develop wireframes for the LMS to be used to design the new platform.

Our solution for transforming the content was to convert the 11 existing modules into short microlearning modules that could be accessed on any device. The modules were analyzed and learning objectives identified to suit the microlearning approach. Appropriate interactivities, graphics, and visuals were added or revised, and audio narration added.

Assessments for the courses were designed using a confidence-based meter where the learner could choose either the ‘sure’ or ‘not sure’ option after choosing their response to each question. The ‘sure’ or ‘not sure’ choices were used to measure their confidence level with respect to understanding the course content.

Articulate Storyline was chosen to develop 36 microlearning modules as the tool provides multi-device compatible output.

Once the English version of the modules was approved, they were translated into four languages with text and audio translation. Separate versions for each language were created for the LMS platform.

The microlearning modules were developed in parallel with the LMS design, so that the new courses could be deployed as soon as the LMS was ready.

The review process was very meticulous with the content providers, language experts, and management approving the modules before release.

The total deliverables included:

The team from CommLab India that worked on this project included 2 project managers, 2 instructional designers, 1 visual designer, and 8 courseware developers.

It took one year to complete the project.