Have you ever been sent to training that just didn’t ring true? Perhaps it presented steps as too simple (“Then just get everyone to agree and implement your plan”) or offered unworkable performance tips (“Set aside a half-hour every day to reflect on your obstacles and achievements”) or included a tipoff that the designer had no idea about the reality of your work (My postal-service husband says he laughs at the unrealistic training videos he’s assigned to watch, because “the customers always have exact change”.)

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.

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.

We all know that organizations have had to quickly move face-to-face training to the virtual classroom. This seismic shift extends beyond instructional design, learner logistics, and technical considerations. It impacts facilitators, too.

Chances are you didn’t dream of being a virtual facilitator, but here you are quite by accident. You might’ve recently graduated and landed a sales position that is now training. Or you’re a traditional trainer and now you’re working online. You probably didn’t think “Wow! I can’t wait to work on the computer and not have learners in front of me.”

But here you are in this position and you find yourself in this unexpected training situation and you’re like, “What’s next?”

You’ve probably heard by now that, for the first time in history, our organizations include five generations of employees. For those of us in learning & development, that means our training programs must address the skills gaps, professional development needs, and future goals of divergently different groups of people.

Before designing engaging learning environments, or facilitating content in an emotionally captivating way, or creating intellectually stimulating exercises and activities, understanding the fundamental characteristics of these five generations can set learning up for success.

We talk a lot about learning journeys. The modern learning landscape has evolved, and standalone programs no longer exist.

Learners reasonably expect personalized, relevant training experiences. Designers understand that their role has changed to accommodate complex perpetual learning programs that resemble winding pathways.

But what about facilitators? How has their responsibility shifted in the age of learning journeys?

Training success relies heavily on the audience. If participants don’t believe content connects to their needs, they will not engage.

And can you blame them? We all feel like we have many projects, tasks, and responsibilities. We simply do not have the time to invest in an event that we perceive as irrelevant.

Our learners face a chaotic, complex, and overloaded world. They can (and do) access information immediately when they need it, and often dread training because they see it as a distraction from their pressing responsibilities.

So how do we encourage enthusiasm and participation in formal learning programs? Through contextualization and authenticity.

Ultimately, it comes down to strong instructional design.

Another year has come and gone. This time of year encourages reflection, both personal and professional, causing the InSync Team to ask questions such as:

• What did I learn this year?
• How did training evolve?
• Which developments resonated with modern learners?
• Where did learning provide innovative value to our companies?

For us, 2018 marked a widespread shift towards truly blended learning. Organizations, learners, and practitioners alike began to embrace the possibility of building skills outside of formal events. Complex, purposeful, and at times frustrating, the evolution to the new blended reality required us all to consider a handful of key elements: modern learners, engaging facilitation, comprehensive instructional design, and planning for the unexpected.