Our Portfolio
Case Studies
Rise Asset Development
The Client
Rise Asset Development, with support from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), provides low interest small business loans, training, and mentorship to entrepreneurs with a history of mental health or addiction challenges.
Key Project Features
The Need for Change
Rise runs a successful in-person Youth Small Business Program for individuals aged 16 to 29 who self identify as having mental health or addiction challenges. Rise wanted to extend the reach of this program to empower more young entrepreneurs across Canada.
The challenge was to create a course that was as robust as Rise’s in-person program that would also keep the specific youth audience motivated and engaged while delivering the same level of quality content and practical, hands-on activities. The course also needed to address the fact that not all learners would have regular Internet access or a home computer.
Rise also needed a way to deliver the course and track learner progress.
The Path for Change
Working closely with Rise, PathWise mapped out an approach that would successfully convert the face-to-face material into an online course, using the following:
- An overarching theme of entrepreneurship as a trek to steer the content and create coherence and structure throughout the course
- A storytelling approach using four characters – two young entrepreneurs and two mentors – for learners to identify with and learn from as they progress through the course
- Media-rich and visually appealing assets to engage learners and encourage participation
- Appropriate language and level of detail for the audience
- A robust, mobile-friendly Learning Management System to deploy the course
The Approach
PathWise created EnterpRISEing Youth, an interactive, responsive course using LearnDash and Articulate 360, with offline elements, gamification, and mobile-friendly design.
Graphics
We created four key animated characters, as well as supporting characters, for the course and incorporated these into a variety of animated videos and interactive activities that follow the story of two friends and their two mentors.
Course videos and activities feature the characters in different settings, with professional narration and closed captioning added to enhance each of these, while ensuring accessibility.
PathWise also designed custom charts, graphics, and icons based on existing Rise materials in order to seamlessly integrate these into the course design and to match Rise’s branding.
Interactivity
EnterpRISEing Youth features a range of interactive elements, including:
- Click-to-reveal graphics
- A “My Notebook” feature for on-screen note-taking and room for self-reflection
- Drag-and-drop activities
- End-of-lesson challenges
- Fillable forms and templates
- Extra links and resources
- Case studies
- A simulation challenge
We also created accessible versions of specific activities and exercises to ensure compatibility for screen reader software.
Web Development
PathWise developed a Learning Management System for Rise to host and manage the EnterpRISEing Youth course.
Other important features we developed included:
- Fillable forms, with downloadable PDF versions for offline use and the ability for learners to receive automatic email copies of the completed forms
- Customized badges awarded to learners for completing lessons and challenges
- A “My Backpack” resource that stores all course resources and completed forms
- Progress tracking and reporting tools
- Student self-registration and self-management of their profile and record
PathWise also customized a reporting tool for Rise to provide easier access to course data and to allow different access permissions for course administrators.
Results
Clean design, relatable characters, and plenty of interactivity all make EnterpRISEing Youth a media-rich, fun, and informative course that matches the needs of a unique group of learners. PathWise was able to deliver a successful course for Rise Asset Development that captures the essence of Rise’s in-person Youth Entrepreneur program and provides a product that seamlessly integrates into their website.
