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Using Bespoke eLearning to Develop Practical Skills
Setting the Scene
Aroma Academy provide sensory skills training programmes for both professionals and enthusiasts with a particular focus on aroma recognition skills. A key market for the business is the drinks industry and current customers already include some of the leading drinks companies. Their mission is to enable the training and development of key foundation sensory skills and they do this via a series of training materials, including self-learn sensory training kits, and training and competency/proficiency programmes. Aroma Academy are passionate about the science behind aroma recognition but want to ensure that, during their training, science does not get in the way of an enjoyable learning experience.
The Challenge
Aroma Academy uses classroom training to deliver their successful Foundation Sensory Programme. This programme is aimed at food and drink professionals, as well as enthusiasts and connoisseurs with an interest in the subject. Due to a global increase in demand for this training, they needed an option to deliver the course that did not require participants to attend classroom training sessions. Using bespoke digital learning to develop practical skills in extending the reach of their training, an important consideration was the need to maintain the interactivity of the course since participants need to involve themselves in the learning process to develop their practical skill in aroma recognition. It was also important for any new training delivery method to cover the same material as the sensory programme - an introduction to aroma/flavour recognition and vocabulary, calibrating your nose, how aromas/flavours behave, aroma profiling, aroma/flavour faults and competency systems.
The Solution
eCom worked closely with Aroma Academy to identify their requirements and it became clear the best way to meet their objectives would be to create a bespoke digital learning course. Liaising with Aroma Academy, eCom’s instructional designers reviewed the face-to-face sensory programme training material and adapted the format to make it suitable for online delivery. And to maintain the practical element of the course, Aroma Academy produce an accompanying standards training kit that learners can refer to. As they progress through the online content, learners are prompted to engage with the accompanying kit at the appropriate time. There is also an optional assessment at the end of the course and when the required standard has been met, participants are awarded a certificate of competence. The course was then built using eNetAuthor, eCom’s cloud-based authoring tool and is hosted using eNetLearn, eCom’s powerful cloud-based Learning Management System (LMS). The latter gives Aroma Academy the ability to track, report on and evaluate the course. eCom also personalised the system for Aroma Academy by adding their branding and ensuring seamless integration between the LMS and Aroma Academy’s eCommerce platform. This means learners can purchase the course online whilst Aroma Academy retain full control over the financial transaction.
The Benefits
In creating a bespoke digital learning course, Aroma Academy are able to deliver this sensory programme training in a more cost-effective way, since there is no need to hire facilities or pay training staff. They also do not need to pay for travel and related expenses. Aroma Academy have been able to successfully extend the reach of their training, delivering courses without any geographic restrictions. This has helped attract a wider range of corporate clients and individuals from around the world. eCom were delighted to host the course on our robust LMS (eNetLearn) and also support the integration with Aroma Academy’s eCommerce platform, making the course easy to purchase for both corporate clients and individual customers. Aroma Academy benefitted from eCom’s guidance throughout the content development process and our rigorous approach to project management. Learners benefit from easy access to expert knowledge and by using the accompanying standards training kit, are able to develop their practical skills in an engaging way. They are also able to learn at the best time for them and at a pace that suits their needs. This new bespoke digital learning course will help Aroma Academy achieve their vision of providing education, knowledge and enjoyable experiences based on their expertise in the science of aromas and the sense of smell.
