Introducing our new guest series: inside the world of live digital learning
Three case studies from across the sector
We’re kicking off 2026 with a new format for the newsletter! Over the next few months, we’ll be sharing guest articles that take a closer look at what’s happening across the digital learning sector.
Throughout 2025, live digital learning kept coming up in our conversations, events, and inbox. With school budgets under pressure and timetables increasingly full - school trips are harder for teachers to organise.
In response, many organisations are attempting to reach schools through live digital sessions. These range from workshops delivered to a single classroom, through to large-scale national broadcasts.
New research from Historic Royal Palaces and People Tree Research offered insight into how this is playing out across the sector. A few findings stood out:
Most organisations are focusing on live, interactive workshops for one class or school at a time, with around 60% of those surveyed offering this format.
One in five organisations surveyed are running live broadcast sessions for wider audiences.
Teachers are driven by clarity and practicality: curriculum links, cost, and ease of scheduling were the top three factors influencing uptake.
Visibility remains a major challenge. Many organisations felt their strongest digital content simply isn’t reaching teachers. Without dedicated communications support, brilliant resources can easily sit unseen.
With this backdrop, we wanted to dig a bit deeper and explore the different ways live lessons are being designed, delivered, and scaled.
Three very different case studies
Over the next few months, we’ll be handing the newsletter over to three organisations who are delivering live learning in creative and contrasting ways.
🐾 Blue Cross choose-your-own-adventure ‘Superlive’ via Zoom
Helen from Blue Cross will tell us about their highly interactive Zoom session exploring Animals in WWI. We will see how they use simple tech, strong storytelling and a choose-your-own-adventure ‘Superlive’ format to keep their sessions engaging.
🦒 Chester Zoo large-scale themed productions
Lauren from Chester Zoo will tell us how they have designed and delivered a national live learning programme with fantastic teacher resource. Plus how they work with a digital learning education partner to produce high-end broadcasts.
🏺North East Museums subject-focused days linking multiple organisations
Morgan from North East Museums will take us behind the scenes of the extremely successful Hadrian’s Wall Focus Days, which bring together multiple organisations to offer a rich, varied programme for students.
Across all three case studies, we’ll be asking:
How do you design a live experience for scale? Whether that’s 30 students or 3,000?
What makes a session feel personal, even when it’s a broadcast?
What tech choices actually matter, and what doesn’t?
We’re excited to share these guest articles with you and to highlight the innovative, strategic, and sometimes surprising ways organisations are using live digital learning to reach schools!
👉 Subscribe to make sure you don’t miss the series.
In the meantime… what are you working on?
We are also looking to hear from other teams about your latest digital learning projects!
Do you have an interesting event, resource or approach you’d like to share? Please get in touch with Rosie from the DLNET team using the button below.