Into the Virtual Learning Paradigm

We need to understand two very important things here – one is definitely the modalities of VILT’s (Virtual Instructor-Led Training) and the second and even more important is, correctly decoding the needs and mindset of the learners and the relevant cohorts. The right blend of learning solutions, customized to the requirements and built-in micro-learning chunks is mostly working well as I have seen from my experience, currently published write-ups & survey reports and discussions with Business Heads and L&D professionals.

These five things I found are very significant to focus on as we plan and get going on designing and facilitating VILT’s. Along with the usage of – Zoom, MS Team rooms, Skypes, Webinars and the online tools which most of us are getting used to nowadays and many seasoned L&D professionals must have been using them for quite a while now.

1. Building quick rapport and connect – We must constantly acknowledge that the Leaners are also in midst of a new-normal and also trying to keep pace with the cognitive function, to learn a new skill or reskill and upskill. Therefore, building a quick rapport online at the start of the session is very important keeping mind that the luxury of certain standard ice-breakers etc needs to be modified to suit the timelines and purpose. Rapport is very crucial for meaningful communication and particularly for active listening, where the distractions can be multi-fold now, given to the learner’s surroundings, which by the way is no more in complete control of the facilitator, in the online learning scenario now.
2. Keep in mind – Less is more. We cannot turn a full-day classroom session into a 90 mins or max 120 mins module and therefore micro-learning modules with adequate in-built learner engagement, not just the download from the facilitator, is a key element. Keep the delivery simple and what people see on the screen should not be overloaded. The learning agenda to be chunked into appropriate spacing and intervals. Chunking will assist and let the participant incorporate multifaceted information and into smaller, easy to comprehend bites of facts & figures to understand and remember. Learners once distracted, especially in the virtual settings – would need quite some time to get back in rhythm and with already so much going on, we have to keep editing the content and keep the focus on ‘Less is more’.
3. Use trivia, quizzes, discussion forums, polling and Q&A – One need to plan it very well with discretions, keeping with the priorities and managing the online face-time to be at utmost importance. You can combine the session by building in and encouraging participants to take part in trivia, quizzes, break-out discussions, Q&A etc. It can be done in after 15 to 20 minutes of content discussion and for feedback using the check yes/no or thumbs up/thumbs down feature. One can also have built-in chatbots or a round of emoticons in chat as a means of checking the level of presence in the program and engage the participants as well. In case access to a polling feature is not there, then set up ‘Slido.com’ app account or Kahoot or ‘Survey Monkey’ and so on there are multiple such choices to suit the need and cost parameters.
4. Focus on the ‘Principles of Adult Learning’ – Self-directed, goal-oriented learning that can be used for the workplace and personal transformation with given hands-on tools and expertise is very vital. Also, that fact that every adult learner will naturally bring in substantial knowledge and proficiency with them. Hence, it is but obvious that they would want to express themselves in the given context, contribute and take an active part (even the ‘introvert learners will start to participate faster than they would do in a live classroom) to the proceedings. Generally, it is observed that adult learners dislike long lectures and one-way communication. Adult learners need to work on with real-life issues and tasks, not on just only on the theoretical concepts but the application of the same to solve problems and improve on the progress ahead. They might lose interest if they feel that it’s a wastage of their time in too much theoretical and cumbersome downloads. Usage of story-telling at the utmost, will help knowledge retention and learner active involvement and avoid ‘fading off’ syndrome.
5. Performance Support Tools (PST) – With virtual learning becoming increasingly in use – carefully created & curated PSTs, will be hugely essential for long-term development benefits of an organization or individuals with specific training needs. PST’s are videos, podcasts, infographics, quick reference guides, process maps, e-Learning courses that can be further incorporated in the org’s LMS, e-Books, mobile apps and so on. PSTs helps quicken learning as they are part of the learner’s work-flow and are accessible exactly at the time of their requirements. They are intended & made, to be easy to integrate and apply for all categories of learners. PSTs can be planned and integrated into microlearning and social learning strategies and the application of the same enhances the learner experience and productivity.

With that time to say just one thing in the words of the great Bruce Lee – “Knowledge is not enough we must apply. Willing is not enough we must Do!”