online stories, are you a proud parent?

Ufi Ltd, is the organisation behind learndirect – the national learning network and careers advice service.  learndirect operates a network of more than 700 online learning centres in England and Wales, providing access to a range of e-learning opportunities. learndirect’s flexible learning is available to individual adults wanting to improve existing skills or to learn new ones, and to employers looking for an innovative way to develop the skills of their workforce.

The Task
Create resources targeting the area of Personal Social Development, for entry level foundation learners on the subject of Parenting Skills.  Create resources that can be used on and offline in a variety of environments for disengaged learners.  The target audience is equally balanced between males and females and is within the age range 16 – 65. Many of whom will be reluctant to learn.

Insight
There are an estimated 17.8 million people in the UK with literacy and numeracy skills below Level 2, equivalent to a A*-C grade at GCSE. The impact on people’s everyday lives of a literacy, numeracy or language difficulty can be enormous. Many of these people need to improve their skills to manage everyday tasks.

Resources need to be highly engaging and capable of grabbing the attention of reluctant and disengaged learners by personalising the learning experience for them.

Creative Challenge

We established that the foundation learning target audience would respond well to learning material that was informal in its nature as they are likely to find it easier to connect with styles that they recognise from everyday life. We are also recognised potential to both alienate and potentially patronise users with large amounts of life experience but who lack basic formal foundations

Solution

Audio is our most natural learning method, after all we have been telling stories and listening to others for a very long time, stories are our oldest way of learning. Thus our solution focused on creating a series of learning products that mimic a talk radio station that informally and effortlessly teaches and challenges the learner via guest experts, stories and callers to the show.  Using this format enabled us to cover topics in a lively, non prescriptive and supportive way through ‘other peoples’ experiences

We created a series of six 30 minute shows that were fully scripted with our content expert Pat Spungin an acclaimed child psychologist and founder of the site rainingkids.co.uk.  Each show focuses on parental issues from pregancy right though to children leaving home and covers issues as diverse as  illness in babies, how to deal with challenging behavioural issues, what to expect from schools, through to eating disorders, drink, drugs and sex.

Each show is anchored by seasoned radio presenter Les Gunn.  He is joined in the studio by a series of scripted guest experts who discuss the shows topic before opening up the phone lines for callers to the show.  These calls provide the framework for discussion and guide the learner around a wide range of topics.

In addition to the audio learners are invited to interact with the station by selecting the callers to the show, they can even change video feeds on the stations webcam.  Following the main body of the show the user is taked with answering multiple choice questions that enforce learning objectives.  There is a high level of accessibility, with access keys, sound and playback controls. There are also subtitles and transcripts available.

Results
The result is a show that learners find friendly approachable and eminently listenable. A talk show format with a touch of humour and irony offering:

• Inspiration and provoking thought
• Direct open and honest
• Supportive and inclusive

In terms of personal learning and thinking skills the radio show format highlights parenting issues with a positive and supportive can do attitude thus boosting confidence and self esteem with our listeners.  Listeners will be helped to make choices within their own personal situation and a guided to take responsibility for those actions.

The programmes are available through the Learndirect learning management system, and via audio only podcast.

‘’A believable experience that addresses common concerns of parents or adults involved with children up to the age of leaving home in an approachable and listenable way.’’