Five tips
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| 1. The ‘Modern Learner’ is impatient, easily distracted (e.g., most learners will not watch videos longer than 4 minutes), overwhelmed and often overworked. However, the ‘Modern Learner’ really wants to learn! The key to truly effective and impactful remote learning is to spend time on the first step of human-centred design: Understand the learner. Step into their shoes and see the world through their eyes. How do they think? What are their needs? Where are the gaps? How can we meet them where they are? |
| 2. It’s not about replication. Directly transferring or replicating a face-to-face program that has been successful in the past into a remote learning space tends not to work. Why? Because the way we learn through a screen is completely different to how we learn face-to-face e.g., attention spans are much shorter when learning through a screen, so a remote learning program needs to be shorter, succinct, punchy, and powerful. |
| 3. Ensure content is on point. In a face-to-face environment, there are less distractions e.g., learners generally can’t answer emails and doorbells whilst training! Shorter attention spans and more distractions means that every minute of the program must add value and be impactful, so make sure that you set out your learning objectives clearly and stay laser focused on them. Invest sufficient time and resources in getting content right. Utilise remote learning training tools that facilitate online engagement through participation and collaboration. |
| 4. Small groups AKA breakout rooms. Remember that workplace training ultimately exists to improve what we do at work, so it’s essential to incorporate real-world examples and scenarios that can be experienced through exercises and/or discussions in smaller groups. |
| 5. Murphy’s Law is an adage that seems to showcase its colours in abundance when it comes to technology! To avoid any surprises, pre-empt potential tech issues and plan ahead to minimise or mitigate the impacts. Explain how the chosen tech works at the beginning of the program or better still, circulate instructions and FAQs prior to the program going live. Make available a short training session on how to use the tech in advance. Have support on hand where possible to cope with the tech issues e.g., IT support or a moderator to help field and resolve questions as they arise. |
