Capella Education Company, Medtronic win Brandon Hall Bronze Award

Medtronic and Capella Education Company, a provider of online post-secondary education through its wholly owned subsidiary Capella University, have won a coveted Brandon Hall Bronze Award for Excellence in the Best Use of Blended Learning category.    

The Brandon Hall Group gave the award in recognition of the quality product produced by the partnership between Capella and Medtronic. That product was the Field Force Training Institute (FFTI), a global learning program offering virtual and blended training solutions to two of Medtronic's businesses: Cardiac Rhythm Disease Management (CDRM) and Cardiovascular. The FFTI consists of new-hire and advanced-training programs for Medtronic employees across the globe. As a blended solution, the program offers some courses that are solely online, while others are delivered partially online in combination with traditional classroom components.

The FFTI program's asynchronous components include self-paced interactive tutorials, which require pedagogically driven decision making. These objectives-based exercises create engaging opportunities for learners to apply knowledge. In addition, interactive tutorials provide safe opportunities to fail, with immediate feedback provided to the learner.

"This year's winners should be very proud of their achievements, especially based on the rigorous judging process all submissions underwent," said Mike Cooke, chief executive officer of Brandon Hall Group, Inc. "We are honored to recognize the award winners who exemplify a high standard of performance in their organization and demonstrate clear, measurable business results through these innovative programs."

The entries were evaluated by a panel of veteran independent senior industry experts, Brandon Hall Group senior analysts and executive leadership based upon the following criteria:

• Fit to the Needs: This blended learning program effectively aligned to the learning needs and situation.
• Design of the Blended Learning: The use of blended learning effectively supported the learning objectives, the working environment, and the organizational outcomes.
• Delivery: The training programs were delivered successfully through various technologies, approaches and tools; these methods were easy to access, use and apply.
• Measurable Benefits: The use of blended learning produced measurable benefits and outcomes for the learner and the organization.
• Overall: Overall, the use of blended learning had a positive impact for the learners and organization, and was an appropriate learning approach.

"The quality of the training and the critical performance outcomes were the primary goals for this effort. It was clear from the start that the Capella team recognized this, and were committed to the same high standards. That shared vision and commitment were critical for our overall success. Capella was a true partner and one I'd recommend to anyone starting on the journey from traditional classroom instruction to one utilizing virtual, blended training," said Dr. Bob Bodine, program director for Medtronic's CRDM Field Force Training.