Recently, learners have flocked to the virtual classroom to continue their professional development. Organizations have started embracing the flexibility and dynamism of this learning environment as a viable option for programs ranging from new-hire onboarding to informational webinar-style updates to complex technical trainings.

We believe in the power of the virtual classroom. But, truthfully, despite its varied functionality and useful tools, learners experience a, well, learning curve when learning virtually.

To help learners – both new and experienced – adapt and thrive in the virtual classroom, our team compiled a list of obstacles to look out for and ways to preemptively overcome them.

In August, we celebrate virtual classroom facilitators. And this year, you all REALLY deserve applause. You’ve been teaching marathon sessions that weren’t designed for the virtual environment, often in platforms you haven’t used before.

So, KUDOS to you, and thanks for all you have been doing. I know it hasn’t been easy.

When I wrote this blog back in January 2020, none of us had any idea how the world was about to change.  Virtual facilitation isn’t a ‘nice to know’ skill anymore – it’s critical! InSync’s clients tell us they expect near 100% of their training to be conducted virtually for the foreseeable future.  So, with thousands of hours of Zoom, Webex, Adobe Connect, and MS Teams training on the horizon, it seems a good time to revisit the basics.

No - virtual facilitation is NOT the same as face to face training. Own it. Embrace it. Your learners are depending on you.

Like in all professions, Learning & Development faces its fair share of challenges. Changing global dynamics, evolving business needs, and a diverse audience all contribute to a complex, and confusing, pathway forward.

The virtual classroom offers a solution to many of the broad obstacles training functions face. This learning environment supports organizations of all sizes and types, while seamlessly integrating into comprehensive, personalized, easily updated blends. And while the live online training environment provides flexibility and results, it does come with obstacles. By considering them ahead of time, you can avoid the pitfalls that will derail desired progress.

Learner Engagement – defining and enhancing it have remained critically important in the modern classroom for years. If content design and delivery do not capture attention, demand participation, and encourage ongoing application, training programs inherently become less effective.

Exclusive research conducted by the InSync Training team focused on the long-standing question, “What is learner engagement?” and uncovered a surprising answer: it is not one single thing. Rather, learner engagement actually includes three separate learner factors: their environment, their emotions, and their intellect. We know that when instructional designers thoughtfully organize content and create activities that consider and generate these three types of engagement, learners benefit.

Summary: As it turns out, evaluating a virtual training program is just like evaluating any other instructional program. The challenges lie in what you measure and how you interpret the results. The good news is that current modern virtual classroom platforms give you a variety of tools you can use to assess the effectiveness of your instructional delivery and its effect on learners.

Anyone familiar with ADDIE can tell you that the last step (the “E”) is evaluation. The challenges that people misinterpret what that step means-not seeking to evaluate the learner, but rather the learning program. Effective program evaluation requires careful planning prior to design to identify key data measures and means to collect the data prior to implementation.

Moving great face-to-face learning to the virtual classroom includes a multi-step process. The first step involves making an effort to understand the value of the learning environment. Next, facilitators and instructional designers have to adapt their approach to maximize engagement and effectiveness.

Underlying these positive attitudes, dazzling designs, and enthralling facilitation approaches lies an important question that requires an answer: who are our key players?

Those leading and managing the change to live online learning have to get to the bottom of this question, as well as the consequences of the resulting answer. Think about three main categories: Learners, Facilitators, and Designers.

Everyday thousands of virtual classroom sessions take place – meetings, webinars, comprehensive training programs. In fact, Microsoft Teams set a one-day record for their platform and hosted 2.7 BILLION meeting minutes in a single 24-hour period this year.

This trend does not surprise us - the world, and our classrooms, have changed. And while instructional design and facilitation approaches need updating, learners also have to adapt to this learning environment. Participation, collaboration, interaction, and contribution look different in the virtual classroom.

Moving learning live online requires a reframing of perspective about the value of virtual classroom experiences and the responsibility of facilitators in this environment. While delivery and corporate learning culture absolutely impact the success of virtual training, we cannot overlook the importance of instructional design.

Virtual learning experiences include layers – each element building on and enabled by the one before it. Instructional design provides the foundation on which the entire experience grows and thrives. Without the stability of thoughtful design, the rest of the virtual training program exists precariously and in danger of collapse.

How can you set your organization up for success with virtual learning? Think through key considerations and dissect your content.

I remember January. Traditionally, January and February are the slowest months at InSync Training. Organizations tend to spend these early months finalizing the training plans for the rest of the year. As always, we wondered what this new year would bring.

Then in February, we started hearing about Covid-19. Aka #TheVirus.

March brought uncertainty to the market… Would we still travel to conferences? How long would we need to worry? Are our children safe in school? Organizations were in a reactive mode - rescheduling or canceling events for the next several months. Many of those events were automatically moved online with little thought to long-term redesign.

What do platforms like Webex Training, Zoom, Adobe Connect, and Microsoft Teams have in common? They all include a variety of virtual classroom tools!

When instructional designers incorporate their use into training programs and facilitators leverage them during delivery, tools can increase learner engagement. Learners feel more connected to their fellow participants, to the instructional team, and to the training content. Plus, when the virtual classroom supports active participation and collaboration, concerns about learning in a new environment fade away.