A leap of faith
Who better to develop the training scheme than a practitioner? Skydiver Holly Budge saw the potential for e-learning and jumped in feet first.
By Barry Sampson
When E-FLI collected the gold for Excellence in Production of Elearning Content - Private Sector at the 2009 E-Learning Awards, most people would have been excused for asking ‘who’? After all, this is a niche product built for a specific industry, and the firm was up against a host of well known names. Although the E-FLI story may be a little different to most other e-learning content stories, there’s plenty to be learned from it. It’s perhaps even more interesting because it was made outside the bounds of the established elearning industry, and so was created without any preconceptions.
At the age of 24, Holly Budge was already an experienced skydiver, and was working in New Zealand as a free-fall camera woman, when she spotted a gap in the market for skydiving training.
Skydiving is an adrenaline fuelled activity with a high pressure learning environment; partly because of the rigour required to meet the standards set by the qualifying authorities, but also of course because of the potential dangers.
At the time, the usual approach was classroom led training based around very text heavy manuals, and that just didn’t seem to fit with the kind of people that skydiving would appeal to. They didn’t want to spend hours sat in a classroom; they just wanted to get on and learn how to jump out of a plane. What they needed were flexible resources that they could access anywhere.
Budge found herself wondering; what if the same content could be delivered in a way that was more interactive and engaging? Something that was more appealing to the type of people that wanted to go skydiving, and the way they wanted to learn. To make sure students could access it wherever and whenever they wanted to, the goal was to create something that would be delivered online.
Of course, it’s important to acknowledge that E-FLI doesn’t and cannot replace an instructor, and it was never intended to. Skydiving has to be learnt by doing, and that requires the support of a highly skilled instructor. The goal was to create something that would reduce the amount of classroom time, and free up more time for practical experience.
The main problem Budge faced was that while she had a vision of what the solution would be, at the time she didn’t have the skills to produce it. Undaunted, she returned to the UK where she completed a degree in interactive media at Bournemouth University, as part of which she built the first version of E-FLI as her final year project. This involved not just the technical and design aspects, but also research into learning styles and the general principles of e-learning.
The content of this first version of E-FLI used feedback from subject matter experts to build on the United States Parachute Association syllabus. This was a long, labour intensive process, but ultimately the involvement of the right stakeholders from the start paid dividends in the quality of the final product.
This early version won awards for multimedia production, so it was clearly recognised as a success from a technical and design point of view, but to be a genuine success it had to be marketed to the skydiving community.
It was launched at the US Parachute Industry Association symposium, an annual event attended by E-FLI’s target audience. The initial response from skydiving schools was very positive, but many expressed concern that it was too generic in its approach. It is critical that what’s taught is accurate, as it really could be a case of life and death, and all skydiving schools adhere to set standards. However, no two companies teach the same way; some variances being based on a straightforward preference for a particular approach, and others on specifics like terrain and location. It was clear that E-FLI needed to build a version that could be customised.
Initial interest in the product was sufficient to attract funding, which meant the redevelopment of E-FLI was very different to the original one person effort. A digital agency took over the technical development with Budge becoming subject matter expert and project manager, although she did remain very hands on, and worked full time from the design agency’s offices.
Over nine months, E-FLI was redeveloped to be a fully customisable platform, with most of the content now dynamic. The new version of E-FLI consists of a series of key modules, based around the learner experience. The content is highly interactive, has very rich visuals and is accessed entirely online.
The use of rich media has made it much easier to explain potentially complex issues; for example 3D models demonstrate body positions, rather than an instructor drawing a stick man on a blackboard. This ensures consistent delivery, irrespective of school or instructor.
To complement and improve existing training, E-FLI was now designed to easily integrate into current courses, and allows schools to insert their existing and local content such as documents, images or PowerPoint slides.
The extent of customisation is one of the things that makes the package stand out from most other elearning solutions, irrespective of the topic. Every E-FLI learning module can be edited from a control panel using a simple drag and drop interface built in Flash. This is particularly important for elements such as dealing with malfunctions, which are quite sensitive.
Schools can make adjustments based on their location; they can modify the drop area students see by uploading aerial images; they are also able to overlay flight patterns based on local conditions, which can be adjusted for wind direction and speed. All types of equipment from aircraft to parachutes can be modified.
E-FLI was re-launched in the US in 2009, to a resoundingly positive response, particularly because it had responded to the feedback. As a result it was able to secure contracts to supply skydiving schools around the world and, although the target was the civilian market, the military has been one of the most enthusiastic adopters.
Both schools and students have been enthusiastic adopters for the same reason; students spend less time on the ground and more time in the air. That’s good for schools because students pay per jump, so there’s a direct impact on revenue. It’s good for instructors because more practice improves safety, and their experience so far has been greater activity and fewer incidents. Schools have found that E-FLI reduces time to competence, because students are better prepared when they arrive in the classroom.
Of course it’s good for students too because they get to jump sooner and more often. It’s particularly helpful for weekend jumpers, as it keeps them refreshed between jumps. They have access to the content for 12 months so can can continue to refresh their learning after the initial training.
The E-FLI product continues to develop according to feedback, but work has also begun on another application based on a similar model. This latest product will act as an engine that can be easily adapted to cover different topics, the first of which is likely to be scuba diving.
Barry Sampson is an independent consultant