E-learning and LMS blog articles

As a highly regulated training practice with potentially lifesaving outcomes, first aid training needs to be delivered with precision and accuracy to achieve the best results. It’s important that training teams consider every element of the training process, from determining the best content format to carefully monitoring long-term training opportunities. In this blog, we’ll share our top tips for training first aid at work with online courses that deliver maximum impact with the support of e-learning technology.

Having full visibility of completed training 

When it comes to delivering mandatory first aid at work, online course management can provide administrative teams with detailed insights into who has or hasn’t completed training. Using an e-learning platform such as an LMS, admins can access real-time reports that provide insights into training completion. 

Online first aid training gives employees the freedom to complete training autonomously and at their own pace, and although this allows employees to take ownership over their own training, with LMS reporting tools training teams can still supervise and manage training. When employees have completed online first aid courses using an LMS, admins can create custom reports that gather data from across the entire platform to provide information on areas such as course completion rates and pass marks at an individual, departmental, or organisational level.  

Another powerful LMS function that ensures first aid training completion is automatic notifications. With notifications, learners are notified of their assigned training and completion dates by messages sent directly to their inbox. Notifications are particularly beneficial when delivering first-aid training as admins can create an expiration date for course certificates. Learners and training teams are notified of impending expiration dates and administrators can send out reminders that refresher courses or updated training courses need to be completed.

LMS reporting: Visit our functionality page to find out more.

Facilitate conversations regarding training opportunities 

To create a safe working environment and achieve the best results, employers need to encourage employees to share their ideas for training opportunities and raise any concerns about gaps in first aid knowledge. Using an e-learning platform, admins can create communal spaces for employees to discuss training opportunities, suggest new first aid courses that would benefit employees, and share insights around potential knowledge gaps and their own knowledge and skills. 

Admins can use social tools in an LXP to create first-aid-focused discussion boards and forums where employees can engage with their peers in open discussions. Using these spaces, admins can share important documents such as employee certifications and new training materials that provide full visibility of those with first aid qualifications – which can be easily referred to in emergencies.

What is an LXP? Read our ultimate guide here.

Provide evidence of first aid course completion 

An essential component of first-aid training courses is to provide certificates that serve as evidence of training completion. When carried out manually this can be a time-consuming process, however, using an LMS such as Totara Learn automates the process, thus making it far more efficient and saving hours if not days in days in manual administration.  

Admins can set employees onto a certification path in which they complete a specified set of courses and lessons, and once completed their grades and completion details are recorded. Admins can also create completion criteria which determine whether a learner has indeed completed their first aid training, such as completing all the courses and achieving 100% in the end-of-course tests. When using the Certifications function in Totara Learn, admins can set an expiration date so that employees are automatically enrolled onto a recertification path when they are approaching the end of their certification period – meaning that employees are never at risk of being uncertified in first aid training courses.

Discover Totara Learn: A powerful LMS that can solve the most complex training challenges.

Ensure first aid training is accessible to all employees 

Some organisations in need of vital first aid training will have employees or volunteers out in the field or travelling rather than in an office. This can be difficult to manage when it comes to delivering online courses as not everyone will have access to a laptop or the internet, so it is important that employers are proactive in ensuring that first aid training is widely accessible regardless of location. 

Hubken client IFRC has staff and volunteers operating on the ground in disaster areas without guaranteed internet access, so they use the mobile app in their Hubken LMS to deliver vital training for offline learners. With a mobile app, employees can download mandatory courses, complete training offline and simply upload it when they have access to the internet. By using mobile functionality in an e-learning platform, employers can mitigate the risk of non-completion of vital first aid training.

Read IFRC's case study to find out how they support the training of teams of volunteers with a Hubken solution.

Effectively combine practical training and online courses 

When it comes to training first aid at work, online course delivery offers flexibility, reliability, and efficiency. However, some organisations may need to incorporate an element of practical training that is carried out in a face-to-face environment. To seamlessly combine offline and online training practices, training teams can use LMS features such as the Seminar function in Totara Learn. 

With Seminars in an LMS, admins can create, manage, and report on practical training sessions. Furthermore, admins can also invite users, monitor sign-up rates, track attendance, share important documents and much more. By using this functionality, training teams can effectively deliver a blended learning approach to first aid training by using a centralised e-learning platform that serves both online and offline practices.

What is blended learning? Read our ultimate guide here.

Make sure first-aid training courses are engaging 

Using an e-learning platform to deliver first aid training allows employers to deliver a variety of content types that boost engagement and motivation levels. As many organisations are likely to acquire certified first aid training from a third-party developer, having a SCORM-compliant LMS or an LMS that can deliver a variety of content types will produce the best results and create a more engaging learning experience. 

With a SCORM-compliant LMS, training teams can deliver interactive training modules, gamified lessons, videos, audio clips and a variety of engaging content types that breathe life into first aid training. With LMS functionality, admins can incorporate leaderboards that display the highest scores for a first aid training game or activity, meaning users with high pass marks are celebrated by their peers. Incorporating an element of gameplay and competition can boost motivation and engagement levels, ensuring that employees complete first aid training willingly and efficiently.

What is SCORM? Visit our functionality page to find out.

Deliver effective first-aid training with a Hubken solution 

When training first aid at work, online course delivery using a Hubken solution can help organisations like yours achieve the best results and ensure that employees feel safe and prepared in the workplace. Get to know our Moodle and Totara solutions here or contact us today to find out more.