 The Virtual Classroom
Challenges of existing paradigm
The Economic Problem.
Considered “cost centers” in most enterprises, training
departments are now under severe pressure to provide more learning
and development services
without expanding their budgets.
Most training departments, have simply ceased to grow. Enterprises have decided
they no longer can continue to fund them.
The cost of conventional training is clear. It includes the cost of travel,
time away from work, and the disruption of workflow. Less clear is the payoff
associated
with training efforts that seem inconsistent with the increasingly rapid
movement of business life. Pulling individuals away from their work to engage
in multiday,
training events no longer seems appropriate in many cases.
The Pedagogy Problem
Also, as product cycles shrink and the speed of information accelerates,
the pace of innovation increases. Ideas, skills, and competencies
that once would
have endured for a long period of time are rapidly replaced by new and improved
ones. As a result, training systems that once endured and lent themselves
to repeatability are prone to rapid obsolescence. Conventional
approaches to training,
which revolve around conventional classrooms and fixed curricula, can no
longer keep pace with the market’s intensified pace.
The How Learners Learn
The profusion of new Web-based networking technologies and services
has transformed the way people share information, consume content,
and learn. Consider the
popularity of YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, and assorted others.
Increasingly, individuals
look to dynamic online communities where they can actively connect with
like-minded people, rapidly find relevant information, and collaboratively
explore areas
of interest. This is changing the context in which individuals choose to
learn.
Enter the Virtual Classroom
The virtual classroom is a space online that enables instructors to deliver
content, provide rapid feedback and guidance, and engage in a mix of testing
and assessment
activities. Critically, it’s accessible to learners from anywhere – assuming
they have adequate bandwidth. The approach is interactive, personal, and collaborative.
The ability to make the learning assets accessible for on-demand usage increases
their overall value.
While the virtual classroom does not eliminate the value of convening and
meeting in person it actually contributes to “blended learning” environments,
and it does extend the options available to trainers and educators.
Relative to conventional classroom training and education, the virtual classroom
approach delivers an array of key benefits:
-
Whereas traditional classroom training often requires that course material
be packed into one event, this approach enables instructors to pace the presentation
of content over a longer period of time – allowing learners to absorb
what they’ve learned and progressively build their proficiency with
the material.
- Drawing on a mix of mechanisms to solicit feedback from the entire
group (including polls and quiz questions), it’s easier to
gauge whether the course is moving at the appropriate pace and whether
participants are absorbing
and mastering
the material
-
This is a learning model that fits into the flow of people’s days much
more effectively than traditional training. Rather than having to book multiple
days out of a person’s schedule for training, it’s now possible
to learn in more manageable and accessible “modules.” Moreover,
it’s available to learners wherever they are (i.e. they don’t
have to physically travel to an event). This convenience factor increases
attendance
and the scale of reach available to a training group.
- By eliminating the costs associated with travel and lost productivity
associated with time away from the office, enterprises realize large gains immediately.
Indeed, monies that would have been spent on travel can now be reinvested
to
extend the amount of training available and the number of people it reaches.
- Well trained and developed employees are far more likely to be successful
in their jobs. As a result, they are more likely to remain loyal and committed
to their employers. Meanwhile, they are liable to appreciate the benefits
tied
to work/life balance associated with reduced travel.
-
In an era with imminent concerns about environmental impact,
enterprises also to stand to benefit from reducing their “carbon
footprint” by
cutting back on travel. This enables an organization to
claim the virtual classroom
as an element of its overall efforts to take a proactive
stance on environmental concerns.
- With the virtual classroom
approach, course material can be modularized
and delivered in a more custom fashion. This allows training
departments to train more people, more often, and with
more relevance in the content. The economics
of traditional training put severe limits on the production
and delivery of
relevant content.
- By giving training groups the ability
to produce and roll out courses in a more rapid fashion, one
increases their ability to rapidly adapt to the
needs
and requirements of employees in a fast changing marketplace.
CyberLearnPro is the premier solution for meeting the needs of any training
challenge. Contact us and we will work with you to design a program that will
meet your training needs.
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