Thais Costa
War Child Learning World
War Child’s Global Office engaged Butterfly Works to design the learning experience for the War Child Learning Portal, hosted on the LMS Kaya Connect. The primary objective of the platform is to provide global staff with access to a comprehensive range of training resources relevant to their work. These include topics such as child safeguarding, psychosocial support, diversity and inclusion, among others.
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My Role:
As the lead instructional designer, I was responsible for developing the learning structure and layout for the War Child Learning World, designing tailored learning pathways for various learner profiles and creating the learning materials for the initial template course on Child Safeguarding. The project was highly collaborative, involving close coordination with War Child’s Learning Manager and other key stakeholders. Together, we conducted user research and testing cycles to ensure the learning experience was both effective and user-centred.
Company/ partners
Output
A learning portal for diverse learner profiles and learning pathways of War Child.
Location
Global
Date
2020
The design challenge
The main design challenge of this project was accommodating the diverse learner profiles within War Child, such as programme managers, field officers, and volunteers. Each group had different learning needs, both in terms of the amount of content they required and the expectations for course and module completion.
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To address this challenge, the design process began with user research to understand the specific needs and expectations of each learner group within the War Child learning ecosystem. This was followed by multiple iterative design cycles, during which feedback was collected and learner engagement with the online platform was analysed.
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A key insight from the research phase was the importance of offering flexible learning pathways designed to suit different user profiles. Providing options, rather than enforcing a rigid structure, proved essential for maintaining high levels of engagement and sustaining interest across the diverse learner base.
The outcome
The War Child Learning World initiative resulted in a comprehensive and accessible learning portal designed to accommodate a wide range of learner profiles. Users could engage with the content through various structured learning journeys tailored to their roles, interests, and goals. For example, learners could choose to focus on areas such as areas of expertise, fieldwork and facilitation, effective operations, or leadership and management.
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Each learning journey featured a diverse mix of content formats, including text, videos, images, discussion forums, practical exercises, and self-reflection activities. In addition to curated pathways, the portal also enabled users to design their own custom learning journeys. Learners received step-by-step guidance to define their personal learning objectives and map out a path aligned with their unique needs.
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The portal was fully optimised for mobile access and made available in multiple languages, including Arabic, French, and Spanish, to ensure inclusivity and accessibility. A dedicated help section provided answers to frequently asked questions as well as tutorial videos to assist users in navigating the platform.
The first module developed on Child Safeguarding served as a foundational template for future course development. As part of the handover package, War Child received all design assets, including visual elements, icons, multimedia components, and a comprehensive template course with detailed instructions and recommendations for creating additional modules.
