February’s installment of the InSync 20th Anniversary Team Insight series pulls the curtain back on virtual classroom stagehands: The Producer. Read the other blogs in the series to learn about modern learning instructional design, facilitation, and implementation from the best in the business! 

In 2020, we are sharing the lessons we’ve learned about the virtual classroom over the last twenty years, and we’ll link back to our more detailed content around these topics, in case you want to learn more!  Take a peek at the entire Lessons Learned series by clicking here.

In 1998, I envisioned that the role of the producer in the virtual classroom would be to “make the talent look good.” My reasoning was, the virtual classroom facilitator lost the ability to take the pulse of the class using body language and eye contact, so the producer added a second set of hands that help manage learner engagement and increase the quality of virtual lessons. 

We know virtual classrooms include technology bells and whistles designed to promote learner engagement. But how do instructors manage so many moving parts? We highly recommend bringing in a second set of hands to help juggle everything. The best option? A technical or instructional producer. 

Whether you provide production support in your organization’s live online learning events, or you would simply like to create smoother virtual sessions, try applying a few simple approaches for seamless programs.

Our team of multitasking, multi-talented producers outlined their tried-and-true recommendations to help you reach modern learning MVP status.

Flipping the classroom marks a big step towards truly modern learning. Organizations, for a variety of reasons, have transitioned face-to-face training content to the virtual classroom. The process, complicated by the very nature of including technology in learning, can become even more difficult without the right instructional support.

In the two decades that InSync has designed, delivered, and supported virtual training, one factor has proven essential for success: the virtual classroom producer.

A hallmark of our approach, we encourage all teams hoping to incorporate live online sessions into the blend to seriously consider investing in this invaluable resource.

We chatted with veteran producer Brigit Michael and got her take on why she considers the virtual classroom to be a stage, herself a stage hand. Her unique perspective can help you hone your modern learning skills as you facilitate, produce, implement, and manage virtual learning events within your blends.

The role of a virtual producer is a unique one; we’re responsible for making everything run smoothly behind the scenes to ensure that learners have the best experience possible. 

I consider my role as a producer is kind of like a stage hand for a play. Some directors want the stage hands to be recognized and take a bow at the end, and some want them to fade entirely into the background, with a variety of possibilities in between.

Success in the modern virtual classroom is not dependent on the technology, rather, success is dependent on the strength of the relationships between all members of the instructional partnership.

There are many individuals contributing to the success of virtual sessions: facilitators, learners, subject matter experts, instructional designers, just to name a few. 

But when it comes time to go live in the virtual classroom, the partnership between the Facilitator and the Instructional Producer is responsible for the long-term success of the event.