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About PurpleBee
PurpleBee, originating as an early years nursery in Cambridge, UK, has blossomed into a distinguished chain of award-winning nurseries. Recognising the pivotal role of staff training and program offerings in their success, Linda, the CEO of PurpleBee, set her sights on expanding these effective methodologies.
In pursuit of scalability, Linda and Gemma, the e-Learning manager, strategically leveraged Synap for their courses. We had the opportunity to engage with Linda and Gemma to gain insights into how integrating Synap into their training framework facilitated the seamless transition to online scaling while maintaining the high standards set by face-to-face training.
The challenge: From in-person training to online courses
PurpleBee faced the challenge of venturing into the realm of online courses, each spanning a substantial duration of 2-6 months. Their specific requirements encompassed a Learning Management System (LMS) equipped with built-in authoring tools, a comprehensive content library to host materials, and SCORM compatibility. These features were crucial for creating, uploading, and efficiently managing their course content.
As this would be their first venture into delivering online courses, PurpleBee were understandably overwhelmed with LMS options and considering how best to implement their training in an effective manner.
The solution: Interactive and engaging courses
Once PurpleBee had created their SCORM courses, they easily uploaded them into Synap. These courses employed various online teaching methods, including drag-and-drop fields, to make the learning process fun, interactive and engaging. The theory element was complemented by a comprehensive quiz at the end of each topic to gauge understanding.
A notable feature by Synap was the ability for candidates to upload documents directly to the e-learning course, facilitating the submission of evidence for their portfolios. This consolidated approach ensured that knowledge development and submission of work occurred within a unified platform, simplifying the learning journey for both candidates and coaches.
Recognising the extended duration of PurpleBee's courses, spanning 2-6 months, the focus was on fostering a supportive learning environment. PurpleBee designed courses with breakpoints, enabling expert coaches to assess learner progress and schedule calls or meetings to discuss individual advancements, thereby enhancing the overall learning experience.
“As a startup company, having Synap as our tech partners has been invaluable in helping us to create an online learning environment that is both innovative and agile. They continue to be incredibly supportive as we continue to develop and grow.”
Empowering personalised earning through diagnostic tools
Central to PurpleBee's distinctive training approach is the customisation of learning experiences for each individual. In face-to-face training, this is normally achieved by enquiring about individual preferences and objectives, followed by assigning tasks tailored to their responses. Transitioning this personalised approach to an online platform required the integration of a tool capable of posing targeted questions and categorising individuals based on their responses.
In collaboration with PurpleBee, we devised an innovative online survey seamlessly embedded within the course structure. This survey not only gauges user responses but also generates a comprehensive score reflecting their strengths and areas requiring improvement.
This personalised scoring system empowers learners to strategically plan their future learning endeavours based on a nuanced understanding of their individual strengths and weaknesses.
“We feel confident we can go to the Synap team to present an idea or request a system feature and they are keen to explore the options with us.”
Expanding their market reach by scaling with an e-Commerce
PurpleBee extends its reach by directly selling courses to individual learners and Early Years institutions through an integrated e-Commerce system. A distinctive feature of PurpleBee's approach is the provision of free, taster courses, serving as entry points to more comprehensive, fully accredited, and certified courses.
Through the e-commerce platform, PurpleBee exercises full autonomy, tailoring course prices, images, and descriptions to align with their unique vision and strategy. This flexibility empowers PurpleBee to present and deliver their courses in a manner that best suits their objectives and resonates effectively with their target audience.
Creating a cohesive brand experience with white-labelling
PurpleBee strategically utilised Synap's white-labelling features to establish a fully branded environment. By incorporating a custom domain, they seamlessly integrated their Synap portal with their website. This streamlined the process for candidates navigating from the website, purchasing packages through their eCommerce system, and promptly accessing the PurpleBee branded portal.
Taking customisation a step further, PurpleBee removed all Synap branding, replacing it with their distinctive logo, color schemes, and phrasing. Furthermore, they integrated a custom email provider to ensure that all communication originated from their own email addresses. This attention to detail resulted in an instantly recognisable and fully branded experience for their users, creating a seamless journey from start to finish.
“As we are a relatively new company who are at the beginning of a journey with interactive learning we feel confident Synap have, and will continue to, support us well along the way.”
We collaborated with PurpleBee to develop an online survey that would be integrated into the online course and provide users with a score based on their responses. This score would identify their areas of strength and weakness, allowing them to strategise their future learning.
Conclusion: Elevating Learning with PurpleBee and Synap
PurpleBee's commitment with Synap spanning more than five years, has helped streamline their transition to online courses and scale their business, by offeirng a branded, personalised and engaging learning environment.
In essence, PurpleBee's collaboration with Synap exemplifies a holistic, transformative approach to education, positioning them as pioneers in the dynamic realm of online learning for early years practitioners.
