In a time when online training is at an all-time high with COVID-19 concerns and a workforce that more commonly is remote, I wanted to explore one alternative learning method in a bit more detail: Live, Instructor-Led Online Training.
I hear it all the time from students; “I can’t do online training. I need to be face to face with the instructor in a classroom.” I sometimes hear it from instructors too; “I hate the fact that I can’t walk around the room, interacting with my students.”
Well, online training, in one form or another, is here to stay. It’s not a fad that will be going away soon. It’s a train that has been picking up more and more steam for years so we, me included, better get onboard.
It’s very rare nowadays that I have only in-person students in a class. More times than not my classes are hybrids. In the past, the majority of my hybrid-class students were in the classroom with me, but that is already changing as I am starting to see classes with more online students than in-person. And it’s not unusual to see a few of my students who start the week in the classroom, finish the week joining me online from home.
The benefits of online training are obvious:
- No travel costs
- Flexibility from where you can attend
- Classes can be scheduled around demand and not location
- Saving commute time
- Ability to record the session for playback later
- Sharing information with a diverse group of students all over the world
- Instantaneous feedback through quizzes and responses
In what way do I see live, instructor-led online training lacking? Is it the audio? No, the communication is two-way and real-time between online student with instructor and in-person student with online student. Is it the video? No, the video communication has the same capabilities as the audio communication.
Believe it or not, successful live, instructor-led online training starts with the student and how willing he or she is to participate.
To become an integrated part of the classroom environment and get the most out of live, instructor-led online instruction, here are some tips for students:
- Use the supplied headphones
- Turn on their video camera
- Use the tools given to them
What online students get out of a class is proportional to the amount of participation they put into it. The more rapport instructor and student have with one another and the more willing the student is to ask questions if he or she needs clarification, the better the experience.
Oh… that sounds a lot like a traditional in-person class, huh? I’ll be darn.
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