Jennifer Hofmann, President of InSync Training, recently joined eLearning Guild’s Virtual Classroom Panel during their 2018 Learning Solutions Conference. Jennifer and other industry experts shared their insight into the challenges, realities, and best practices of live online learning. This post, the third in the series, recaps their panel discussion.
From instructional design to delivery to production, virtual learning requires special treatment. Accustomed to the face-to-face classroom, learners often perceive live online sessions as “less important.”
How can we fight this stigma and increase learner engagement?
Nina Talley Everflow, Senior Program Manager of EnCompass, Jennifer Hofmann, President of InSync Training, Karen Hyder, Principal of Kaleidoscope Training and Consulting, and Bianca Woods, Sr. Manager of Programming for the eLearning Guild believe in the approaches detailed in this blog post.
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Topics:
Modern Classroom,
Modern Learners,
Virtual Learners
Virtual classroom platforms now include a plethora of tools meant to encourage learner participation. We have whiteboards, breakout rooms, polls, text-based chat. Including them appropriately in our programs positively impacts our modern learners’ experiences.
One modern learning challenge we face though, is the type of engagement these tools generate: is it interaction or collaboration?
Today we sort through the confusion and define collaboration and interaction, and clarify their relationship with virtual learning events.
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Topics:
Virtual Classroom,
Virtual Learners,
Collaboration,
Interaction
As the workplace continues to evolve, and training approaches evolve to support it, at some point it will be hard to distinguish the difference between working and learning. And that’s a good thing.
We’ve been hearing a lot about the modern classroom environment lately. And there is no doubt that modern learners have more options about where and how they learn. We also know that today’s workplace demands training be embedded in the workflow, with minimal disruption to the daily routine.
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Topics:
Virtual Teams,
Collaboration,
Virtual Learners,
Virtually There,
Modern Learning
These tools can be used to build community and continue the learning conversation started in the classroom, or they can be used as a stand-alone “just-in-time” set of resources for training in the flow of work—or anything in between.
After almost two decades of “webinar” virtual classroom experiences, where the instructor lectured for 45 minutes while the phones were muted and the chat was turned off, virtual training is finally moving to a more facilitated model that recognizes the rare opportunity we have when learners from across the enterprise can meet together in real time.
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Topics:
Virtual Classroom - Best Practices,
Virtual Learners,
Social Learning
Even with the increased availability and affordability of online training programs, participants don't seem to be particularly engaged in virtual learning. Jennifer Hofmann, President of InSync Training, believes the design of online programs is to blame.
This video on InSync Training's YouTube channel discusses the five critical elements instructional designers MUST include in any virtual program to properly enable virtual learners to succeed.
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Topics:
Virtual Classroom - Instructional Design,
Engagement,
Virtual Learners,
Podcasts and Videos
Stop me if you've heard this one before.
On second thought, don’t stop me.
It bears repeating. And worth hearing over and over and over again, at least until virtual learning is second nature to all of us.
When learning at a distance, whether in a virtual classroom or using eLearning, you need to create your personal learning environment - and it is probably not the same environment in which you work. If you want to learn effectively, you can't be disrupted or distracted by people, work, or to do lists.
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Topics:
Virtual Learners
Where would virtual training be without virtual learners? Clearly, we need to set them up for success. Although participants have a wide range of backgrounds, skills, and technical experience, all must learn to navigate the virtual learning environment. We must be aware that participants need to "learn how to learn" all over again in this new medium. But how do you prepare them?
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Topics:
Virtual Classroom,
Facilitation,
Virtual Learners
This is the fifth post in a series of six which examines how to enable virtual learners. The first post introduces the series.
A seemingly obvious way to enable virtual learners is to provide useable and accessible technology. However, useable and accessible technology means more than just a system that operates. It requires technology that works efficiently, access to support tools, and programs that are designed to effectively use the technology. More importantly, facilitators must orient learners to the new environment.
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Topics:
EdTech,
Virtual Learners
This is the fourth post in a series of six which examines how to enable virtual learners. The first post introduces the series.
In a previous post, I discussed that blended learning is not a passing fad, and implementing blended learning is key to enabling virtual learners.
We have many options available to us when creating blended training programs. We can build self-paced programs using learning portals, websites, and e-learning. We can develop moderated discussions using social media, discussion boards and email. Finally, we can create real time events using traditional classrooms, videoconferencing, and virtual classrooms. The trick is learning what technologies to use and how to facilitate the blend.
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Topics:
Blended learning,
Design,
Virtual Learners
This is the third post in a series of six which examines how to enable virtual learners. The first post introduces the series.
A key to enabling virtual learners is to design opportunities for learners to interact and collaborate. But how do you make virtual learning a collaborative experience?
The answer sounds simple: find ways to bring participants together for social interaction or to solve a problem. Unfortunately, building collaborative exercises remains a major stumbling block for instructional designers when creating virtual or blended programs. Let's look at some techniques you can use to ensure that your virtual programs, both self-directed and live online, hit the mark.
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Topics:
Design,
Collaboration,
Virtual Learners
