Xpan
Xpan exists to create superior knowledge experiences that engage, educate, and empower your learners.
Since 2001, Xpan has been a North American pioneer in developing immersive, interactive, and cost-effective eLearning, web, and multimedia solutions. We capture, retain, and transfer knowledge across a multitude of digital platforms for large organizations in various industries and from around the world.
We know that your organization's value lies within its knowledge base. We work with you to leverage that knowledge to increase your value. We help you to assess, develop, and implement technology-agnostic strategies that are designed specifically for your business. From the ground up, we take a holistic approach to developing custom training strategies, web apps, mobile apps, virtual and augmented reality, and creative content. Xpan will enable you to collect and curate data from your learning experiences to continuously evolve your programs and empower your learners. With us as your partner, your company will operate better, faster, and smarter.
Experience Knowledge. Experience Xpan.
Notable Customers:
Media Gallery
Use Cases
York University RISC Department: Virtual Reality Simulations in Risk Research
York University’s Risk and Insurance Studies Centre (RISC) in Ontario, Canada, is a global Think Tank that leads research in Risk Management and Insurance with the aim towards a sustainable future.
The RISC conducts important research that facilitates dialogue between academia, private industry, the public sector, and government bodies.
Engage
Housefires represent one of the most common emergencies experienced by Canadians, however only a tiny percentage of the population has experienced this in their lifetime. In studying people’s readiness to purchase extra protection in the event of a fire, the scholars at RISC hypothesized that people would be more willing to purchase this insurance after exposure to a housefire. However, this is a difficult situation to safely create and replicate, even in a controlled environment.
Choice experiments, along with responses to a set of survey questions based on hypothetical situations, are widely used in economics to elicit consumer preferences or valuations that are not observed. The problem is that choice experiments are subject to hypothetical bias – the potential error that arises in our choices because we are faced with a hypothetical rather than an actual situation.
Research shows that using Virtual Reality (VR) can simulate a potentially dangerous experience in a repeatable, safe, controlled environment, as well as attenuate the bias associated with choice experiments. York University entrusted Xpan’s team of creatives to develop a VR experience that would further their efforts with risk research.
Xpan’s credo was brought to life as we developed the right VR solution for York University’s RISC Department:
- We dream big – The goal was to create an experience that was as realistic as possible with a very limited budget. Our strategy was to limit the number and complexity of interactions as well as scenes so priority could be given to the elements that needed the most realism – fire, smoke, and the emergency sequence.
- We keep it real – Our main consideration was to ensure that the experience was real enough to stimulate an emotional response, but not so real as to cause physical, mental, or emotional trauma; balancing the two was tricky!
- We’ve got your back – This project’s minimal funding and exceptionally tight timeline meant our team needed to mobilize quickly and efficiently to be able to deliver what York’s RISC Department needed. With creativity and teamwork, the project came in on time, and on budget.
- We love what we do – The highlight of this experience was the use of spatial audio. A well-timed scream to instill the urgency of a real housefire, along with the sound of a person’s heartbeat increasing, both added to the realism of the scenario.
Educate
RISC’s VR housefire simulation obtained funding support from eCampus Ontario and procured Oculus Quest devices from the Centre to deliver the experience for up to 20 participants at a time in a tethered environment.
The experiment involved approximately 120 subjects who completed a survey asking them to rate their willingness to pay for added fire protection on their insurance policies. After a period of six to eight weeks, the subjects experienced the VR simulation and then took the same survey to measure the change (if any) in their responses.
Xpan Interactive developed the simulation as a holographic environment using Unity as the graphics engine. The Xpan and RISC teams used an agile workflow and active collaboration to make the concept a reality and bring the housefire scenario to life.
Empower
The VR scenario was delivered as a three-minute simulation of someone experiencing a housefire. The length of the simulation accurately represented the average time a person has to escape a housefire. Using a combination of visual and audio effects, the simulation was very effective in testing. It created an authentic impact on users, eliciting the intended fear response, while preserving the physical and psychological safety of the participants.
See a compressed recording of the simulation in action:
Glencore Tailings Manager Academy (TMA):A Case Study in Capturing Global Knowledge
Glencore is one of the world’s largest globally diversified natural resource companies. Founded in 1974 as a trading company, Glencore has grown to become the leading producer and marketer of commodities, with operations comprising of approximately 60 mining, metallurgical and oil production assets. From metals and minerals to energy products and marketing, Glencore seeks to minimize their impacts on the environment and communities.
Engage
Potential risks related to the Tailings Storage Facilities (TSFs) are especially well-known, providing industry experts with many valuable lessons, along with years of practical experience and expertise to help mitigate the risk of such failures.
Glencore challenged Xpan to create a digital learning solution that would harness this expert knowledge and provide it to those who play an important role in securing the stability of tailings dams. Glencore also wanted this learning solution to help employees follow legal and regulatory requirements based on their jurisdictions to ensure the protection of the environment and communities surrounding such facilities.
Our Xpan credo was at the forefront of our minds during every stage of this project:
- We dream big – This course captured the best thinking from a collection of world experts on TSFs. It is the only known program of its kind in the industry and is one of the most comprehensive technical training academies Xpan has produced.
- We keep it real – This project involved a complex group of stakeholders who came together from across multiple contributing companies, cultural contexts, languages and priorities. Our Xpan team thoughtfully facilitated the sharing of best practices from these diverse entities to produce a curriculum that remained true to Glencore’s mission of elevating industry standards.
- We’ve got your back –With the considerable size and complexity of this project, it’s not surprising that many changes and interruptions happened along the way. Our Xpan team skillfully assisted Glencore in navigating the process to produce a learning solution that upholds their unwavering commitment to developing competency in their organization.
