The market for E-Learning has recorded historic growth as schools pivot to keep education alive amidst COVID-19.
Schools across the country have migrated towards E-Learning to engage with their students as COVID-19 continues to affect our everyday lives. Schools have embraced the thought process that distance learning has shifted from a “nice to have” to a ”must-have” in every aspect of education.
According to the World Economic Forum, around 1.2 billion children globally have been shut out of classrooms due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Learning Management Systems around the world have stepped up to fill the gaps. From Financial Literacy to Social Justice and COVID-19 prevention courses, the Game Plan software has had an 185% increase in usage year-to-date. Drastically surpassing the industry average of 9.8%.
Athletic Departments Adjust
Since COVID impacted us all, Athletic Departments have focused on cost cutting. Budgets reduced, furloughing staff members and even reducing certain sports completely, Presidents and Athletic Directors had a multitude of difficult decisions to make. On the flip side, you saw a large increase and focus on the development of the Student-Athlete. With the shift from in-person to online courses, departments did the best they could to continue the education of their student-athletes.
In a nationwide survey of athletics departments(2019) you see over half of respondents pay guest speakers between $1,000-$7,500 dollars to conduct workshops. This is one of the big adjustments athletic departments decided to make in 2020, as almost all schools shifted to eLearning to help engage their student-athletes.
eLearning Courses on the Game Plan Platform
Beyond compliance related topics such as Sexual Violence Prevention and Sports Wagering, that have been at the forefront of the platform – 2020 has seen a large growth in usage of content related to social justice and diversity issues. In the Fall, voter education and registration courses saw a dramatic surge ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
Custom content (content created by our partners) also saw a large increase on Game Plan in 2020. Throughout the year, Game Plan partners built courses ranging from:
- Virtual student-athlete orientations
- Mandatory meetings such as compliance
- Title IX education
- Team/campus culture
- On-field training
And more both through the Game Plan custom content team and through Game Plan’s new Create Your Own Course tool.
Strategic Partnerships
Game Plan collaborates with numerous respected organizations including:
These courses focus on helping athletes recognize warning signs of an unhealthy relationship. They also cover strategies for talking to friends who may be in an abusive relationship along with additional resources for support.
The eLearning module series includes more than 20 on-demand topics addressing the various categories of financial education appropriate for student-athletes. Topics such as how to create a budget, save and invest, borrow responsibly, buy a home and establish a small business.
RISE and Game Plan have partnered to bring courses right to athletic organizations, wherever they are. With 12 courses spanning from education on Color Blindness, Privilege and how to use Sport as a Vehicle for Change.
Game Plan in Professional Sports
We also saw changes in the way professional sports educated, with non-traditional eLearning courses being completed at Game Plan in high rates. As an example Game Plan worked closely with NBA Player Health and Safety. Working together to provide NBA and WNBA Restart courses to all participants of the NBA bubble in Orlando as well as the WNBA bubble in Bradenton.
Throughout 2020, the NFL invested resources to enhance their College Outreach strategy by developing an e-learning curriculum designed specifically for college football players. In partnership with the NFL, Game Plan produced interactive eLearning courses to educate college football players across the country. With topics such as the NFL Draft Process, College Advisory Committee, Values Gained through Football, Roles Models, and more. Over 130+ programs have been active in the program and the offering is slated to increase in 2021.
Through the NFL partnership Game Plan was also able to provide NFL Rookie Success Programming to all NFL Rookies during the Summer of 2021. Working with NFL Staff and team representatives, over 700 rookies completed 11,000 courses on the Game Plan Platform. With courses focused around financial education, NFL policies, and more. Game Plan is looking forward to updating and growing the NFL Rookie Success Program in 2021.
eLearning Moving Forward
2020 has felt very unnatural for the entire world as we all have pivoted and adjusted to this “new normal”. But even through a global pandemic, we as a nation have come together to do our jobs and give opportunities to the youth coming after us. And Athletic Departments have stepped up to put Student-Athlete Development at the forefront by putting education first.
Shifting from in-person to fully remote hasn’t been easy for anyone. But we here at Game Plan are happy to be there to make this transition easy. From hosting classes on our platform, to giving out assessments and teaching full courses. We have adapted to give you the tools to help educate and empower your student-athletes. If you are not part of the Game Plan family yet, feel free to reach out and fill out this form to learn more. We’ll show you how we can make your job easier and how we can help keep your student-athletes engaged.
