Curating an Immersive Brand Story for an Institute of Distinction

THE CLIENT

National Institute of Education  

WHAT WE DID

Stakeholder consultation & engagement 
Audience research & engagement
Storytelling & strategy
Experience & Interpretive Design
Virtual implementation & data collection 

NIE Visitors Learning Centre Experience

Known for consistently topping the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) scores, Singapore boasts one of the best education systems in the world. The National Institute of Education (NIE) supports the education system through talent development and research to ensure continued advancement in the field of teacher education.  

NIE partnered HOL to share its brand story through a values-driven, immersive experience at its learning centre. The NIE Visitors Learning Centre seeks to showcase NIE’s leadership in teacher education and research, aiming to inspire a new generation of educators committed to excellence. 

IMPACT

Visiualised

NIE’s core values

Double

Average session length compared to the industry benchmark

Reaffirmed

NIE’s status as an institution of distinction

At the NIE Visitors Learning Centre, we successfully brought NIE’s core values to life. Rather than stating these values outright, we crafted an experience that allows visitors to intuitively sense and understand them through meaningful engagement with the exhibits. Our data from the virtual experience supports the effectiveness of this approach, with an average session length of 234 seconds—significantly above the industry average of 120 seconds. This extended engagement reflects the compelling and immersive nature of the experience we created. By designing this thoughtfully immersive environment, we not only made NIE’s values more tangible but also reinforced NIE’s reputation as an institution of distinction, celebrated for its excellence in teacher education and educational research. 

SUMMARY

Values-Driven Educational Excellence

NIE partnered HOL to share its brand story through a values-driven, immersive experience at its learning centre. The NIE Visitors Learning Centre seeks to showcase NIE’s leadership in teacher education and research, aiming to inspire a new generation of educators committed to excellence.

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ABOUT THE CLIENT

National Institute of Education  

NIE welcomes numerous distinguished international guests to its campus annually. They seek insights and inspiration from a premier institution that champions excellence in both teacher education and national education. How do we elegantly craft a learning centre that showcases the institution’s rich history and future aspirations, and reflects its esteemed reputation to all visitors?

CHALLENGE

Many hands, many voices

Becoming a world-class thought leader in teacher education is no easy feat. NIE’s sterling reputation and importance to national education is the result of the combined efforts of many distinguished specialists and dedicated educators who relentlessly pursue excellence in their respective fields. How do we effectively showcase the outcomes of their diverse contributions while authentically representing all voices in the NIE story?

 

Diverse audience

NIE aims to engage a diverse audience that includes international visitors, current and prospective students, parents, researchers, and alumni. To succeed in this endeavour, it is necessary to address the various needs and interests of these groups using tailored engagement techniques.

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We conducted extensive interviews with students, teachers, deans, and ex-directors, as well as studied frequently asked questions from visitors to gain profound insights into the institution. After synthesising and analysing the data, we derived the following insights:

Close collaboration with MOE

NIE collaborates closely with the Ministry of Education (MOE) to deliver high-quality training for teachers across all levels, from undergraduate to postgraduate programmes, empowering them to pursue diverse and fulfilling career paths in education.

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Practical research

NIE prides itself on conducting research that is grounded and actionable. The partnership between NIE and MOE allows researchers to observe and implement their research in schools. The valuable feedback from the ground is then used to inform further research.

 

Emphasis on values-centred education

Believing that values remain constant in a world where content knowledge and pedagogy are constantly changing, NIE prides itself on placing strong values at the heart of its work.

Building a network

NIE’s vast network of partners comprises educational institutions around the globe. This allows NIE students and staff to gain exposure to different cultures and ideas. The opportunity for international exposure also attracts prospective faculty and students who seek to broaden their horizons with NIE.

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Strategies

Creating a compelling brand story

Crafting NIE’s brand story, centred around its values, involves creating an emotionally resonant narrative that weaves together its rich history, educational impact, and future aspirations. This approach highlights NIE’s commitment to excellence in teacher education and research, fostering a deeper appreciation for its pivotal role in shaping the future of learning.

 

Leveraging technology for enhanced engagement and reach

To cater to NIE’s diverse target groups and enhance visitor engagement, leveraging technology is essential. This involves creating an immersive experience as well as a virtual space that caters to different audiences in different locations, thereby expanding NIE’s reach.

NIE’s strong emphasis on value education sets it apart from other teacher colleges worldwide. Its success is deeply rooted in a steadfast commitment to these principles. To make NIE’s ethos tangible, we created an immersive visitors centre featuring values-centred stories, interactive content on training programmes and research, a tech-enabled interactive wall, and a real-time photo wall. These elements allow visitors to engage with NIE’s core principles through sight, sound, and touch, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of its mission.

An impactful experience is achieved when design and content work in
perfect harmony. At the NIE Visitors Learning Centre, this synergy is evident throughout. One example is the entrance installation inspired by the Chinese proverb: “十年树木, 百年树人” (It takes ten years to plant trees, but a hundred years to cultivate people). Bronze bars reminiscent of tree trunks, along with a heartfelt quote by our founding Prime Minister and world-renowned statesman, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, reinforce NIE’s mission of nurturing educators for future generations. This elegant, immersive design not only fosters visitors’ understanding and appreciation of NIE’s significant role in teacher education but also affirms NIE as a distinguished institute.

Potential students often do their research on NIE before making their decisions. To cater to this group, we knew we needed to provide a fun, and engaging experience to capture their attention. After evaluating various techniques and options, we decided to leverage interactive technology to enhance storytelling within the space.

Our interactive wall, which quickly became a crowd favourite, allows visitors to experience NIE’s values through sight, sound, and touch. Key information was distilled and presented in animations that appeared when visitors tapped on the icons, making the information easy to digest. This novel feature made the space more engaging and attractive, particularly for students.

NIE welcomes many international visitors to its campus annually, but many are unable to make the trip to Singapore. Aside from reaching out to its overseas audience, NIE also wanted to reach out to alumni, potential students, and their parents. Each audience group had differing interest in NIE’s work.

To address these challenges, we created a dynamic, user-centric online experience for the institution. Online visitors can choose personas that best match their needs. This approach allows NIE to ‘speak to’ diverse audience segments by providing personalised experiences, connecting and engaging them effectively, and expanding its reach beyond Singapore.

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“Angeline and her team are competent and truly dedicated. The HOL team understood our requirements well, offered good ideas and often pushed the boundaries of creativity to offer different perspectives and insights to the project. Angeline listened, absorbed and executed our thoughts and processes, often going beyond what the job required. We were truly pleased with our learning journey and work experience with HOL. They are responsible, committed and a great bunch of fun people to work with.”

Mr Chan Tee Miang
Director,
NIE – Divisional Corporate Planning and Development
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