About Drug Free Sport New Zealand
Drug Free Sport New Zealand (DFSNZ) is responsible for implementing and applying the World Anti-Doping Code in New Zealand. DFSNZ aims to educate all elite, high performance and development athletes and their support personnel of sports who have signed to the code.
Key project features
Bespoke elearning
Multi-device
Learning platforms
THE CHALLENGE
Updating learning to be accessible
Anti-doping is an international issue where cutting edge education is well received, but needs to be easily accessed for maximum effectiveness. As such, DFSNZ needed an effective education programme tailored specifically to New Zealand athletes, coaches and support personnel.
The previous DFSNZ elearning was Flash-based and hosted on a Flash-based LMS, rmaking it inaccessible for many users due to its incompatibility with various devices and browsers. It was not mobile enabled and remained a manual and time consuming process for DFSNZ staff. It also did not offer the level of reporting required by DFSNZ. Otherwise, face-to-face seminars were used, however, due to geographical locations and limited human resourcing a number of those who required education around NZ and those based overseas were limited to receiving only hard copy resources, which were ideally reinforcement materials as opposed to education in itself.
DFSNZ needed to replace their existing elearning as:
- Content was not compliant with the 2015 World Anti-Doping Code (a set of rules which athletes world-wide need to comply with).
- The existing course did not meet the WCAG 2.0 AA accessibility requirements.
- Neither the content nor the LMS were viewable on mobile devices.
- User experience was incomplete and frustrating because of the old technology being used.
OUR SOLUTION
Custom Totara learning platform
The LMS has more than adequately incorporated the learning strategy of DFSNZ.
- It includes specific colour and imagery themes significant to the aims of the organisation.
- It emphasises simplicity of use, uses clear and concise messaging with bold icons to guide users through the registration and course completion process.
- It also enables users to create personalised profiles which enhance their engagement in the learning process – achieving a significant aim of DFSNZ’s learning strategy and well captured in the customisation of this LMS.
- Connects users to the DFSNZs social media accounts and contains embedded videos from YouTube.
- Customisable reports enabling DFSNZ to accurately report back to the various sporting bodies when required.
Designing a course for the modern athlete
Kineo worked with DFSNZs education team to overhaul the existing eLearning, revitalizing it for the HTML 5 era.
- Truly responsive design elearning – athletes are able to complete their eLearning on any device.
- A map of different NZ sports stadiums, each one linking to a different module tracks learner's progression through the course.
- Guided learning which links assessment questions back to content to allow learners to review the right info in order to successfully complete their assessments.
- Visual design theme/style which reflects the “sporty” nature of the user population.
- Integration of DFSNZ’s internally produced video’s featuring elite athletes and their experiences of doping/anti-doping.
The course is now accessible in line with WCAG 2.0 AA accessibility requirements.
THE RESULTS
Flexibility and a good user experience
Each of the performance criteria set by DFSNZ at the outset of this project were met. The DFSNZ board and staff have been very impressed at the connection between the Education Manager and the vendor’s development team in translating ideas, themes and key messages into effective and seamless online education. The team have delivered comprehensive learning that is suited to the audience’s needs.
DFSNZ liked the flexibility of Totara. The tool allows them to deploy their current content and have good flexibility for future content.
Hundreds of athletes have undertaken the elearning since launch in March 2016. User feedback includes:
"Love what has been developed here. This looks like a brilliant tool for our younger athletes also – it has been some time since we catered for them in this regard so this is very exciting".
In April 2016, this project was recognised by the LearnX foundation with a Gold Award and Silver Award for the LMS and elearning content respectively.
"Right from the very first conversation Kineo took time to understand the brief and quickly recognised the opportunities and challenges to create an interactive elearning programme that would reach DFSNZ’s stakeholders. Kineo were receptive, creative and always operated with a solutions-based focus which was refreshing with such a big undertaking. The theming and tone of the elearning programme was right on point and we are absolutely thrilled with the outcome. For the programme to be recognised by the LearnX foundation was a real coup and has given us instant worldwide credibility in the anti-doping education space. The feedback has been fantastic!"
Sian Clancy, Education Manager, DFSNZ