
You're in a queue. How likely is it that you'll check your messages on your mobile phone? Even the least digital amongst us is spending 30 minutes a day on messaging apps. Having our learning content on these platforms puts it intimately within reach of our users in a place where they are already looking and know how to interact with.
Offering a WhatsApp learning option in Sudan ensured that our course enrolments exceeded our expectations with the messaging app bringing an additional 1800 users to our COVID - 19 coverage course, three times more than the combined web and app offerings. Through WhatsApp, the course went viral amongst the Sudanese journalist community attracting participants from the diaspora with many sharing their certificates in their groups.
-- Play
-- --
Results
82% User engagement
72% Completion rate
The mediums limitations are its main attraction The first hurdle to creating a course using messages is to work out how to deliver the necessary mix of short and long form videos, demos, exercises and whatever else you would judge to be necessary for a meaningful learning experience in such a small format. The immediate temptation is to use messages as a conduit to other platforms linking to content sitting on websites like videos and articles away from the messaging platform.
For our Sudanese audience, we opted instead to concentrate on the messages but not as a passive experience. We focused on meaningful questions so that the course was a conversation in which users discovered what they knew and what they needed to know interactively through question and answer.
The questions were often scenarios that emulated where key learning outcomes could manifest themselves. If you got the answer wrong or right we explained why and the thinking behind it.
Results Like most of our courses, from the moment you start, you are drawn into short interactive exercises and this worked particularly well in a messaging format resulting in 82% user engagement and a 72% completion rate, the highest we have achieved with a course that is open to the public.
The course still included testimonials and case studies, a video from the Sudanese government and links. But a large effort was made to strip the content down to what was essential. If something could be taken out without compromising the learning, it was. This ensured we could meet the required rigour and depth and added variety and colour to the user experience.
Hacking the system An additional hurdle for us was that the platform we used for this course (Arist) offered specific templates that did not allow us to produce such a long series of interactive exercises in one course and in a self-paced format. To get around this, we created 162 mini courses each acting like a page or unit and asked Arist to thread them through their number-based course recalling system. We are grateful for their support.
The impact on storytelling and accuracy When we surveyed the users three months after launch, the response rate was higher than average: 99% of the 150 respondents confirmed that the course had changed the way they work and 73% the stories they were producing. Fifty six per cent cited a greater focus on accuracy and fact verification as the most important change.
The future As with any platform, it is the use case that will dictate whether WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, or SMS is the most appropriate medium. Is the course standalone or part of a wider online package? Can we use WhatsApp or Facebook groups? What is the function of the WhatsApp element? Our latest use case has pushed us to explore Telegram. It will be intriguing to discover whether this new platform confirm messaging to be such an effective tool as our experience so far suggests.
Related content
Messaging Apps: Tackling training in a pandemic
Is the e-workshop here to stay?
Covid-19 training in Sudan gets smart on WhatsApp
Hosam El Nagar Director of Innovation and Learning
About: Hosam is responsible for new products and services and is leading the foundation's drive into e-learning. He also manages key partnerships, primarily in the Middle East.
We get around. Explore our project map
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Narrative Entertainment has partnered with Encompass to deliver high-quality subtitling of its Great! network content using the Altitude Intelligence AI assiste...
06/05/2026
SipRadius, widely recognized for making content processing and connectivity secure and seamless, is proud to launch a dramatic new approach to AI content creati...
06/05/2026
When the broadband and media industry gathers at ANGA COM in Cologne from May 19 to 21, Big Blue Marble will be at the forefront. The international broadcast an...
06/05/2026
Cinegy GmbH, a leading developer of software-defined television technology, is proud to exhibit at MPTS for the first time. Visitors to the stand will discover ...
06/05/2026
Val Jeanty Receives 2026 Doris Duke Artist Award Jeanty, a composer, percussionist, and turntablist, is the fourth Berklee recipient of the prestigious award ...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
When live cycling races and international marathons stretch for miles across cities and countryside, there is no margin for RF failure in live broadcast. As Chi...
