Moving with the times : Transition of Ride Smart to an Online Environment

Ride Smart was a CD-ROM created especially for Victorian motorcycle riders. It was designed with the input of experienced motorcycle trainers and instructional design experts to provide training on a range of motorcycling skills such as hazard perception and decision making. Each year, the TAC sends Ride Smart order forms out to approximately 20,000 newly licensed riders. Approximately 16% of the riders proceed to order the free CD. However, only 2.5% of the riders who order the CD actually complete all the exercises. It was proposed that an on-line version of the training could potentially offer a better means to track and inform the formulation of strategies to improve completion rates. A collateral benefit of re-developing Ride Smart as an online product was the opportunity to make enhancements that might better engage users and thereby motivate them to complete the product. This paper will discuss the transition of Ride Smart to an online environment, the enhancements made and the motivational strategies used to improve the uptake and completion of the resource.