The Graduation Approach
This self-paced, scenario-driven eLearning course was developed in Adobe Captivate to introduce staff to the Graduation Approach, a globally recognized framework for reducing poverty and building sustainable livelihoods.
Designed with interactive scenarios, multimedia elements, and real-world case studies, this course helps learners grasp key concepts, understand the sequencing of interventions, and explore the impact of the approach in different contexts.
Audience: All Staff Members
Responsibilities: Instructional Design, Project Management, Visual Design Storyboard, eLearning Development
Tools Used: Adobe Captivate, Premier Pro, Camtasia Video Editor
The Problem
Many of our staff lack a foundational understanding of the Graduation Approach, limiting their ability to implement and monitor effective poverty alleviation programs. Without clear knowledge of its five key components, Coaching and Mentoring, Consumption Support, Savings, Skills Training, and Productive Assets.
Staff may struggle with proper sequencing, implementation, and evaluation, reducing program effectiveness. Given our organization’s work in complex humanitarian settings, staff must adapt interventions to local economic, social, and cultural contexts. Without structured training, they risk misapplying the approach, leading to inefficient resource use and suboptimal outcomes.
As our organization prioritizes evidence-based programming, it is critical that staff develop a standardized, practical understanding of the Graduation Approach. This knowledge gap underscores the need for an engaging, accessible training program that ensures all staff can confidently apply the approach to improve sustainable livelihoods and long-term resilience for vulnerable communities.
The Solution
This asynchronous eLearning course will equip BHA staff with a comprehensive, interactive learning experience on the Graduation Approach. Using scenario-based learning, case studies, and multimedia, it will break down the five key components, ensuring learners understand proper sequencing, implementation, and impact. Real-world case studies will illustrate adaptability in various humanitarian settings, reinforcing our organization’s evidence-based approach.
Designed for accessibility, the course includes interactive assessments, transcripts, and alternative text to ensure inclusiveness. By providing practical tools and frameworks, staff will gain the knowledge needed to strengthen program design, implementation, and evaluation. This training will ultimately enhance our organization’s poverty alleviation efforts, enabling our staff to maximize impact, improve livelihoods, and support sustainable economic resilience for vulnerable populations worldwide.
My Process
After completing the analysis stage, I proceeded with action mapping to align learning objectives and the eLearning solution with real-world performance outcomes. This strategic approach ensured that the eLearning solution was focused on practical, results-driven learning.
Action Map
I collaborated with SMEs to create an action map that identified the key actions our staff must perform to successfully implement the Graduation Approach. Rather than focusing solely on knowledge acquisition, we prioritized practical, results-driven actions that directly impact program effectiveness. These actions ensure staff can confidently apply the five key components, sequence interventions correctly, and engage stakeholders effectively to drive sustainable outcomes. By mapping these essential tasks, we aligned the eLearning content with real-world application, equipping learners with the skills necessary to deliver impactful and adaptive programming.
We pinpointed seven key actions and several subactions, categorized into three skill areas essential for program implementation.
From these, we selected the three most critical actions to target in the eLearning course. With a clear action plan, I proceeded to storyboarding, ensuring the content remained practical, interactive, and aligned with real-world application of the Graduation Approach in humanitarian settings
Text-based Storyboard
After finalizing the action map, I developed a text-based storyboard as the foundation for the Graduation Approach eLearning course. The goal was to create an interactive, scenario-driven experience that mirrors the real-world challenges BHA staff encounter when implementing the Graduation Approach. To achieve this, I crafted immersive narratives that place learners in decision-making roles, requiring them to apply the five key components: Coaching, Consumption Support, Savings, Skills Training, and Productive Assets, in practical contexts. The storyboard incorporated branching scenarios, where each learner’s choices directly impact program participants, reinforcing the importance of proper sequencing, stakeholder engagement, and evidence-based decision-making. To drive home key lessons, I designed realistic consequences for each decision, ensuring that missteps highlight common implementation challenges, while correct choices demonstrate best practices for achieving sustainable outcomes
Aligning with the personalization principle, I maintained a conversational tone throughout the eLearning course to enhance learner engagement. I introduced Amina, a young mother from a rural village in Mozambique, as the central persona. Amina’s journey serves as a real-world representation of how the Graduation Approach transforms lives, making the learning experience immersive and relatable. Learners follow Amina as she navigates coaching, consumption support, savings, skills training, and productive assets, making critical decisions that impact her family’s future. Through this scenario-driven approach, learners are placed in decision-making roles, ensuring they understand the importance of proper sequencing, stakeholder engagement, and long-term program sustainability. This interactive storytelling method reinforces the idea that learning is not just about passing a test but about understanding the human impact of effective program implementation. By guiding Amina through her journey, learners gain the tools to apply the Graduation Approach in their own work, fostering real-world application and deeper engagement.
