VDZ creates a fully integrated knowledge hub for their Cement Academy

VDZ Technology gGmbH is part of VDZ (Verein Deutscher Zementwerke) – the economic, technical, and scientific association for the German cement industry. They apply their professional research results and services for members and customers worldwide.

The Challenge

As the knowledge hub of the industry, VDZ offers a versatile, all-encompassing range of services for all aspects of cement and concrete. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they endeavored to set up an online conference for a multitude of partners with different needs and access packages. VDZ needed a platform to enable custom access and assignments in a quick and accurate way, with personalized learning experiences being assigned automatically across various groups.

Building upon the backbone of the conference system, VDZ needed a learning platform that would allow for the quick, personalized and time-limited distribution of access to tailored learning plans in several languages, as well as the ability to track and measure the learning impact. The companies and their employees to be trained needed access to blended learning methods, combining self-paced learning with classroom training and a knowledge base to use at the point of need.

The Solution

Totara Partner LearnChamp showed how Totara Learn enabled a structured, organized overview of the various International Online Conference sessions available for various partners. The use of tenants allowed for a seamless, personalized experience.

After the conference, the system has been expanded to distribute e-learning content subscriptions to various companies. Relevant employees/partners/customers get access to specific learning offers for specified periods of time, with the audience distribution managed automatically, saving a lot of user management overhead time. Custom changes to the audience-based user management enable an accurate depiction and implementation of subscription durations and various tailored group offers.

OAuth2 Single Sign On simplifies the user management. Learners can choose between German, English and Russian languages for a more user-friendly, customized experience.

User tours and reporting capabilities in Totara further reduce the administrative effort required.

Flexible blended learning courses and learning paths combine varied types of learning materials, to accurately depict complex processes and machinery even in an online environment. Learning packages, videos, and images as well as printable manuals contribute to a holistic learning experience, available to learners in whichever setting is most convenient to them.

Quizzes and professional certifications are available to learners, not just to self-test their knowledge but also to demonstrate their newly acquired skills in various areas with recognized certificates.

The Results

With Totara Learn, VDZ provides easily understandable courses, conveying the latest knowledge on cement production for experts and apprentices alike. Users can access cost-efficient learning anytime and anywhere, with Totara and the mobile app serving as a single unified point of information. Users can self-register or use single sign-on and can choose between three languages, with tenants further enabling a better customization of the learning experience.

Modular courses depict the entire value chain of cement and concrete, from grinding to shipping. Over 50 courses can be combined and assigned flexibly, and target group specific offers can be easily made available.

Various types of learning, including highly dynamic cross-media modules, provide a deep insight into machinery and dynamic processes in an efficient, scalable way. Animations and videos are combined with a high-quality printout version, to meet each individual learning style and preference.

Self-assessment questions help guide the learners on their journey, to monitor progress and spot weak spots to be addressed.

Tests and certificates are made available online to certify the learner’s knowledge and comprehension.

“We had been looking for a replacement for our LMS for many months. Attending the LearnChamp 2020 Digital Learning Summit, I experienced Totara Learn as both an event platform and an academy, which was practically exactly what I was looking for. In 2021 we started the project and thanks to the ever-competent help of LearnChamp we have now achieved our goal.”
– Dirk Viehweg-Dörpholz, Specialist E-Learning, VDZ