Emergency Response Training
Naloxone (Narcan®️)
Overview
Imagine encountering someone you suspect is experiencing an opioid overdose. In that critical moment, your swift action with Naloxone (Narcan®️) can mean the difference between life and death. Many professionals have faced this exact situation. Opioid overdose emergencies often strike suddenly in settings like schools, clinics, and community centers. To ensure safety, professionals must be prepared to respond decisively and confidently. Existing resources have not always been enough. True preparedness comes from equipping professionals not only with the procedural skills to administer Naloxone, but also with strategies to prevent overdoses in the first place.
Audience and Context
This training course built in Rise empowers professionals working in public settings with the vital knowledge and skills to recognize overdose symptoms and administer Naloxone effectively.
Client
Independent Project
Date
October 2025
Tools
Articulate Rise 360
Synthesia
GitHub
Skills
eLearning Development
Content Strategy
Project Management
Identifying Critical Knowledge Gaps
When it comes to saving lives, it is essential that this course closes the right gap for learners. Critical knowledge gapswere identified through a needs assessment, guiding targeted improvements in course content.
Research Activities
Interview with one SME
Reviewed CDC, SAMHSA, and public health overdose prevention guidelines
Analyzed existing Naloxone training programs to identify content gaps
Key Insights
Learners need both recognition skills and procedural knowledge
Crisis situations require clear, memorable protocols
Identified need for universal (non-organization-specific) training
Audience Characteristics
Wide range of comfort levels with medical content
Limited professional development time
Diverse learning preferences and technology proficiency levels
Key Training Challenges and Solutions
Making Medical Content Accessible
Findings from the Needs Assessment highlight the need to differentiate course content to learners who have limited or no experience with opioid overdose response, ensuring instruction is accessible and relevant for all participants.
Approach to Content Strategy
Awareness
The course builds context by defining what Naloxone is and describing risk factors associated with opioid abuse. It also provides users with information about who can administer, legal protection and additional resources.
Recognition
The course teaches learners how to identify the signs of overdose (critical decision point) through interactive blocks including flash cards.
Procedure
Finally, the course provides learners with procedural steps outlining how to administer Naloxone effectively.
Core Features
✅ Universal Design
Training model can be differentiated for diverse settings. For example:
K-12 school districts
Corporate workplaces
Community organizations
Public libraries and recreation centers
Higher education institutions
✅ Microlearning-Friendly
Modular structure allows users to review specific sections
Asynchronous time-agnostic design allows for learners to continuously review course material by referring back as needed
✅ Resource Library
Reference materials from trusted sources and SMEs for post-training review including:
Harm Reduction Resources
SAMHSA Overdose Prevention and Response Toolkit
Prescribe to Prevent Videos
✅ Scenario-Based Assessment
Tests real-world application, not memorization
Allows learners to practice applying knowledge to real-world situations in a low-stakes environment
Creating Opioid Safety Experts in the Community
Development Phase
Strategic use of Rise's interactive blocks (tabs, flashcards, process) maintain engagement without trivializing the content.
All content is written using a conversational and empathetic tone in alignment with course goals. This course balances narrative realism through character dialogue to support learner immersion. While building I kept the following goals as my North Star.
Intentional use of Rise interactive blocks (tabs, flashcards, process) to enhance engagement while maintaining pedagogical integrity.
Continuous assessment and self-evaluation happens within embedded reflection cards, scenario decisions, and rating scales.
Purposeful use of Storyline blocks for branching simulations.
Screenshot of Synthesia Video. October 2025
Storyboarding & Video
Initially, I created a short training video using Synthesia, an AI-powered video creation tool. While the tool was effective for rapid development, my content lacked the depth of clinical research needed to ensure accuracy and credibility.
I decided instead to incorporate a video developed by SMEs at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. This decision not only improved the reliability of my training materials but also modeled the importance of integrating expert-verified content into instructional design projects.
Accessibility Considerations
Clear, jargon-free language (8th-grade reading level)
Multiple content formats (text, visual, audio)
High contrast for readability
Design Decisions & Rationale
Visual Design
Color Palette
Primary color used is professional blue (#1E6BA8) conveying trust, calm authority, and medical professionalism without creating anxiety
Typography & Layout
Emergency training must be easy to reference under stress. Formatting includes ample white space and key terms are bold and for scanning during review/crisis reference
Assessment Design
Compliance training requires demonstrated competency. The final assessment prioritizes and emergency protocol, not just knowledge recall and includes 5 questions and an 80% passing threshold (4/5 correct). The 80% threshold ensures learners can apply critical skills while accounting for test anxiety. Variety in questions and question types (multiple choice, true/false, scenario-based) test critical actions, not trivial details.
Results & Impact
Save Lives When Every Second Counts!
1
Increased staff confidence in recognizing overdose symptoms
2
Faster emergency response times due to reduced hesitation to administer Naloxone
3
Broader organizational culture of harm reduction and support
What's Next?
Future Enhancements
Branching scenario: learner makes decisions in a simulated overdose situation
Post-training confidence survey to measure behavior change
Follow-up microlearning "refreshers" at 3-month intervals
Lessons Learned
Always collaborate with SMEs when creating training for medical content rather than creating your own based on research.
Emergency training requires ruthless prioritization—every element must serve immediate application
Universal design (de-identified content) increases portfolio versatility
Summary
This project demonstrates my ability to design accessible, engaging eLearning for high-stakes topics while applying instructional design principles and leveraging authoring tool capabilities strategically.