Visual Mockups
Once the storyboard was finalized, I moved on to designing the visual mockups for the Graduation Approach eLearning course. I adhered to our organization’s official color palette to ensure brand consistency and alignment with organizational standards. The design maintains a clean, structured aesthetic while balancing professionalism with engagement. To reflect the human-centered focus of the Graduation Approach, I incorporated my organization’s approved colors, typography, and design elements to create a cohesive and visually appealing experience.
I centered the design around Amina’s journey, integrating rich imagery, interactive visuals, and scenario-based elements to bring her story to life. To ensure consistency, I first developed a style guide outlining our organization’s color scheme, font hierarchy, button styles, and graphical elements, which served as a foundation while designing the course slides. This guided the creation of interactive elements, such as decision-based scenarios, visual timelines, and progress-tracking features, making the learning experience immersive, intuitive, and engaging. By maintaining our branding and accessibility standards, the course ensures a professional yet dynamic learning experience that reinforces the real-world impact of the Graduation Approach.
Interactive Prototype
Next, I developed an interactive prototype in Adobe Captivate to test the functionality and visual design before proceeding with full course development. Using our organization’s branding guidelines, I built the prototype of our animated video, allowing stakeholders to experience the interactive elements firsthand.
This early version helped me gather valuable feedback on usability, navigation, button functionality, object states, and timeline sequencing. Based on the input received, I refined design elements, interactive components, and user flow to ensure a seamless and engaging learner experience. The iterative process allowed me to work out technical kinks while maintaining an immersive, scenario-driven learning environment, ensuring that learners can apply the Graduation Approach in real-world contexts effectively.
Full Development
Finally, after gathering and applying feedback from the interactive prototype, I proceeded with the full development of the Graduation Approach eLearning course in Adobe Captivate. Based on user input, I identified a need for clearer feedback on whether a consequence was positive or negative. To address this, I incorporated subtle sound effects to reinforce the outcomes of each decision, enhancing the immersive learning experience.
Additionally, I added animated visual cues to guide learner attention, particularly in the progress-tracking system. These refinements ensured that the course remained engaging, user-friendly, and aligned with our organization’s branding and learning standards, ultimately creating a seamless, interactive experience that reinforces real-world application of the Graduation Approach.
Results and Takeaways
The Graduation Approach eLearning course was well received by stakeholders and learners, aligning with our organization’s learning objectives and humanitarian training standards. Feedback highlighted the course’s engaging interactivity, clear design, and immersive storytelling:
🗣️ “The sound effects kept me engaged, and I enjoyed the positive reinforcement of getting a star when I chose the correct answer.”
🗣️ “Very nice graphics, professional and educational. Loved the audio also.”
🗣️ “The course does a great job of making complex topics easy to understand.”
Key Takeaways from Designing the course:
Problem-Solving: Throughout development, I encountered challenges that required creative solutions. For example, to emphasize decision outcomes, I refined timeline animations to provide subtle but effective visual cues. Instead of searching endlessly for pre-existing design elements, I customized my own, ensuring full alignment with the course’s vision.
Consistency & Workflow: Developing an organization-aligned style guide and refining the prototype streamlined the development process. With finalized colors, fonts, and graphics, I was able to confidently create a cohesive, high-quality learning experience.
Iteration, Iteration, Iteration: While the course underwent multiple revisions, I recognized late in the process that some prompt slides were too text-heavy. By redesigning them with more visuals and interactive elements, I ensured a more engaging and learner-friendly experience.
This project reinforced the importance of strategic problem-solving, iterative design, and maintaining a consistent workflow—all critical for developing engaging, impactful eLearning solutions that support our staff in effectively implementing the Graduation Approach.