Virtual Training Must Haves

Toilet roll supplies. Commuting. Dining out.

These are just a few of the many things that have been affected by COVID-19 measures.

Lesser known, however, is the disruption L&D professionals are experiencing around staff development. With offices closed and flights cancelled, program managers are having to rethink traditional delivery.

But, how easy is it translate in-person training to online? We’ve put together a few of our top tips, taken from our white paper on running successful virtual training programs; ideas based on our own experience delivering online classrooms for the top 4 investment banks.

If you want to read the full document, please contact us here.

Structure, Structure, Structure

As attention spans are narrowing, it is more important than ever to replicate both an interactive and varied learning environment. To achieve this we:

• Split days into virtual class, self-study, and group work segments in order to avoid participants losing interest while sitting at a screen for hours on end.
• Allow time for breaks in between sessions so that students can stop for lunch or stretch their legs.

Use a Tried and Tested Learning Management System (LMS)

Your LMS should allow you to create a single sign-on gateway (for compliance purposes) into the virtual classroom and provide an area for students to download necessary files.

On top of this, it needs to facilitate quizzes and exams so that you can access a multitude of assessment data.

Other features that your LMS should include:

• File exchange with other students.
• Private chatroom’s
• Group work areas
• Peer review of assignments.

Choose a Reliable Virtual Classroom

Virtual classrooms will not only enable students to watch and listen to the instructor teach, but also see the teachers screen and share their own, as well as chat, respond with emojis, and provide annotations.

There are a variety of meeting rooms to choose from, such as Google Meet, Adobe Connect, BlueJeans and WebEx. We are using all platforms, but some are better than others.

Request the full paper to view a detailed comparison of the platforms to see which is most suited to your learning requirements.

Security is Key

Asking participants to use their own devices means they are being trained outside the firm’s ecosystem, which helps reduce security issues. An alternative is to provide a separate tablet for the virtual classroom.

If you decide to ask students to use their own devices, then ensure they have:

• The right programs installed (office, adobe etc).
• The necessary tech set-up, such as a headset, microphone and second screen.
• A quiet place to work.
• Reliable Wi-Fi connection.

Go Virtual with FE

If you want to learn more about how we help our clients deliver virtual training programs, you can request our full white paper here.