06/05/2026
Oberkochen/Germany, May 5, 2026
ZEISS announces the launch of CinCraft LensCore, a novel solution for creating physically based cinematic lens looks for visual...
06/05/2026
The race to build the world's most powerful AI factories demands networking ...
06/05/2026
How changes to proteins can alter drug interactions for new precision therapies Scripps Research team maps how chemical modifications to proteins affect drug bi...
05/05/2026
Experts from the world of academia, tech, business, politics and media convened for a Thomson Talks at the Cambridge Disinformation Summit in April. It's th...
05/05/2026
Three phones were hardwired for power and transmission to the truck; camera feat...
05/05/2026
The creative studio behind campaigns for the NBA, Fanatics Sportsbook & Casino, ...
05/05/2026
Nielsen has announced results from a co-viewing pilot program covering February&...
05/05/2026
viztrick AiDi, an on-device AI solution developed by Nippon TV, delivered global...
05/05/2026
ARRI has announced Omnibar, a battery-powered, IP65-rated multi-color LED linear...
05/05/2026
Imagine Communications has announced that France T l visions is the first broadc...
05/05/2026
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and Bell Media today announced a multiyear agreement to broadcast and stream WNBA games in Canada beginni...
05/05/2026
SVG is proud to announce Warner Bros. Discovery's Techwood Studios in Atlant...
05/05/2026
With no operator required, AutoMic workflow automates talent identification on U...
05/05/2026
A crash in 2015 set the industry back, but this winter proved that drones are he...
05/05/2026
Another year, and more proof that Asia continues to shape some of the world's most exciting new sounds. This year's RADAR artists draw from deep local r...
05/05/2026
The Austin City Limits Music Fest 2026 lineup just dropped, and this year, Spoti...
05/05/2026
New drum machine book campaign incoming
Bjooks have announced that during Superbooth 2026, they will be launching a Kickstarter campaign to fund the product...
05/05/2026
Flagship all-in-one production bundle updated
The latest version of Native Instruments' flagship virtual instrument and plug-in bundle has just been ann...
05/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz to host RF Testing Innovations Forum 2026, helping design engine...
05/05/2026
L3Harris provides communications, electronic warfare, sensors and mission systems that enable Virginia-class submarine crews to operate with confidence in conte...
05/05/2026
The company grew by 7.6% in net revenue and 16.3% in EBITDA, achieving a 33% inc...
05/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
05/05/2026
Project Marks First Major Broadcast Deployment of Latest Addition to SNP Lineup
Imagine Communications today announced that France T l visions is the first br...
05/05/2026
Shotoku Broadcast Systems Wins 2026 NAB Show Product of the Year Award
Shotoku Broadcast Systems announced today that its Swoop range of robotic cranes has be...
05/05/2026
DigitalGlue's creative.space Intelligence Wins Future's Best of Show Award, Presented by TV Tech
creative.space Intelligence (CSI), part of the creativ...
05/05/2026
Zixi, a leader in live video delivery and workflow orchestration, will showcase next-generation broadcast workflows at the Media Production and Technology Show ...
05/05/2026
Stingr marks its launch with a new approach to second-screen interactivity
Brie Clayton May 5, 2026
0 Comments
Huge leap forward in revenues and engag...
05/05/2026
Shotoku Broadcast Systems Wins 2026 NAB Show Product of the Year Award
Brie Clayton May 5, 2026
0 Comments
Shotoku Broadcast Systems announced today tha...
05/05/2026
Following a successful NAB Show in Las Vegas, DHD will promote examples from its wide range of broadcast-quality audio production equipment at the May 13th-14th...
05/05/2026
LucidLink today announced its programme for MPTS 2026, where it will exhibit at Stand M59 at Olympia London, 13 to 14 May. The company will showcase its latest ...
05/05/2026
Limecraft today announces the release of Limecraft 2026.3, the third platform update in its 2026 release cycle. Limecraft is an AI-powered production platform t...
05/05/2026
Huge leap forward in revenues and engagement...
05/05/2026
Broadcast Solutions, a leading system integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast media industry, has taken another significant step in st...