{"id":6100,"date":"2026-02-23T09:53:49","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T09:53:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/LTAcademy\/?p=6100"},"modified":"2026-02-23T09:54:06","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T09:54:06","slug":"learning-central-induction-escape-the-learning-central-labyrinth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/LTAcademy\/learning-central-induction-escape-the-learning-central-labyrinth\/","title":{"rendered":"Learning Central Induction: Escape the Learning Central Labyrinth"},"content":{"rendered":"

This blog is written by Punsisi Somaratne<\/a> a Learning Designer from the Learning and Teaching Academy\u2019s Digital Education team.<\/p>\n

\u201cInstead of another demo, could we make it a game?\u201d <\/em><\/strong>That was the feedback from our student champions.<\/p>\n

When students join the University for the first time, their respective schools provide a wealth of information to help them become familiar with the University, its processes, and systems. Inductions around using Blackboard Ultra (known in Cardiff as ‘Learning Central’) for their learning journey needs is one of them. Common practice is to share links to support guides on the intranet or to demonstrate how to use the platform. However, focus groups with student champions echoed the student voice. Thus, they stressed that the induction on Learning Central (LC) can be overwhelming, as students find it difficult to retain all the information given during their induction week. The solution suggested by our student champions: a game-based approach for the LC induction. To support their request, I designed an escape room style activity in LC.<\/p>\n

Watch the video by clicking here<\/a> \u00a0(1:40 mins) for insights into the game’s features.<\/p>\n

Why an escape room? Why in Blackboard?<\/h2>\n

I chose an escape room activity in Blackboard Ultra for the following reasons.<\/p>\n