Case Study: Community Housing (CHIA Vic)

About the organisation

Community Housing Industry Association Victoria (CHIA Vic) is a peak body that advocates for and supports the growth of the not-for-profit community housing sector in Victoria. Their purpose is to ensure that all Victorians have access to appropriate, secure, and affordable housing. CHIA Vic’s work is guided by their Strategic Plan 2022-2027, which outlines their priorities, including policy and reform leadership, strengthening the sector’s role, raising awareness about the importance of safe and affordable housing, and ensuring a robust peak organisation.

The need

CHIA Vic had solid training in place—but they knew it could hit harder. They wanted learning that not only ticked the boxes but turned heads. So, they teamed up with Hungry Minds to crank up the engagement, sharpen the impact, and bring their programs to life. Because good training informs, but great training sticks.

The learning solution

Our journey with CHIA Vic began with a deep dive into their existing learning materials. We put on our detective hats and reviewed a selection of their courses, hunting for opportunities to make them even better. We looked at everything from how the content was presented to the overall course structure, and we paid close attention to how activities were integrated and learning was embedded.

Armed with insights from the review, we crafted a comprehensive set of recommendations designed to elevate CHIA Vic’s training programs to new heights. To bring these recommendations to life, we created compelling “before and after” mock-ups, vividly illustrating the suggested changes and their potential impact on learner engagement and outcomes.

In these mock-ups, we showcased things like:

Giving the presentation style a facelift to create a learning experience that’s both visually appealing and easy to navigate, using principles of effective visual design and cognitive load management

Restructuring the courses to improve flow and help learners retain knowledge better, based on research about how adults learn best

Integrating activities and exercises that get learners actively involved and applying their skills, inspired by experiential learning theory

Building in learning strategies that support long-term knowledge transfer and on-the-job performance, using proven techniques for boosting learning retention and application

These mock-ups gave CHIA Vic a real taste of what their training programs could be, showcasing the power of instructional design best practices.

Once we got the green light, we rolled up our sleeves and wove our recommendations into our Instructional Design for Organisations course. We didn’t just stop at customising the course for CHIA Vic’s specific needs and branding – we went the extra mile and created additional templates and guides to align with agreed recommendations, making sure CHIA Vic had all the tools they needed to succeed. Our team worked their magic, skilfully integrating the enhancements to create a tailored solution that fit CHIA Vic like a glove.

The outcome

So, what did CHIA Vic gain from our collaboration? They walked away with a tailored instructional design toolkit packed with templates, guides, and practical tips. Four of their existing courses were revamped and enhanced based on our expert recommendations. And their team? They emerged as instructional design enthusiasts, equipped with the knowledge and skills to continually improve their training programs.

In a nutshell, we didn’t just provide CHIA Vic with a one-time solution. Instead, we empowered them with the tools and know-how to create engaging, effective learning experiences for the long haul. We helped them shift their learning strategy to one that’s practical, visually appealing, and learner-centric. That’s the kind of lasting impact we strive for at Instructional Design Australia.

Snapshot

Client

Community Housing Industry Association Victoria (CHIA Vic)

Area

Learning strategy, templates and marketing support

Project duration

2 months

Delivery methods

Virtual

Objective

To enhance CHIA Vic’s training development by providing tools and expertise for more engaging, impactful learning experiences.

Tools

Microsoft Office
Miro
MS Teams

Learning strategies

Pre-work reflection activities
Brainstorming
Polls
Mind-mapping
Collaborative whiteboard activities

Deliverables

Comprehensive review of existing learning materials
Recommendations to enhance training programs
‘Before and after’ mock-ups demonstrating suggested changes
Customised Instructional Design for Organisations course and toolkit with practical resources
Additional templates and guides aligned with recommendations
Immersion session to hand over deliverables (incl. collaborative whiteboard)

The team

Olivia: Senior Instructional Designer

Michael: Senior Instructional Designer

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