Co-creating the Future of e-Learning in Canada
Facilitating a co-design workshop for Employment and Social Development Canada’s Office of Literacy and Essential Skills.
Background: Exploring the Need for a Holistic e-Learning Solution
Canada’s unemployment rate often sits between 5–7% — and many jobseekers need support from government programs and digital resources to build new skills, access training and prepare for changing labour market needs.
In 2017, Outwitly partnered with Employment and Social Development Canada’s Office of Literacy and Essential Skills (OLES) to facilitate a national co-design workshop. The goal was to bring together leaders from government, education and industry to imagine what a holistic eLearning solution could look like — one that would offer consistent essential skills assessment and learning resources for jobseekers, workers and employers across the country.
The workshop put on by Outwitly was incredible and very worthwhile. We look forward to more discussions and opportunities to work together in future!
Manager, George Brown College
Challenge: Navigating a Patchwork of Approaches
As OLES started exploring what a national eLearning solution could become, it was clear they needed someone who could guide a diverse group through complex conversations — someone who could help participants understand the current landscape, compare experiences across provinces and make sense of what adult learners truly needed.
The workshop called for a facilitator who could:
Help groups navigate differing approaches. Essential skills tools were managed separately across provinces, so participants needed support comparing how things were being done and finding common ground for a unified digital experience.
Create clarity through UX-led sense-making. With limited insight into how adult learners were being supported, the group needed guidance using UX methods to surface challenges and build a shared understanding of learner needs.
Guide the group toward future-looking concepts. Participants needed structured activities to understand learner goals, identify roadblocks and generate early ideas for a “one-stop shop” eLearning solution.
Design the right exercises and structure. The session required someone who could craft the workshop flow and activities so the group had the right tools and pacing to move from problem-understanding to concept generation.
Approach: Guiding a Structured, Insight-Rich Design Jam
A senior design workshop facilitator at Outwitly led a two-day Design Jam in Ottawa with 25 participants from government, industry and academia. They guided the group through a series of collaborative activities designed to help participants unpack the problem, generate ideas and co-create six early eLearning concepts.
This was done by:
Setting the tone for open, creative sessions. The facilitator used environmental scanning — including SWOT and stakeholder analysis — to shape the workshop’s starting points. They used design-thinking methods to create activities and an environment that helped participants ease into ambiguity, and welcome new and “crazy” ideas.
Helping the group fully understand the problem areas. Through interactive exercises, the facilitator encouraged participants to step outside their own perspectives and explore challenges from multiple angles. Together, they surfaced hopes and fears, identified user groups, mapped learner journeys and created proto-personas that clarified the needs of Canadian adult learners.
Building prolific momentum through hands-on collaboration. With that shared foundation in place, the facilitator guided the group through brainstorming and co-design activities, maintaining a creative rhythm that carried them through into imagining an ideal future state and shaping six early eLearning concepts.
Making sure great ideas had a path forward. Throughout the workshop, the facilitator helped participants capture key themes, next steps and early opportunities so OLES left with clear direction, tangible takeaways and strong data to feed into the final report.
Results: Securing Support to Advance a Unified Vision
The workshop gave OLES a clear, shared direction for moving forward — and the momentum they needed to advance a national eLearning vision.
Key outcomes included:
A bilingual insights report with clear artefacts. Outwitly delivered a report in both official languages that captured the ecosystem map, North Star Principles and the six early eLearning concepts developed during the workshop.
Clear, actionable recommendations for design solutioning and future research. The report outlined illuminating insights and practical next steps that OLES could use to guide upcoming UX design work, and plan meaningful research with end-users.
The backing needed to move the project forward. Insights and recommendations from the workshop’s report helped OLES secure support from the Privy Council Office’s Impact Canada Initiative in 2018, enabling further design, development and delivery of a national eLearning solution.
A shared direction for a national solution. The workshop brought government, industry and academic participants together around a clear picture of learner needs and what a unified eLearning experience could support.
Ready to create impact with the right team behind you?
We’re ready when you are.