Project Title: Feeding Cats & Kittens Volunteer Training

Tools in development: Storyline Rise 360, Genially, Canva, Vyond, and Camtasia

Time in development: 90 days

Client: Tails Humane Society

Summary: Tails Humane Society experiences a high rate of volunteer turnover, requiring ongoing training for new volunteers to manage the complex responsibilities of caring for shelter animals. Cat Care volunteers play a crucial role in the well-being of shelter cats and kittens, but their responsibilities involve lengthy in-person training that can overwhelm new volunteers, often leading to volunteers leaving the program prematurely due to unrealistic expectations.

To address this, we aimed to create a course that sets clear expectations for the feeding aspect of the Cat Care role, helping to identify volunteers who are not fully prepared to commit before they start their first shift—saving both time and resources for the shelter staff.

Challenges: The original course was designed to cover all Cat Care responsibilities, including feeding and cleaning cat and kitten cages. However, as development progressed, it became clear that the scope was too broad, with an overwhelming amount of content for volunteers to absorb. 

After discussing with the client, we decided to narrow the focus of the course to just the feeding portion of the Cat Care role. This made the course more manageable and allowed for greater interactivity, improving engagement and learning outcomes. 

Solution: We developed an eLearning course with interactive knowledge checks and a final exam. The course is accessible on computers, tablets, and mobile devices, making it easy for volunteers to access the course where they are. They are even able to re-review the course during a volunteer shift. The course is hosted via AWS. New Cat Care volunteers are required to complete the course after orientation and provide proof of completion before their first shift. 

Results: Throughout the development process, I kept the varied experience levels of the audience in mind, ensuring that the more challenging topics were presented in a way that helped build confidence. We also aimed to keep the content light-hearted and engaging, despite the subject matter being somewhat dry. The result is a course that better prepares volunteers for their responsibilities while reducing the risk of early turnover.