An award-winning implementation of a learning management system (LMS) that provides autonomous learning centres for each national sporting organisation (NSO) while allowing syndication of a generic learning content library, developed by the ASC and aggregated from lead agencies within the sector.
The Australian Sports Commission (ASC), a government agency responsible for supporting and investing in sport, works to deliver innovative digital solutions to build capability, connectivity, efficiency, and best practice across the sport sector.
The Australian Sport Learning Centre (Learning Centre) services over 125,000 active learners, with a strategic intent to reach and educate an estimated 3 million volunteers in the Australian sport sector. In parallel, the Learning Centre team works to build capability across the sector in learning and development.
The ASC’s strategic objectives to build system capability across the sporting sector through a Learning Centre meant delivering quality, relevant and modern online and blended learning in a multi-tenant learning solution. Specifically, this required transitioning from a long-standing legacy system and modernising the approach for the small number of sports which were co-located on the same platform. The ASC sought to create a truly shared learning environment full of sector-wide content, alongside specialised sport specific learning and individual learning centres, that could easily be branded and owned by individual sports.
The attractiveness of the multi-tenancy learning solution to sports is both in the shared content and shared cost model. Prior to this initiative, research was undertaken to validate the appetite for shared generic learning content and the proposed cost model. This quickly proved how scalable and cost-effective the Learning Centre would be to the sector, especially smaller sports which were unable to undertake the setup and maintenance of an LMS and learning content on their own.
The Learning Centre delivers on the key objectives of the ASC, combining the need to:
- build system capability particularly in sports (multi-tenanted Learning Centre forall sports),
- grow the capability of individuals in the Australian sport workforce (uplift capability of administrators insports as tenant administrators of the Learning Centre and autonomous content creators), and
- enable organised sport providers to deliver an inviting and enjoyable experience for all (directors, coaches and officials improving their capability by engaging in the Learning Centre content).
The Learning Centre multi-tenancy solution delivers on the ASC's learning objectives and strategy by creating an inclusive environment for learning across all Australian sports (multi-tenanted solution with site-wide general sport learning content offered by the ASC) and encouraging sport-specific learning and capabilities at national level (tenant-specific branded sport courses and learning pathways, ecommerce-enabled).
The Learning Centre supports capability building on multiple levels:
1. At a sport level – each tenant sport administers their own Learning Centre and is provided consultancy and support to build their own quality content.
2. At a learner level – individuals build capability as they progress through relevant and engaging modules and clear learning pathways in their chosen sport role.
The ASC worked closely with Kineo to deliver a customised Totara Learn(T13) LMS solution. This was chosen as the best fit solution to deliver on the all-important sport accreditation framework, prevalent across the sport sector. The team also developed a continuous professional development (CPD) point system requirement within the accreditation extension, which supports a full blended learning approach (face to face and SCORM learning). This is important for recertification pathway learners who need to attain learning targets against a minimum point target over a set time period, including all activity types.
The sport specific learning pathways offered through the accreditation framework are intuitive and seamless for learners. Shared sector content is embedded seamlessly within sport-specific learning pathways.
This award-winning project has led to the modern delivery and accessibility of shared learning content from the ASC and other sector agencies. There have been over 55,000 course completions, through shared courses and now, more than 30 programs/certifications/accreditations use shared courses in the learning pathways.
Positive qualitative learner feedback has risen dramatically due to improved learner workflows and the ability for learners to take shared courses within their individual tenancies and for these to be included in programs and certifications/accreditations. ASC courses average a high 8.5 net promoter score.
There are approximately 450 courses spanning online SCORM, quiz, assessment and feedback activities, some incorporated into accreditations and/or programs.
More than 125,000 individuals have logged in since the Learning Centre launched and there are currently over 100,000 active learners on the site.
The LMS is ecommerce-enabled to permit tenants to monetise their learning content. The Learning Centre is fully integrated with Magento payments supporting PayPal and PIN Payments gateways. Over 25,000 sales transactions have been recorded on the platform since January 2022, spanning more than 450 individual products, including online learning courses seminars and books.
