How Roffey Park drives engagement & learning impact with a centralized learning platform
Challenge
Roffey Park Institute used a mix of disjointed tools to run their learning & development programs, resulting in fragmented experiences. Participants got lost between platforms, and engagement suffered. Facilitators struggled with clunky systems and had difficulty proving the impact of their programs to clients.
Solution
Roffey Park switched to Howspace as their central learning and collaboration platform for executive, custom, and open programs, replacing their previous learning management system. Program designers and facilitators use features like the Facilitated Path mode to create tailored experiences and the Pulse Widget to track participant growth.
Results
- Stronger social learning: Howspace helped Roffey Park reinforce their mission to foster learning through connection and shared experiences—not just deliver training.
- Increased participant engagement: Participants now engage naturally without needing constant reminders from facilitators.
- Proven learning impact: Roffey Park can clearly showcase participant growth to clients and make data-driven improvements to their programs.
- Inclusive collaboration: Built-in translation tools enable multilingual participation, making conversations accessible to all.
- Ongoing connection: Workspaces for program alumni and freelance associates keep networks active even after programs end.
- Improved efficiency: Facilitators save time with pre-populated content and AI summaries, while onboarding is now hassle-free.
Roffey Park Institute is a charitable organization providing consultancy and learning & development programs to companies and individuals of all levels— from emerging talent to executive leadership. Focusing on Organisation Development (OD), HR, and Leadership and Management programs, they offer both tailored solutions for clients and open-enrollment courses, running approximately 150 programs annually.
For over 75 years, Roffey Park has worked with private and public sector clients, breaking down workplace barriers using a dialogic approach that drives real impact.
Disjointed tools limited participant engagement
Before Howspace, Roffey Park relied on a mix of tools to run their online programs, which created a fragmented learning environment. Participants often got lost between platforms while facilitators found their learning management system (LMS), Moodle, cumbersome to use.
“Clients wanted to keep the conversation going in their programs, but we struggled to do that with Moodle,” says Leigh Morris, Head of Instructional Design at Roffey Park.
Inti Cheung, Instructional Designer at Roffey Park adds: “Facilitators had to juggle different browsers and ask participants to navigate elsewhere, which disrupted the flow.”
Roffey Park’s ambition was clear: to create seamless, engaging, and impactful learning experiences. But their existing tools held them back. They needed a dynamic, user-friendly platform that could integrate multiple tools, spark participant engagement, and simplify program management.
Finding the one: A comprehensive learning & collaboration platform
In 2022, Inti discovered Howspace at BETT, an education technology conference, where she was looking for a platform to replace Moodle. “In just 15 minutes, I could see that Howspace was the one,” says Inti, describing the demo that kick-started the procurement process.
Roffey Park now uses Howspace to manage all their open programs from a single, unified platform, which they’ve rebranded as “My Roffey Park.” The platform goes beyond client-facing programs, supporting community-building and improving internal education.
“We’re integrating Howspace into all aspects of our business,” summarizes Inti.
A central place for collaboration
One of Howspace’s biggest advantages is having everything in one place, unlike other tools that require users to switch between platforms and slow down collaboration. “Participants can revisit discussions and materials, and easily share their thoughts,” says James Choles, Program Director at the Roffey Park Institute.
Roffey Park embeds tools like Mindtools and Turnitin directly into the platform, based on their program needs. “Our goal is for participants to do everything within Howspace,” says Inti. “This keeps participants focused, and avoids the frustration of switching between tabs or logging into multiple tools.”
“Howspace helps us save on third-party tool costs.”
For organizations like Roffey Park, centralizing tools is also cost-effective. “Howspace helps a charity like us save on third-party tool costs,” says Inti.
Social learning that extends beyond individual workshops
Roffey Park prioritizes learning through connection, dialogue, and shared experiences—not just delivering content. “We don’t really train people; we help them learn,” says James.
They aim to foster social learning beyond synchronous sessions and workshops. Howspace supports this by providing a space where participants can connect and build a learning community. James shares, “It’s about creating dialogue and experiences where participants can learn from each other and share their stories.”
“Howspace allows us to recreate the connections and idea-sharing that happen naturally in face-to-face settings.”
