What makes a virtual classroom facilitator good at what they do? Clients and learners ask us this question regularly. Heck, we ask ourselves this question regularly since it speaks to the fundamental value we deliver through our work! Because facilitators deeply impact the overall blend, our answer addresses technical expertise AND those fuzzy soft skills. 

In our experience as both learners and experts, good virtual classroom facilitators….

• Demonstrate virtual classroom literacy.
• Are digitally literate.
• Manage time well.

In practice, these skillsets focus on the learner first, while the technology offers a way to achieve their goals.

In modern blended learning, what learners think about information presented during the training experience matters. In fact, our research shows that this learner reaction perfectly defines the concept of intellectual engagement.

Intellectual engagement relies on intent. Did we design this content in a way that encourages learners perceive it as relevant, timely, and efficient? Did we deliver the information thoughtfully so that learners understand what the business expects of them?

This is the second installment in a three-part series that explores actionable approaches facilitators can use to improve learner engagement through purposeful facilitation.

Can the virtual classroom actually achieve the same learning results as a face-to-face approach? Or is it a ‘second best’ solution?

I believe that, if our approach is authentic and well-designed, facilitators can ensure that virtual learning is REAL learning. And help learners recognize this as well.

Virtually There Session Recap

Virtual classrooms make up just one piece of the modern digital learning experience. Facilitators have the tall order of creating learner engagement in this complex, technical, and sometimes distant-feeling learning environment.

Karen Vieth, Lead Facilitator for InSync Training, has nearly two decades of experience overcoming these challenges and helping others build their skills as virtual instructors. During her recent Virtually There session with Jennifer Hofmann, she shared three advanced facilitation tips that have become cornerstones to her instructional approach.

Bringing balance to the blend isn’t an uncommon topic for our blog and the idea that we need to match learning objectives to the most appropriate instructional strategies and technologies is the foundation to our campaign approach to designing blended learning.

But there is more to the balancing act than just design. Once the development is complete, it’s the job of the facilitator to guide learners though their journeys.

This weekend I read an article, How to Work with Adult Learners: What to keep in mind when teaching your peers.

Applying adult learning principles to peer-based interactions is interesting to me, so I thought I'd give it a quick read. The author was speaking to individuals who are preparing for presentations in meeting type settings. It contained typical advice for individuals new to creating presentations:

• Adults want to know the "why.” 
• They want their prior knowledge to be respected. Relevance is of the utmost importance. 

Good stuff.

Whether presenting an informational webinar or facilitating a multi-part virtual learning series that’s part of a larger blend, teaching live online requires pizzazz and purpose.

As more corporate L&D programs move online, a tried-and-true facilitation process can set you up for success (in fact, we offer a comprehensive train-the-trainer program to help practitioners create a comprehensive toolkit).

In the mid-1990s, virtual classrooms (then known as ‘synchronous’ classrooms) were new. (Don’t believe me? Read some history here!) So new, most people had never heard of them.

But the people who HAD heard of virtual training were very excited. Soon, they proclaimed, none of us would ever have to go to a brick and mortar classroom again! All the ingredients were present to disrupt the Training & Development industry: trainers, participants, and PowerPoint slides! What else did we need?

Adoption of virtual classrooms for training delivery has become a critical component of an organization’s learning strategy. Unfortunately, we’ve been delivering one-way webinars for so long, it is difficult for facilitators to make the transition to a more collaborative instructional approach. 

New facilitators need to start with the basics, including being able to:

• Use collaboration tools to support communication between everyone in the virtual classroom;
• Work effectively with a producer to effectively manage the experience; and
• Be able to effectively manage any technical or instructional problems that arise.