As a key tool to make micro-learning available to its employees, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of North Carolina’s Enterprise Learning & Development (EL&D) implemented an on-demand media management system called BLOOM (Blue Learning Opportunities On-demand Media), which enables and encourages employees to be effective learners, rather than passive consumers of multimedia content. BLOOM succeeds in helping employees find the right answers, enables employees to create and critique multimedia content, and provides opportunities to practice new skills back on the job. BLOOM’s engaging knowledge exchange is an effective many-to-many communication channel for the enterprise.
Program Details
BLOOM provides:
- An enhanced just-in-time learning experience using a categorized, tagged, and searchable video knowledge base
- Opportunities that encourage critical knowledge transfer and best practice sharing across the enterprise
- Increased learning opportunities for a flexible workforce
- Access to the latest information on updates to products, systems, and processes
- Access to specific knowledge from expert sources
- An engaging and fast approach for leaders to share insights
BLOOM follows these key design principles:
- Focus on simplicity and navigation
- Promote collaboration and sharing opportunities to stimulate knowledge sharing
- Design the platform to be used both on the job and in formal learning events
BLOOM provides enormous opportunity for engaging the organization’s workforce with short and informative videos. While most content in BLOOM is video, the system also can accommodate other media forms, including podcasts, presentations, images, and documents. Increasing BLOOM’s ability to support learning are features such as linking documents to a video or podcast as downloadable resources or synchronizing PowerPoint presentations with video in a split-screen player format to watch the video and have the presentation progress with it. Furthermore, BLOOM content can be integrated into other learning approaches such as classroom-based, virtual instructor-led, or online/mobile courses. In addition to the various learning opportunities, BLOOM provides additional value as a means for innovation.
Results
Implementing BLOOM was challenging, but the payoff has been phenomenal, according to Blue Cross & Blue Shield of North Carolina. Some 906 videos entries have resulted in a total of 34,871 plays. More than 2,117 hours of video content were viewed, with an average view time per video of 3:38 minutes. To supplement the usage data, the organization also tracks qualitative feedback and business value through employee surveys and feedback sessions. The goal is to understand how employees are using or would like to use BLOOM, what can be improved, what multimedia content is interesting to employees, etc.
Based on the current trend, annual savings from using BLOOM are averaging $225,000 based on reducing time spent by learners consuming training, as well as EL&D resource savings. A short video requires one subject matter expert’s time, as compared to the hours and resources required to create e-learning or conduct a class, equivalent to 1.5 instructional design resources plus one instructor resource each year. Also, the hours saved per employee each month by having a searchable and categorized video library of useful knowledge, tutorials, and tips is expected to result in significant savings.
