Designing and Delivering Live, Online Training
So you've decided to try some live, online training. You've bought the product and now you wonder "Where do I begin? How do I design and deliver live, online training when my experience is all in the physical classroom?"
Well, you're not alone. There are many in the training industry today who are looking to live, online training as a way to retain workers, reduce travel expenses, keep employees and customers up to date, and, in general, keep up with the rapid increase of learning that must take place to remain competitive.
To put your mind somewhat at ease, let's begin by saying that it isn't all that different.
What is live, online training?
When we're talking about an online classroom, we mean a synchronous environment with a leader and participants in multiple locations speaking and interacting with one another at the same time, much as they would in a physical classroom. Participants can raise their hands, take surveys or tests, and participate in learning activities in a number of different ways. Audio is included in some products through Voice over IP, although some products provide only the collaboration and information-sharing tools and a phone is used for audio.
What are the similarities and differences?
Our training organizationhas been using live, online training for over four years and our experience indicates that moving from the traditional classroom environment is not a difficult task. We train both employees and customers using this technology.
Let's look at the similarities and differences between live, online training and the physical classroom training that many of us are so familiar with.
Think of what you do in a physical classroom: raise your hand, speak to the instructor, say yes or no, participate in a class discussion, listen to lecture while looking at content, view a demo, do exercises to reinforce learning, and so on. All of these things are available to you in the online classroom as well. As a leader, you can see participants when they enter the virtual room; you can call on them when they raise their hands and allow them to speak; you can demonstrate an application and allow a participant to try their hand at performing a specific task, you can write on a slide or whiteboard, and so on.
The mapping between the physical classroom and the live, online classroom is striking and makes it very easy for both participants and instructors to make the switch. In the live, online training, you have the advantages of leader and participant familiarity with the classroom environment—something most of us have been involved in since we were quite young. The difference is that this all takes place online, without visual cues or feedback.
What are the advantages of live, online training?
The primary advantage of online training over physical classroom training is the obvious one of reducing the amount of travel both participants and instructors must do, thus resulting in a reduction of the costs associated with this travel. This advantage applies to both live, online training as well as asynchronous training in the form of computer-based training and Web-based training.
Another advantage is the similarity of live, online training to the physical classroom training thus making it easy for employees or customers to participate in live, online training sessions because they have the physical classroom experience.
Will learners accept this technology?
Based on our experience, learners are ready and willing to try this technology, and studies indicate that they learn as much as those who participate in a physical classroom. By using the Internet at their own desks, participants do not have the stress incurred with travel. They can go home to their families at night and use peers at their work site as mentors if necessary.
Is this technology replacing the classroom?
Absolutely not! There is and always will be a need for the physical classroom. Live, online learning should be viewed as an additional way to get information to participants and reduce the need for travel and time away from the job. Your instructors will find themselves teaching both physical and virtual classes.
How might I schedule live, online training sessions?
In our experience, we have found 60- to 90-minute modules to be a good length for live, online training. If the modules must be longer, a break would be helpful, just as you would have a break in a physical classroom.
There are two general types of content you might be considering: (a) an update or something similar, which would normally require only 60- to 90-minutes to cover, or (b) more complex topics which would normally require one to five days to accomplish in the physical classroom environment.
For more complex topics, you need more than one module—sometimes a series of 10 or 15 modules. Typically, organizations choose one of the following two methods for delivering live, online training on complex topics:
- The university model where participants sign up for a course and then participate in 60- to 90-minute modules once or twice per week
- The corporate model where participants sign up for a course and then participate in a series of modules over the course of two to five days. This method requires more commitment from both the learner and the learner's manager.
You may also choose a model somewhere between these two. You may choose to run three modules a day or run three modules over the course of a week, or three modules at one per week. You have much more flexibility in your scheduling than you typically do in the physical classroom environment where travel costs and logistics may dictate that students come to your location (or you go to theirs) for a concentrated length of time.
