Jeanne-Marie on impactful e-learning at Bevolkingsonderzoek Nederland

Bright Alley (part of Conclusion) is a leading agency in developing digital learning solutions that help employees reach their full potential. “Bevolkingsonderzoek Nederland wanted to take knowledge sharing with other groups to the next level,” says Jeanne-Marie Baarends, Business Developer Digital Learning at Bright Alley (part of Conclusion). “Together with our designers, developers, educational experts, and the subject matter experts from BVO NL, we developed a knowledge platform where you can find informative PDFs, infographics, and e-learnings. This platform has now been running for several years and is widely used by various groups of doctors.”

Taking knowledge sharing to the next level

A few years ago, Bright Alley (part of Conclusion), commissioned by Amsterdam UMC and Bevolkingsonderzoek Nederland, developed an e-learning as part of a PhD research project by one of the specialists.

The assignment was to develop a module that supports endoscopists in detecting sessile serrated lesions as early as possible. Doctors are generally well trained in recognizing polyps, and most of these are identified effectively. However, some polyps contain cells that can change and eventually develop into malignant tumors. There are different types of polyps: some are easy to recognize, while others are much harder to detect. It is precisely these hard-to-recognize polyps that can pose an increased risk. Timely and accurate identification of all types of polyps—including the subtle and hard-to-see ones—is therefore of crucial (life-saving) importance.

“E-learning offers the opportunity to practice this independent of time and place—which is no luxury given the busy schedules of specialists,” says Jeanne-Marie. “It fits well with the daily practice of doctors: they are presented with realistic cases and a large number of clear images of those hard-to-recognize polyps, allowing them to quickly learn to recognize a wide variety and assess abnormalities efficiently.”

What was your role during the project?

Jeanne-Marie: “As a business developer, I am the first point of contact for clients. All questions come to me first, and then I determine which disciplines we need and who I involve in the team. Exploring the client’s needs is a challenging and valuable part of my role: how can we solve a client’s question with digital learning tools? Should we go for an e-learning or something else? I take on this exploration together with the client and one of our learning consultants. And if the case requires it, we also involve one of our designers.

I find it very stimulating to bring all those talents together and to look at the client’s question from different perspectives.”

Making a difference together

What was special for Bright Alley (part of Conclusion) in this project was that the e-learning was part of a PhD research project, and this research showed that the e-learning demonstrably contributes to the training of specialists. “Our e-learning truly has a substantial effect on the number of potentially serious polyps that specialists detect.” The effectiveness of the e-learning has been proven through thorough research; the difference between the results of specialists with and without the training was demonstrated using an A and B group. “You can see that doctors who previously often did not recognize certain polyps are making real progress. It’s great to see such significant leaps forward. Because cancer is detected earlier, quality of life improves and survival rates are higher,” says Jeanne-Marie. “Moreover, awareness of the importance of early detection of polyps increases as a result of the e-learning. Specialists are more alert, even in the long term.”

What makes you proud of this project?

“What makes me most proud of this project is the social impact of this e-learning. This impact ranges from better chances for people with cancer to the savings that early detection brings. Together with Amsterdam UMC, we have developed a solid knowledge module. The collaboration with specialists often took place outside regular working hours, for example through short messages in the evening, because their days are filled with appointments. That’s exactly why it’s valuable that we can support them with a learning solution that fits their busy practice. In a world full of mandatory and often uninspiring e-learnings, I am proud that we have developed something that is truly relevant and supportive.”