Reactive Monitoring

Module

Historic England Development Advice staff hold a massive responsibility: they safeguard the UK’s most precious heritage sites through the complex planning system. Part of this role involves "Reactive Monitoring", a rigorous, multi-year reporting process mandated by UNESCO and the UK Government.

The HE team needed an eLearning solution to serve as the pre-work foundation for an in-person workshop.

TOOLS

Articulate RISE
Genially
H5P

PROJECT DETAILS

Instructional Designer & Developer

BRIEF

Creation of an eLearning program of 4 modules to explain the processes when dealing with World Heritage Sites

TIMELINE

This project was a quick turn-a-round and was completed in 3 months.

My Response to the Brief

The source material was dense, convoluted, and legalistic. Furthermore, "Reactive Monitoring" is a process that can span years. Staff rarely see it from start to finish; they often parachute in halfway through a case. They didn't just need to know the rules; they needed to understand their place in the timeline.
My strategy was to move the learner from passive reading to active investigation. To prevent cognitive overload (and boredom), I refused to let the content remain abstract.

1. Anchoring with Storytelling (The Hayle Harbour Case Study) We know that adults learn best when new information is attached to existing schemas. I built the entire process around a real-world case study: Hayle Harbour. Instead of memorising generic regulations, learners followed the specific documentation, challenges, and changes of this actual site. This gave the "dry" legal process a human narrative.

2. Reducing Cognitive Load (Mayer’s Multimedia Principles) Because this was a precursor to a live workshop, I didn't need to cram every detail into the text. I applied Mayer’s Multimedia Principles, deliberately reducing on-screen text and increasing relevant visuals. I used "chunking" to break down complex definitions into digestible moments, ensuring learners weren't overwhelmed before they even reached the workshop.
The result was a linear journey that culminated in a non-linear, immersive exploration. I combined Articulate Rise for the structural scaffolding with Genially and H5P for deep-dive interactivity.

The 360° "Site Visit": I personally shot and constructed 360-degree panoramic virtual scenes of the site. This allowed learners to virtually "stand" in the location, bridging the gap between the office desk and the physical heritage site.

Interactive Context Maps: Using Genially, I overlaid documentation onto environmental maps. Learners could click through the geography to see how specific planning changes impacted the environment, directly linking the paperwork to the physical world.
By the end of Module 4, learners were no longer just reading about Reactive Monitoring; they were virtually doing it.

Situational Awareness: New staff can now identify exactly where they sit within a multi-year project timeline.

Analytical Skills: Learners can analyse complex documentation not just as "paperwork," but as critical tools for conservation.

Blended Success: The eLearning successfully primed the learners, allowing the subsequent face-to-face workshop to focus on deep discussion and nuance rather than basic knowledge transfer.