Rapid front-line learning

Apria Healthcare is implementing a Web-based learning system to deliver training quickly to 10,000 geographically dispersed employees. Apria, which delivers homecare solutions to more than 1.5 million people nationwide, is working with Eedo Knowledgeware on the deployment of its ForceTen Learning Content Management System.

Says Gaylene Galliford, Apria's manager of training, design and development, "When I came on board, I realized that there was a lot of duplication in our development efforts, with no central repository of materials. Much of this is due to the fact that we are constantly driven to deliver training materials that meet regulatory requirements and to keep up with the pace of our market. We needed better development tools that would streamline our workflow process, provide reusability and speed the development cycle."

According to a press release from Eedo, Galliford focused first on development and execution. "We need to rapidly create course materials and get them out to our front-line workers quickly and easily. Delivering Web-based learning modules through the ForceTen system gives us the ability to modify content as the business demands."

Apria, which previously had an authoring system that proved unwieldy, sought the following benefits with the new system:

• streamlined upgrades with backward compatibility,
• easy rules for scoring and course completion,
• a flexible course system that allows users to review courses after completing them successfully, 
• internal tracking and reporting that can be generated any time, 
• a central repository of content,
• The ability to manage a large set of curricula and courses and support large numbers of users, and
• rapid and easy course development and delivery.

Josh Bersin, CEO of the research firm Bersin & Associates, says, "Rapid changes in technology, continuous advances in medical science and the need for strict regulatory compliance create a need for rapid development, dynamic delivery and detailed tracking. Healthcare providers are looking for new, integrated solutions to help speed development and manage large volumes of training content."