Your Needs

Blending e-training formats with a classroom-based training program

Blending e-training formats with a classroom-based training program may be a viable solution. For example, an asynchronous discussion forum can be used to support trainees once they are back on the job. Real-time audio and web-conferencing can be used to provide regular training updates. Using e-training may allow you to schedule less time for classroom training and may increase the training's effectiveness.

e-training enables people to interact and collaborate across distance and time

A key feature of e-training is that it enables instructor - learner and learner - learner interaction and collaboration. Using a combination of asynchronous (anytime, anyplace) and synchronous (same time, anyplace) e-training formats provides inherent flexibility.

Use asynchronous discussion forums for ongoing group interaction and collaboration

A discussion forum is a group interaction tool. Instructors can post content updates, facilitate topic discussions and manage work groups, for example. A discussion forum can be subdivided by topic or workgroup. Typically postings are threaded which means that all comments with the same subject heading are arranged chronologically in the order posted making it easy to follow the online interaction.

Facilitating an online discussion, making points, answering question and responding to others takes some getting used to. Facilitators may require training. It's good practice to introduce learners to discussion forums by having them post personal introductions, for example. Start with simple tasks and progress towards more complex.

Use synchronous e-training for updating / reporting / meeting and to maintain learner motivation and pacing

Brief one-hour "episodes" of synchronous e-training in the form of audio and web conferencing can be used to provide:

training content updates
instructor-led tutorials
an opportunity to present learner reports, case studies, etc.
group meetings for discussion, problem-solving, collaborative work, etc.

The group interaction features of synchronous e-training help maintain learner motivation while its "scheduled" nature acts as a pacing mechanism to keep learners on track.