Tram Nguyen

Passionate about Digital Learning

Development of Workplace Literacy (WPL) Programmes​

Organization: Training Vision Institute, Year: 2021​

 

Purpose & Context

The Workplace Literacy (WPL) programme was designed to improve learners’ English literacy across reading, listening, speaking, and writing. Its primary purpose was to help learners access jobs and training opportunities, particularly those who had not completed their GCE ‘N’ or ‘O’ level education. Most participants had only completed secondary school or an equivalent qualification and displayed varying levels of English proficiency.

 

Needs analysis revealed two key challenges:

• Many learners lacked confidence in using English in workplace contexts.

• Learners had limited exposure to technology and digital devices.

 

Design Implications:

To address these needs, the programme was designed with:

• Strong visual aids to support learners with lower literacy levels.

• Mobile-friendly content to make learning more convenient and to build learners’ digital literacy.

 

Role & Involvement:

Design Phase: Collaborated with my manager to conceptualize the programme design, and later assumed full responsibility for leading the project through to completion.

 

Development Phase: Worked with trainers to storyboard lessons, ensuring alignment with WPL outcomes and learner needs. Managed two freelancers to digitalize lessons, setting design standards and reviewing drafts for quality and consistency.

 

Implementation Phase: Facilitated train-the-trainer sessions to ensure trainers understood the programme design. Led deployment on the LMS, designing navigation and learner support aids (including step-by-step guidance) to help learners overcome their fear of using technology.

 

Evaluation Phase: Measured learners’ completion rates and test scores. Identified learners’ need for more test practice, and developed digital practice activities that mirrored British Council assessments. These resources enabled learners to self-practise, receive instant feedback, and track their progress before the actual test.

 

Tools:

• Articulate Rise: Developed mobile-friendly modules, enabling learners to access content on any device.

• Vyond: Produced animated instructional videos to enhance engagement.

• Notevibes: Generated audio narrations and voiceovers, reducing development costs.

 

Approach:

The programme was structured into three levels—Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. Each level culminated in a WPL test conducted by the British Council. A blended learning approach was adopted, combining self-directed study with facilitated classroom sessions.

 

At the lesson level, each session followed three stages:

• Pre-class (15 mins): learners engaged in short self-directed activities to preview key content and vocabulary.

• In-class (3 hours): class time was dedicated to elaboration, discussion, and speaking practice with trainers and peers, supported by trainer guidance and feedback.

• Post-class (15 mins): learners consolidated their learning through review and application activities that reinforced knowledge and strengthened retention.

 

Frameworks:

Lesson design was guided by two instructional frameworks:

• Gagné’s 9 Events of Instruction: Shaped the learning flow. For example, pre-class activities applied the event of gaining attention through animated videos and vocabulary tasks; in-class activities applied events such as informing objectives, presenting content, eliciting performance, and providing feedback; post-class activities applied assessing performance and enhancing retention.

• Bloom’s Taxonomy: Defined measurable learning outcomes and ensured a progression from remembering vocabulary to applying skills in workplace contexts.

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Some work samples of this project:​​​​​​