The Knowledge Academy
Year / Project type:
2023 / Learning Experience Project
Role / Team:
Learning experience designer / E-learning manager, VP product usability, subject matter experts, and technical writers.
eGain is a premier knowledge management platform that has been at the forefront of the field since 1997. In an effort to share and promote eGain's expertise, we decided to create the Knowledge Academy—a multi-stage certification program for anyone from novices to seasoned professionals.
Problem
Challenge
The project consisted of creating a certification program that would:
• Educate professionals and novices alike on how to understand, plan, and execute a successful knowledge management initiative.
• Further eGain’s position as a leader in the field through the open sharing of best practices, theory, and methods.
• Create a first of it’s kind open platform for knowledge certification
Value Proposition
In 2023, the global knowledge management market was valued at $33B—projected to grow to $163B by 2032.
The project's intention was to educate the public and reinforce eGain's position as a leader in the field.
Users
The initial plan was to provide comprehensive training for partners. As we developed it, we thought, 'Why stop there?' So we built it for our customers, employees, and the public.
Partner
A strong connection to eGain and familiarity with knowledge management.
Customer
New or longstanding relationship with knowledge management.
Employee
Longtime or new employee. Would benefit from a refresher or crash course.
Public
Anyone with an interest in knowledge management. From novice to pro.
Approach
Working with SMEs
We created the content using a video-centric approach. I filmed and recorded SMEs and edited the videos into short, digestible videos.
Presentation
We authored the project in Articulate Rise, using videos, interactive elements, text, images, quizzes and exams.
Badges & Certificates
We expanded from a single certification to three. I created badges and certificates for users to share on LinkedIn once they were earned.
Level I: Insights & Best Practices
Learn what opportunities knowledge provides, how to design it, how to engage with users and teams, and how to create and improve your knowledge base.
Level II: Knowledge Author
Gain a complete understanding of the basics behind authoring and organizing content for knowledge.
Level III: AI Process Guidance Author
Learn how guided processes can improve user experiences and how to author content for AI Processes Guidance.
Product
The Knowledge Academy
Udemy
With success on eGain University, we released the Knowledge Academy on Udemy, the online learning platform, to reach a broader audience. At the time of writing, there are 200 students on Udemy with a rating of 4.3 stars out of 5.
Results
Engagement on eGain University grew by 250% within the first year.
We received very positive feedback as well as some constructive criticism that we used to iterate on and continue improving the Knowledge Academy.
The success of the program on Udemy inspired us to continue building out other certification programs both for eGain University, Udemy, and other platforms
Lessons Learned
• The shorter and more bite-sized the material, the better. It's easier to remember three three-minute videos than one nine-minute video.
• The more clear the goal and roadmap of the project is at the outset, the easier and quicker it will be to complete the project.
• Don't sacrifice quality for speed. They are both important but a high-quality deliverable is of the utmost importance.