- We love what we do – We incorporated advanced animations and unique presentation modes to represent the technical concepts in interesting and engaging ways. We were thrilled and honoured to win the Silver Brandon Hall Group award for this important project!
Educate
Glencore has taken the lead in managing its Tailings Storage Facilities (TSFs) around the world by partnering with Xpan to create the Tailings Manager Academy (TMA), an international, online, university-style learning experience.
The TMA is a place where Glencore employees can build on their existing knowledge and skills and increase their ability to make correct decisions in the design, construction, operation, monitoring, and maintenance of TSFs. A detailed curriculum covers aspects of TSF management, and industry best practices, and provides Glencore employees with the information they need to successfully apply Glencore’s high safety standards.
The TMA curriculum has been developed entirely by Xpan in collaboration with a global panel of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) from Glencore, Hatch, and Klohn Crippen Berger across 5 continents. The TMA course material is divided into three certificates, designed for the three main employee groups at a TSF:
- Operators and technicians
- Dam owners, managers, and accountable executives
- Responsible persons and engineering staff
It is delivered online in four languages: English, Spanish, Russian, and French, allowing learners to complete the program independently, when they want, and where they want.
The TMA program reflects eLearning best practices, integrating proven instructional design and adult learning principles, with a multimedia approach to create engaging and interactive learning experiences. The modules follow a university-style model and present theory in discrete sections and topics, in a linear, asynchronous format.
Customized interactivities and knowledge checks were designed and included to help the learner retain knowledge of key topics and concepts. Expert moments are included as video segments, allowing subject matter experts to share knowledge that can only be obtained through years of specialized field experience. Learners also have access to handbooks that support the material and their learning. Lastly, end-of-module assessments and a final exam confirm the learners’ mastery of content.
Empower
The program achieved overwhelmingly positive reviews and won a silver Brandon Hall Group award for custom content in 2022.
Testimonials
“Working with the team at Xpan was like working with friends right from the very start. The design team took the time to truly understand our business and the women we serve through our training programs. This complete understanding allowed us to create a fabulous online learning series that has provided the opportunity for women to access our training regardless of location. The creativity, innovation, and out of the box thinking pushed us to a height we didn’t even know we could reach.”
– Teresa Anderton, CAPM, Project Manager at Women Building Futures
“Xpan has been our Orientation host provider for many years. Tim and the team have engaged us on several occasions with updates and continuous improvements. The data retrieval has progressed to a level that allows us to search and create reports if required. The database has been stable throughout some interesting times and is well supported. We get an immediate response and the Xpan tech support listen to our ideas for adaptability to our Management System. The usability and functionality of the data and the search engine is very well done. Thank you Xpan team!”
– Dale Ivie CEA, CRSP, ENMAX Safety Specialist at Enmax
“We very much enjoyed working with the team at Xpan. They took the time to understand the concept, which we were developing from scratch, and adjusted along the way. They were responsive to our constrained environment and acted professionally and collaboratively throughout the development process. We appreciated our weekly updates and meetings and the friendly discussions on how to make the VR experience as realistic as possible without creating trauma. We welcomed the team’s openness to trying new approaches to deliver a unique VR experience and were very pleased with the final product. We highly recommend the Xpan team.”
– Ida Ferrara PhD Associate Professor, Department of Economics
“Collaborating with the Haisla Nation Culture Department, Lee Wilson Studios and Xpan Interactive on the cultural video project was an exceptional experience.  The final product was a stunning visual narrative that helps to preserve Haisla culture, language and music.  Xpan’s attention to detail, dedication to authentic storytelling, combined with Lee’s innovative videography captured the Haisla Nation Culture Camp’s rich culture beautifully.  Kitamaat Valley Education Society is so very honoured to have had an opportunity to partner on this project and we highly recommend Xpan for their passion for storytelling and commitment to excellence. We look forward to future collaborations and are confident they will continue to deliver outstanding results.”
– Carrie McKay Interim Executive Director, Kitamaat Valley Education Society
Top Product Offerings
Xpan’s learning management system (LMS), is designed with the latest cloud-based technology and modern design. The platform offers an intuitive and user-friendly learning environment, created to provide learners with a simple, streamlined, personal learning experience. The architecture is built around a role-based interface, allowing access points to be accessible based on these permission structures – notably, Learners, Managers, Administrators, and Instructors.
This impressive user architecture provides XACT LMS users with the best flexibility for delivering highly specialized training to a specific group of users with the same ease as delivering organization-wide training initiatives. Additionally, the platform allows the ability to customize and brand multiple layers of the interface, including unique portals and content (if applicable) for your various customer organizations.
Easy access to training, resources, and certificates at any time for your client organizations and their learners is the top priority. The XACT LMS is SOC2 compliant and hosted courses are accessible 24 hours/day, 7 days/week, 365/year.
Additional Details
ArborXR Demo Available: No
Trial Period Offered: No
Regions Supported: North America, South America, APAC, EMEA, LATAM
Notable Milestones / Awards:
- SOC 2 Type I
- SOC 2 Type II
- Xpan has received numerous awards for our learning programs from Brandon Hall Group, Horizon Interactive, and Muse.
Type of Developer: 360 Video, Analytics Platform / LMS, AR, VR
Type of Content: Custom
Device Support: HTC, Oculus / Meta, PICO
Industries: AEC, EDU (Higher-Ed), Energy / Oil & Gas, Government, Healthcare / Medical, Safety
Established: 2001
Headquarters: Canada
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