Evaluation of digital learning programs, (when it happens!), often focuses on the technology or the process. Was the virtual classroom technology appropriate? Did you complete the eLearning? Did you download the infographic?

These types of questions don’t often provide satisfying results!  

Instead of looking at technology and process, we should be evaluating results. Who cares if content is delivered in a traditional classroom or a virtual classroom, as long as the results align with the business need?

The design and implementation of blended learning includes many moving parts. We consider the LMS that will host all the content, and the virtual classroom platform on which we will deliver live online components. We consider our learners, and the skills they need to build, and the wisdom they already possess. We also consider where learning will happen – whether in a classroom, on a mobile device, at a learner’s desk, or on-the-job.

One element we often overlook, though? Time. By not thinking through how learning takes place, we limit the potential of our programs.

If you were unfamiliar with L. Frank Baum’s Wizard of Oz and read a description of the elements of the story, you’d likely see a list something like the following:

• a haunted castle with flying monkeys, a poppy field
• a tornado in Kansas, a village populated by wee folk
• a forest of talking foul-tempered trees
• a cornfield with a sentient scarecrow
• and a yellow brick road (YBR for short).

This weekend I had the luxury to catch up on some reading. Well, not just reading. There was a podcast, a whitepaper, the (digital) newspaper… in other words, it was a good weekend.

Some of the media I consumed was related to the learning and development industry, some was not. I was trying to give myself a break from work by engaging what intellectual bandwidth I had left at the end of the week in less heady content.

But, as is often the case, even the non-work-related content came back to learning and educational technology.

Virtually There Session Recap

Grabbing and keeping learners’ attention remains steadfastly at the top of the priority list for most trainers. Distractions abound in and out of the classroom – what can we do to provide the most interesting, engaging experience possible?

Expert Sharon Bowman believes Brain Science holds the answer. During her recent Virtually There session, Sharon shared six fundamental brain science concepts she relies on to teach memorable and impactful events. (Missed her live event? Click here to watch the replay).

And one of Sharon’s recommendations reminded me of a classic fashion tip: add a pop of color.

Evaluating a learning program is by far the best way to highlight its value to all business stakeholders. It also bolsters a culture of continuous improvement.

Without measurable results, it's hard to convince the business community that its learning and development (L&D) offerings are effective. Or even necessary.

We spend a lot of time at InSync considering how to design, develop, and deliver great virtual and blended learning solutions.  But how do we know they are, indeed, GREAT?

Creating content is only half of the learning development story. The other half is developing a plan for evaluating the learning. This requires crafting tools used to gather feedback that informs whether learners actually learned, as well as to determine to what extent learners apply what they learned in the workplace. An evaluation should also include on-the-job feedback as learners use newly acquired skills and knowledge.

Virtually There Session Recap

Does your life ever feel insane? Between professional and personal responsibilities, most people get overwhelmed by trying to balance it all. And when your career focuses on ensuring others have the skills they need to effectively and efficiently do their jobs, the pressure builds.

So how do we balance it all in the face of constant chaos? Because the InSync team ponders this question regularly, we figured you likely do too. We invited expert Monique DeMonaco, the author of the best-selling book, Most People Don’t Need a Therapist, They Need a Change, to share her best practices for creating a sane life in an insane world with Virtually There participants.

What did we learn? To unpack the suitcase and focus on self-awareness.

Have you heard? Our workplaces face radical, exciting, and innovative change with the emergence of powerful and game-changing technologies. But as Jennifer Hofmann recently highlighted, the purchase of new tools does not sufficiently prepare our organizations to integrate them in day-to-day work.

Adoption requires effort – a purposeful plan, a visionary team, and a strategic goal. Most importantly, stakeholders must consider the employees impacted by the technology change. How will their professional lives change? How arduous will the transition to the new technology be?

This post is part of an occasional series “Advice from the Virtual Trenches” where we share real lessons learned when virtual and blended learning didn’t go as planned.

Virtual classrooms have been available to training organizations for over 20 years. As someone who has specialized in this domain during that entire time, I tend to forget that not every organization has adopted virtual training as an acceptable alternative to more traditional approaches.

I was definitely reminded of this recently when we worked with a global organization to implement their first substantive virtual training project.