What if learning WHMIS became an investigation?

It all started with a request from our client: create an interactive learning object (ILO) about WHMIS designed for youth.

The content to cover was clear. But at Pedalogix Solutions, our work is not simply about taking content and putting it online.

Our first question was:

How can we help young people experience this content rather than simply present it to them?

Teenagers learning about pictograms, labels, and Safety Data Sheets could easily be given a presentation, a few pages to read, a video to watch, and a quiz to complete.

But is that the best way to help them understand?
Will they remember what they learned?
And most importantly, will they want to keep going?

Those questions led to the creation of Incident in the Lab 2005.

Start with the learner before choosing the format

When designing a learning experience, the content matters—but so does the person who needs to learn it.

In this case, our audience was youth.

We didn’t want to simply recreate a traditional WHMIS course online. We wanted to build an experience where the information had a purpose.

That led us to an immersive simulation built around an investigation.

In Incident in the Lab 2005, something has happened in a laboratory.

The learner needs to figure out what happened.

To solve the mystery, they must learn how to recognize WHMIS pictograms, understand the information found on labels, navigate Safety Data Sheets (SDS), assess risks, and identify safe practices when working with hazardous products.

In other words, the learning content becomes necessary to solve the investigation.

Why not simply create a traditional WHMIS course?

That was exactly the challenge.

We could have built the learning experience using a familiar structure:

Content → Video → Quiz → Result

That approach can work. But it wasn’t the experience we wanted to create for this audience.

Instead, we chose a different path:

Situation → Discovery → Learning → Application → Progress

Learners don’t simply memorize what a pictogram means. They need to understand it because that information helps them move forward in the investigation.

They don’t explore a Safety Data Sheet simply because the course requires them to know what an SDS is. They learn how to find information in it because they actually need that information.

It may seem like a small difference.

For us, it completely changes the learner’s role.

Instead of simply receiving information, they use it.

Learning by doing

We wanted young people to be active throughout the experience.

They observe. They search. They analyze. They make connections. They answer questions. They make decisions and receive feedback.

The story becomes the thread that connects the learning experience.

The interactions aren’t there simply to make the course more “fun.” They have a learning purpose.

That distinction matters to us.

Gamification isn’t just about adding points or badges to a quiz.

The experience itself needs to make sense.

In Incident in the Lab 2005, the missions, badges, challenges, and investigation are directly connected to the learner’s progress and the knowledge they are developing.

Designing for youth also means thinking about accessibility

We also wanted to avoid making large amounts of text an unnecessary barrier to learning.

Not every young person has the same reading ability, attention span, or way of learning.

That is why the experience combines:

• visual elements;

• audio narration;

• subtitles;

• short learning sequences;

• interactive activities;

• feedback;

• clear progression;

• badges that recognize achievement.

The goal isn’t to simplify the learning expectations.

The goal is to reduce barriers that are not essential to the learning itself.

A learner may struggle with a long page of text while being perfectly capable of understanding the same concept when it is presented visually, explained aloud, and connected to a meaningful situation.

From pictograms to the final investigation

The experience gradually helps learners build the knowledge they will need.

They explore WHMIS pictograms, labels, and Safety Data Sheets (SDS).

Each stage allows them to develop new knowledge while progressing through the experience.

Then comes the opportunity to put everything together.

During the final investigation, the concepts are no longer isolated. Learners must connect the information, apply what they have learned, and use the evidence they have gathered to determine what happened in the laboratory.

At the end of the experience, they receive a certificate recognizing their achievement.

Who is Incident in the Lab 2005 for?

Incident in the Lab 2005 was designed for secondary school students and other young learners who need an introduction to WHMIS and the safe use of hazardous products.

The experience can be used in schools, programs that prepare youth for the workplace, and other educational settings where WHMIS awareness is needed.

It is available in English and French.

Behind the simulation: a different way of thinking about learning

Incident in the Lab 2005 reflects how we approach learning design at Pedalogix Solutions.

When a client comes to us with content that needs to be taught, we don’t necessarily begin by asking:

“How can we put this content online?”

Instead, we ask:

“Who needs to learn this, and what kind of experience could help them truly understand it?”

Sometimes, the right solution will be a traditional online course.

Sometimes, it might be a video, an interactive activity, an adaptive learning pathway, or microlearning.

And sometimes, as with WHMIS, it might be an investigation inside a laboratory.

Technology and interactivity are not the end goal.

They become valuable when they help make learning more concrete, accessible, meaningful, and engaging.

That is exactly what we set out to accomplish with Incident in the Lab 2005.

🎥 Want to see it in action? Watch a short preview of Incident in the Lab 2005 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgM4qlN8_WA