With Howspace, people engage with the material and interact with each other without the need for constant reminders from facilitators. Features like Discussion Threads and the Super Chat Widget make it easy to keep conversations flowing during and between live sessions. Leigh shares, “Howspace allows us to recreate the connections and idea-sharing that happen naturally in face-to-face settings.”
Leigh also highlights how Howspace helped them fully embrace their advanced approach to learning design. “Instead of relying on slide decks, we now think about the entire participant journey. We’re creating meaningful, engaging experiences from start to finish—not just asking participants to watch a presentation.”
Proving the impact of learning programs
With Howspace, Roffey Park can now show clients the impact of their learning programs. “ROI is difficult to measure because every client is different, but showing the impact on individual participants has been a huge benefit for us,” says Leigh.
Roffey Park uses Howspace’s Pulse Widget to gather real-time participant feedback and map individual growth over time. This feedback has helped the team refine their onboarding process and adjust program designs. “We want to base decisions on data that guides us in the right direction, and Howspace makes it easy to collect that data,” explains Leigh. “We’ve designed specific questions for the end of the program, so we can use that feedback to improve.”
“Showing the impact on individual participants has been a huge benefit for us.”
The platform’s engagement analytics also help Roffey Park track participation trends, content usage, and activity. “We can see how often participants log in, what they’re looking at, and how they’re engaging. These insights help us continuously improve our processes,” adds Leigh.
The right balance between flexibility and support
Howspace’s adaptability allows facilitators to tailor experiences based on participants’ needs. The Facilitated Path mode, for example, ensures participants only see the content relevant to them at specific stages. As Inti puts it: “Howspace empowers facilitators and users—it’s the right balance between flexibility and support.”
Facilitators can mix static content, like program objectives, with dynamic elements that encourage interaction between participants and facilitators.
AI-driven insights for real-time engagement
With the AI Insights Widget, facilitators can easily gauge group sentiment and provide overviews of live discussions, without missing any participant contributions.
Leigh explains, “Before, we’d have to pause to read through all the comments or try to scan them while speaking or listening to someone else. But now we can instantly access summaries and sentiments, or turn comments into polls. It’s really helpful for understanding what’s happening in the room and adjusting the conversation accordingly.”
Easy admin experience for more inclusive learning
Before Howspace, program onboarding was a hassle. “We used to get so many emails from confused participants,” Leigh shares. “Now, the process is smooth. Participants can easily get around, and facilitators can gather data during the pre-work phase and adapt as they go.”
Howspace’s intuitive interface has also streamlined administrative tasks, allowing facilitators to quickly upload content, manage logistics, and engage participants—all without needing technical expertise.
“Everything is straightforward and intuitive,” says Inti. “Our internal programme management team loves Howspace because everything can be pre-populated, which boosts efficiency.”
Plus, the platform’s multi-language support and automatic translations make their programs more inclusive. “This tool really democratizes the conversation and sends a powerful message about inclusivity,” says James. Especially for Roffey Park’s European clients, automatic translations make learning more accessible than ever.
Expanding their product range
Howspace has helped Roffey Park expand their product offerings beyond their core programs. “Moodle had its limitations. But now, with Howspace, we can build communities,” says Inti.
For example, they created a workspace for their alumni network, where past participants can stay engaged and explore additional services. They also launched an “Associates hub” for their network of over 100 freelance associate consultants. “We use it to stay in touch, get their ideas, and share updates,” says James. “The platform makes it easier to keep conversations going.”
“Howspace helps us bring everyone together and encourage collaboration.”
Inti adds, “We don’t want our associates working alone. Howspace helps us bring everyone together and encourage collaboration.”
Roffey Park even uses Howspace for internal education, giving employees quick access to the information they need and easily adapt to new systems.
From static content delivery to people-focused learning
Inti summarizes her love of Howspace: “The only tab I’ll never close is the Howspace admin view.”
Howspace has helped Roffey Park shift from static delivery to interactive, social, and people-focused learning. While they mainly use Howspace for online programs, Roffey Park is exploring its potential for face-to-face meetings. For example, facilitators could use their phones as a “remote” to control content, allowing them to move freely around the room.
Building on their first asynchronous learning modules, Roffey Park plans to expand these offerings, creating even more flexible and engaging learning experiences.
Curious to see how Howspace can transform your learning programs? Book a demo today and discover the power of social learning for yourself.
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