How to effectively deliver virtual training

COVID-19 has significantly altered how we deliver and consume training. With companies moving to remote work, many employees are now balancing work and responsibilities at home while trying to learn virtually.

In recent years, those of us in software education have been debating how to make training more effective, moving towards gamification, modularizing/chunking content, creation of video assisted learning and digital curriculums designed to make learning more adaptive and student centric.

All of these approaches make sense as training cannot be a one-size fits all approach. Here are some of the most effective ways to deliver virtual training.

Subscription-based models

In the world of high-tech education, I am a huge proponent of subscription-based models that are scalable and include a blended approach to learning. One can't expect to learn a robust software in a 30-minute video - that's simply not realistic - but neither can we tie a student up in a classroom (virtual or not) for weeks on end.

Addressing functional and technical audiences

Training needs to address all the different audiences, and learning needs to include bite-size modules while also providing access to deeper content to be truly proficient with the solution. And we cannot undervalue the effectiveness of a good instructor!

Ongoing access to training

Attending foundational training in an instructor-led venue (virtual for the next foreseeable future) to properly lay a solid foundation is important, but then trainees must be provided with ongoing access to self-paced content to refresh and deepen one's knowledge. Providing access to a learning expert outside of the standard classroom to help support and guide an individual's learning journey is also an important piece of the puzzle, along with certification to validate/confirm knowledge and proficiency.

Organizations should also focus on end users. After all, a strong deployment that is not adopted by the end users is not a successful deployment! We also have to remember that end users were often not part of the decision to purchase the software, so including Change Management to properly prepare and de-mystify and assure the user community that these changes are going to be a good thing. Organizations need to focus on a proper end user adoption strategy to realize success.

Incorporating new directions into our training strategies and leveraging these varied approaches to reach global customers with a more holistic focus will become increasingly important in the coming years.

OpenText Learning Services have adapted many courses to new virtual learning facilities to help organizations today while preparing for a better tomorrow. Learn more about the range of virtual EIM learning courses on offer and self-paced programs. Contact us for more details.

Author: Karen Crawford, Training Consulting

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