Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that the 2014 Winter Olympics took place in Sochi, Russia. Daily Report regrets the error.
A Baton Rouge company played a key role in preparing more than 4,000 broadcast and production employees covering the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea for their duties, which begin Friday when the games open.
Learning Sciences Corporation, a local firm that specializes in the design, development and deployment of web-based learning platforms, had a nearly $100,000 contract to design and produce a web-based course that gave broadcast and production personnel an overview of the games, broadcast operational protocols, facilities, sports venues and safety guidelines. The e-learning course also covered information about South Korea’s people, culture and landscape.
“Growing up you watch the Olympics and dream of being a part of the world’s largest sports venue,” says Learning Sciences Corporation President Peter Ranzino. “While we don’t compete, just being involved in our own way is exciting.”
The course, which took Learning Sciences Corporation more than a year to research, design and produce, took users a little less than 30 minutes to complete on average, and could be accessed via desktop or mobile devices. Users also had the ability to store information from the course—maps of Olympic venues, for instance—on their mobile devices so they can refer back to it during their stay.
The PyeongChang games are not the first time Learning Sciences has prepared personnel for the experience of producing Olympic games overseas. The company also had contracts for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, and the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
“The custom, web-based learning solution that we produced for the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics sets the bar at a whole new level,” Ranzino says. “Ultimately, that’s what the Olympics is all about—bringing your ‘A game’ to share with the world.”
Ranzino launched Learning Sciences in 2008. In the decade since, the firm has worked with dozens of national clients, including Phillips 66, National Geographic, NBCUniversal, Disney Films and Lucasfilm.
NBC Sports will broadcast the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics through Feb. 25.
