Virtual Onboarding: Reimagining Trainee Integration

A Purchasing department historically conducted a two-day in-person orientation for rotating trainees, designed to thoroughly introduce them to their upcoming roles and responsibilities within the department. The orientation was crucial to maintain the essential knowledge transfer.

However, COVID-19 outbreak and the subsequent social distancing measures imposed significant constraints on the department's ability to conduct these orientation sessions in their traditional format.

Audience: Trainees engaged in the supervisory track of real-world learning program

Tools: PowerPoint, Final Cut Pro X, Adobe Photoshop, Articulate 360, H5P

My role: Instructional Designer, Video Producer, eLearning Developer

This project incorporated interactive videos, micro learnings, and system simulation-based learning to demonstrate key inventory management procedures to the trainees. Owing to the confidential nature of the material, a disclosure and showcase of the content is not feasible.

Goal

Redesign critical orientation sessions to maintain comprehensive role understanding, operational excellence, and trainee confidence while adhering to COVID-19 measures.

Solution

Blending virtual introductions via Teams, complemented by self-paced learning path featuring interactive videos, a 360° virtual tour, micro learnings, and system simulation.

Outcome

Increased engagement with daily responsiblities while achieving higher competency levels compared to those from traditional orientation setup.

Project Goal

Maintain the effectiveness of these crucial orientation sessions while adhering to health guidelines. This alternative approach should:

Ensure trainees' understanding of the role of Purchasing department within the company
Ensure trainees are able to execute their responsibilities within the department
Provide a conductive environment for asking questions
Maintain the confidence, motivation, and operational efficiency metrics

Design Process

I started by analyzing feedback on previous orientation sessions, confirming the necessity of an alternative method to sustain trainee motivation and readiness. Collaborating with the department head, we pinpointed essential trainee critical activities to retain the orientation’s core benefits.

We set concrete metrics to evaluate the new method's success while also considering subjective indicators like frequency of questions about specific topics, satisfaction across departments, and the overall integration of trainees.

To assist with this project, the department head assigned two SMEs to provide their expertise and support.

Solution

Blending virtual introductions via Teams, complemented by self-paced learning path that consists of an interactive video, a 360° virtual tour, micro learnings, and system simulation.

The interactive video gave trainees a general impression of the department, as well as their roles and responsibilities. The 360° virtual tour enabled trainees to navigate the space freely and gain a realistic understanding of their working environment.

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The 360° virtual tour was also an opportunity to include practical challenges to engage them actively and measure their understanding.

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Recap modules are placed to bridge units, reinforcing prior learning and preparing learners for subsequent content.

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Outcome

During my walk rounds, I observed positive atmosphere among the trainees in the department. There was a clear sense of confidence and they showed high levels of engagement with their tasks.

It was reported that the trainees were performing their responsibilities with a level of competence that matched, if not surpassed, the standards observed with the traditional orientation sessions.

Additionally, the engagement levels on the recources were noteworthy, with time spent on the course that indicated strong interest and investment in the resources. We achieved a completion rate of above 75% across all trainees.

Even after the COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, the department continued to use this resource. The interactive and flexible nature of the resource, combined with the ability to revisit materials as needed, was cited as a significant advantage.

Lessons Learned

1. Feedback revealed a need for more intuitive access to specific topics at the moment of need, without logging into the LMS and navigating to the relevant section.

Improvement point: During the design process, I would consult with the SME(s) about when my audience might need to perform the critical activities related to each course topic. This could lead to the use of QR codes with preview links to relevant topics and job aids that my audience could access easily.

2. Instructions for interactive content required learners to tick off each instruction box before the next instruction would appear. This approach aimed to guarantee that learners fully read and understood the instructions before engaging with the content.

Improvement point: In hindsight, granting learners greater control over how they access instructions would enhance their experience. Should I redesign this course, I would present the instructions in full from the outset, removing the need for box-checking. Especially given that learners can revisit the instructions as needed during the course.

3. Discrepencies in the information and feedback provided by the two SMEs. Although attempts were made to have both SMEs review and approve the progress, this proved counterproductive and time-consuming for all parties.

Improvement point: When collaborating with multiple SMEs, I would ensure that each SME is assigned to a specific topic or that the materials I receive have been reviewed and approved by the other SME(s). If feasible, I would suggest regular meetings where all SMEs can provide their feedback. This would allow any disagreements to be addressed and resolved immediately.

4. Despite ensuring that the information I worked with was up-to-date, a last-minute procedural change required updates to the newly finalized 360° virtual tour. It was a crucial change that had to be incorporated.

Improvement point: In the preliminary discussions, I would stress the potential consequences of revisiting and making changes to finalized and approved lessons on the overall project delivery, taking into account the remaining lessons and my other ongoing projects.