At FuturU, we’re constantly exploring how to create training that not only informs but transforms – especially in complex, human-centred fields like healthcare. In this article, Vicki Kot, Learning Experience Design Manager at FuturU, shares how we’re using story-led, scenario-based learning and emotionally engaging characters to help learners retain and apply what they’ve learned when it matters most.
Making learning stick
My team and I spend a lot of time and energy on making learning “sticky”. When someone undertakes training, in any form, they want the information to stick in their long term memory so they can bring the knowledge forward when it’s required. It’s our job as learning designers and developers to make that happen.
I have worked in the learning industry for longer than I care to admit and in that time I have dipped my toes into a good selection of industries. Healthcare is one of the more complex as the learner base is wide and varied, there are many different regulatory bodies and standards to work to and many sensitive topics that need to be handled with care.
These complexities bring challenges and also opportunities. Opportunities to re-invent how learning is delivered, to bring the human factor to very human focused learners, to really make a difference.
The reality of care
When someone is delivering care they need to consider a lot of things all at once, for example sitting someone up in bed for their medication sounds simple, but you would need to be considering things like privacy and dignity, communication, moving and handling people, working in a person-centred way, and more, all on top of the medication administration procedures themselves.
When you learn each of these things in isolation and with little context, it makes it difficult to apply in real life situations. That’s why when we build our learning at FuturU we do it in a story-led and scenario based way, and always from a person-centred approach.
Bringing learning to life
Learning something through a scenario playing out or even through discussion helps apply relevance for the learner, it brings the content to life and creates engagement where plain information can sometimes fail. It also helps by allowing learners to visualise themselves in the story or situation, then when they are in that situation in real life they instinctively know what to do.
What really sears that information into the brain is the characters: connecting with their back stories, igniting empathy, stress and joy as their stories play out. This releases hormones and lights up areas of the brain – the more areas of the brain that light up, the more likely it is to store the information into long term memory.
Think about when you’re watching a movie, the more you get to know the characters the more you connect with them and the more you react when something good or bad happens to them.
Introducing our new characters
This is where our new characters come in! We have partnered with WeAre Learning to really bring our training to life with more scenarios, conversations, relevance and immersiveness. Following on from courses like the health and social care introduction where bringing in 3D characters was time consuming and limited, we now have the ability to build engaging and interactive scenes in line with standard course creation.
We want learners to see themselves reflected in their training, to experience situations alongside our characters, get to know them, learn how to care for them, learn to love them, and ultimately look forward to seeing them by taking their next course.
You as the learner can interact with the characters. This can be done by selecting responses when they ask you a question, clicking on images, and even by speaking to them directly! Using AI open response nodes they will understand what has been said and also answer you. This a huge step in the immersive ‘learning by doing’ direction that we strive for. We want to create a ‘safe space’ where learners can make mistakes because one of the best ways to learn is by having a go and by making mistakes.
Evolving stories
We are enjoying getting to know our new characters and how they like to show up in our courses. Going into some of our newer courses you will find characters guiding you through a topic, some will be learning with you, there will be main characters in scenarios, and even background characters bringing a scene to life.
We are still developing the characters and their back stories. Once fully developed we look forward to introducing them to the world, they can then be followed through training courses. Their healthcare requirements may change, but their personalities will remain.
Start learning today
So, why not come and meet our characters, step in their world and let them teach you a few things whilst you’re there? We hope that you enjoy the training with them as much as we enjoy building it for you.
