Case Study
The Law Society of Ireland
From Moodle to Learning Hub – usability focus delivers results for the Law Society of Ireland!
We helped The Law Society of Ireland enhance the learning experience of their trainees & qualified solicitors
The Challenge
The Law Society of Ireland is the educational, representative and regulatory body of the solicitors’ profession in Ireland. At its state-of-the-art education centre in Dublin, dedicated Professional Education staff deliver professional education training courses to trainee and qualified solicitors, as well as to professionals working across the legal profession in Ireland and abroad.
In 2004, the Law Society engaged Enovation to provide Moodle services and develop an online learning platform where trainees and Law Society members could access course materials, interact with their course tutors/experts and fellow learners.
The team’s workload and programme is increasing year-on-year – in 2016 alone the Diploma Centre (just one section of the Law Society’s Education Department) ran 33 diploma programmes involving over 1,000 participants (onsite and online).
The onsite provision of continuing professional education is very important to the Law Society members. Increasingly, busy professionals are looking for more online courses to suit their schedules and tie in with a seamless ‘anywhere, anytime’ learning approach. This forward-looking view led the Diploma Centre team to approach Enovation with the aim of increasing the usability and providing broader device accessibility of the learning platform beginning with the diploma students of the Autumn 2016 term.
The Solution
Working closely in collaboration with the Diploma Centre team, Enovation performed a usability review of the online learning platform and courses, and proposed designs to increase the seamless use and accessibility for participants.
Enovation‘s proposals were subsequently adopted by the Law Society, and were designed to provide a number of benefits, including:
• Simplified navigation that translates to mobile device use
• Vibrant colour contrast and palette combinations to aid visual comprehension and meet accessibility standards
• Increased accessibility through multiple device responsiveness
• Improved ‘learner view’ for quick access to relevant course resources
• Simple communication of progress and outstanding tasks
• Increased participation
In addition to these benefits, a rebrand of the Law Society’s ‘Diploma Moodle’ learning centre to the ‘Diploma Hub’ has given the platform a stronger identity within the business, the role it plays and can play in delivering these educational programs.
The very successful experience of the project has also resulted in an elevated view of Moodle as a platform capable of delivering attractive and seamless online learning experiences for today and well into the future.
The solution Enovation implemented showed an excellent understanding of the importance of usability to create learning experiences that increase learning performance. Businesses that use Moodle may not realise the power of investing in the usability of their platform. We have a renewed interest and enthusiasm for the role Moodle can play in the provision of our education services.
Freda Grealy, Head of Diploma Centre, Law Society of Ireland
The Results
On launch of the upgraded site there was a measurable and immediate improvement in student engagement. Course Leaders remarked on the difference in attitude and engagement from participants, noting that they found it easier to navigate the system, could more easily identify the lecture they wish to attend/re-attend and could more efficiently access important resources.
“The satisfaction ratings of our students in terms of overall course experience has improved and I directly attribute this to our investment in enhancing the quality of the overall learning experience with Moodle upgrade as a key element to this success. We are delighted with the satisfaction rate the new Diploma Hub received in 2016 and we will continue to evaluate its’ usability as an important indicator of the quality education service we provide.“ – Freda Grealy, Head of Diploma Centre, The Law Society of Ireland
“In 2012 we selected Enovation to work with us to customise and implement the Moodle learning management system for our language schools. We wanted a Partner who could deliver on our requirements in terms of implementing a custom solution and providing ongoing hosting and support, that would meet the needs of our Corporate language learning customers. Enovation have delivered all that we have required and their level of service and professionalism has often exceeded our expectations. We look forward to continuing our partnership into the future.”
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