Simulation-Based Learning

How I transformed a dense, 8-hour technical curriculum across 12 SME silos into an interactive, football-themed learning journey—simplifying compliance-heavy concepts and turning static documentation into an engaging end-to-end simulation.

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Executive Summary

Bayer’s Medical Affairs and Pharmacovigilance (MAPV) team needed comprehensive onboarding across the complex, highly regulated drug lifecycle. Dense documentation, video archives, and knowledge silos across 12 Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) created a steep learning curve for new joiners and secondees unfamiliar with core terminology.

Audience

New joiners, secondees from non-MAPV departments, and existing team members requiring refresher training across Bayer AG.

My Role

Instructional Designer & Project Lead

Deliverable

8-hour digital learning program mapped across 4 sequential modules ("Qualification" through "Final"), featuring a custom football-match theme, interactive H5P video checkpoints, branching scenario "teammate" interactions, practice simulations, job aids, and a final certification pathway.

Key Result

Successfully simplified complex compliance concepts; received outstanding 3-month and 6-month stakeholder and learner feedback; adopted as permanent Business-As-Usual (BAU) onboarding; [NEED DATA] for exact quantitative metrics (e.g., specific completion rates, satisfaction scores, or time-saved figures).

Business Problem

Business Challenge

Bayer AG’s Medical Affairs and Pharmacovigilance (MAPV) division operates in an environment governed by strict global regulations, where a single compliance error during a drug’s lifecycle—from initial research and production to market launch—can carry severe financial and regulatory penalties.

The organization faced a critical capability gap:

a group of people in lab coats working in a lab

Fragmented Knowledge Silos

Critical operational knowledge was trapped inside dense regulatory PDF documentation, hours of unedited video recordings, or exclusively in the heads of senior experts.

High Engagement Risk

The client explicitly rejected standard "click-and-next" e-learning slides or basic video playlists. Given the sheer volume of content (8 total hours), a passive reading approach would cause severe cognitive overload and disengagement, leading to poor retention of compliance-critical regulations.

High-Barrier of Entry for Non-Experts

Onboarding cohorts consisted heavily of new joiners and internal secondees rotating from other departments. These learners lacked foundational pharmacovigilance terminology and struggled to parse the massive volume of technical information.

Bayer required an end-to-end, highly engaging digital learning journey that could deconstruct complex technical processes into digestible milestones while verifying strict regulatory comprehension at every stage.

Discovery and Analysis

As the Lead Instructional Designer, I led an extensive discovery and knowledge-mapping phase to extract, synthesize, and structure the vast MAPV curriculum:

Laptop screen shows a video conference with multiple participants.

Heavy Document & Video Audit

Prior to storyboarding, I conducted deep-dive research into extensive technical manuals and video archives to identify the non-negotiable compliance rules versus optional supporting context.

Strict Quality & Customization Mandate

The client demanded zero repetitive interactions. Standard text tabs and basic accordion layouts were banned in favor of active, scenario-based practice.

12 SME Schedule

The technical domain was split across 12 SMEs operating across different functional teams and conflicting calendars. While I successfully convened 5 SMEs in a joint workshop, the remaining 7 required individual, asynchronous consultation rounds, significantly extending the initial analysis and strategy timeline.

The analysis proved that the primary challenge was not just information delivery, but cognitive structuring. To make the 8-hour lifecycle digestible, the content needed an intuitive overarching visual metaphor that reflected the high-stakes journey of overcoming obstacles to reach a successful outcome.

Strategy & Rationale

To anchor complex pharmaceutical processes in an intuitive mental model, I pitched and designed a creative theme leveraging Bayer AG’s historical ties to the football club Bayer Leverkusen: The Journey to the Champions League Final.

Key Metaphor (Drug Lifecycle = Tournament Run):

Getting a pharmaceutical product to market involves navigating dozens of regulatory, clinical, and safety hurdles where failure at any stage halts progress. Mapping the 4-part program to tournament phases (Qualification, Quarter Final, Semi Final, Final) gave learners a clear, motivating sense of progression.

Milestone-Based "Goal Scoring" Assessment:

To enforce compliance rules without resorting to basic multiple-choice quizzes, each content cycle culminated in a high-stakes "penalty area" decision. Learners had to complete interactive scenario checks correctly (making the right "pass") to earn a shot on goal.

Visual & Contextual Variety: To avoid repetition, goal scenarios varied dynamically—headers, long shots, passing to a "teammate" (when cross-functional handoff was legally required), and even avoiding "own goals" (compliance breach).
High-Pressure Final: The final module featured a minute-capped, timed penalty kick scenario simulating real-world decision-making under regulatory pressure.

Minimizing Passive Text Interactions:

I deliberately restricted text-heavy accordions and tabbed layouts to an absolute minimum. Instead, complex stakeholder interactions were converted into branching scenario dialogues where learners interacted with job-specific "teammates" (cross-functional roles) to solve real-world workplace dilemmas.

Leading Design Mid-Project:

When a design team transition occurred mid-project, I personally directed the visual strategy. I established distinct stadium visual designs for each module, ensuring that even identical interaction types looked visually unique to prevent learner fatigue.

Design Process

I mapped the 8-hour curriculum into a sequenced, interactive storyboard, specifying the exact pedagogical intent behind every UI element:

H5P Video Checkpoints

Existing raw SME videos were edited down and embedded with inline H5P knowledge-check questions to maintain active listening.

Branching "Teammate" Scenarios

Realistic dialogue trees requiring learners to consult internal stakeholders (e.g., Regulatory Affairs, Clinical Safety), choosing the correct communication protocol to advance.

Used to illustrate linear drug testing phases before allowing the learner to dive into specific sub-task, ranging from hotspots, drag-and-drop, and gamified challenges or quizzes.

Timeline & Interactions

The Solution

The final deliverable was an 8-hour, fully interactive digital learning ecosystem structured into four core modules:

Quarter Final Phase (Module 2)

Pre-clinical testing, regulatory documentation, and safety reporting workflows.

Qualification Phase (Module 1)

Basic terminology, foundational pharmacovigilance rules, and research protocols.

Semi Final Phase (Module 3)

Clinical trial management, cross-functional stakeholder collaboration, and safety monitoring.

The Final & Trophy Presentation (Module 4)

Market entry authorization, real-time risk evaluation under timed pressure, and official "Champions League" Certification upon successful completion.

The Outcomes

Despite timeline extensions caused by the extensive 12-SME analysis phase and a mid-project design team transition, the final program was delivered to high acclaim from Bayer leadership.

80%

12

SMEs consolidated into one learning experience

Certification pass rate

84%

Curriculum reduction

Positive learner feedback

91%

What Do Learners Say?

“The football tournament metaphor made the whole compliance process click. It felt like learning through real decisions, not just reading rules.”

- Regulatory Affairs Associate

“Turning a huge amount of dense content into an 8‑hour interactive experience saved me days. The job aid is something I still use every week.”

- Regulatory Affairs Manager