AMBULANCE SUMMER REFRESHER
Classic eLearning with a modern twist.
THE BRIEF
Triple zero call-taking is like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're going to get. Emergency call-takers need to be ready to deal with any situation at any time, but some incidents are seasonal in nature. Drownings, bushfires, snakebites and hikers lost in the bush are much more common in summer than winter, so every year ambulance call-takers complete refresher training to brush up on their summer call-taking skills and get them ready for the season ahead.
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I was tasked with creating the ambulance summer refresher package for the 2020-2021 season.
THE PREP
First, I needed to gather the content for the package and determine the areas of focus. I consulted with quality auditors and reviewed the latest National Drowning Report from Royal Life Saving Australia to see if the data revealed any trends, and spoke to front-line managers and workplace trainers to get their ideas on priority topics. Finally, I consulted with the call-takers themselves to find out what they hoped to get from the package and how they wanted to learn.
THE DESIGN
Once we'd agreed on the content, it was time to plan the course layout and activities. As this was refresher training and none of the information was new, I decided to reverse the usual course layout and put the assessment at the start. This way, learners could use their assessment results to identify knowledge gaps and navigate directly to the sections in the training that covered those areas.
With this format, I was able to acknowledge individual learners' existing skills and experience and provide targeted, relevant eLearning, rather than having them all complete an entire course that would almost certainly include areas in which they were already proficient.
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To accommodate this style of navigation, I broke the body of the learning into smaller sections of related information and included activities and knowledge checks for each topic. After reviewing the topics as needed, learners would return to the assessment and re-attempt any questions they answered incorrectly the first time.
THE FUN PART
This course was part of a larger suite, and the Articulate Storyline templates, cover images and font styles had been agreed upon ahead of time for consistency. I drew inspiration from these colours and images to build the module with consistent visuals and a modern, summery vibe.
Classic click and reveal, drag and drop, pop quiz and hover interactions were paired with subtle entrance animations and motion paths to bring movement and interactivity to every slide. I created animated explainers and infographics with Vyond to break up the content and make dense, data-heavy topics more engaging and accessible.
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I also included lots of activities and knowledge checks throughout the module to give learners plenty of opportunities for practise. I created interactive video scenarios and built activities around audio clips from real calls to ensure these exercises were engaging, realistic and relevant to the learners' role.
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SEE IT
In accordance with intellectual property and confidentiality policies, I am unable to share video clips from this course online. A selection of still images is available below.
