Thorn Learning delivered the British Council’s eCom LMS induction programme in July and October 2025, preparing new e‑moderators to support online professional development courses through training in platform administration, moderation practices, assessment processes and learner support.
Project overview
The British Council uses the eCom Learning Management System (LMS) to deliver online courses for teachers, teacher educators and education professionals participating in national and regional programmes worldwide. To ensure high-quality online learning experiences, new moderators are required to complete an induction programme before joining the moderator network.
Thorn Learning supports this process through the delivery of LMS induction courses that introduce moderators to platform functionality, moderation tools, assessment workflows and British Council moderation standards. The programme provides practical experience of the LMS from both learner and moderator perspectives, helping participants develop the confidence and skills required to support future course cohorts.
How we worked with the client
Chris Thorn works closely with the British Council EdTech and English and School Education teams to set up, deliver and administer LMS induction programmes for new moderators.
The project involves:
- Creating course cohorts and learning spaces within the LMS.
- Enrolling participants and supporting onboarding.
- Producing training schedules and learner guidance.
- Moderating developmental forum discussions.
- Supporting participants throughout the programme.
- Managing assignments and peer-feedback activities.
- Granting moderator permissions and platform access.
- Producing progress reports and completion records.
- Communicating with trainees and project stakeholders throughout delivery.
Participants experience the LMS as both learners and moderators, gaining hands-on experience with navigation, discussion moderation, assignment management, assessment workflows and feedback processes.
Services and standards
Moderator training, LMS administration, learner support, online facilitation, assessment management, reporting and quality assurance.
Supporting consistent application of British Council moderation standards and online learning practices.
Providing structured onboarding processes that enable moderators to support online learning safely, effectively and consistently across programmes.
Main outputs
- eCom LMS induction courses for new moderators.
- Course cohorts, discussion forums and assessment activities created within the LMS.
- Moderator onboarding, communications and learner support.
- Assignment marking and peer-feedback activities.
- Progress-tracking and completion reports.
- Granting of moderator permissions for successful participants.
- Access management for the Moderator Café and ongoing moderator network.
- Weekly updates and final reports for programme teams.
Course structure
- Introduction: navigating the platform and accessing support.
- Module 1: moderator tools, administration functions and LMS workflows.
- Module 2: assessment, peer feedback and assignment moderation.
Team and contributors
- LMS administration, course delivery, assessment and reporting: Chris Thorn
