As some shelter in place orders are being extended, many Learning and Development teams are facing the challenge of quickly pivoting the way their training is presented in order to avoid interruptions in operations. As we’ve been navigating this shift alongside our clients, we wanted to share some tips we’ve discovered through this process that can help support you in shifting your own training.
1. Device-friendly content
Not all employees may have access to their normal training devices when working remotely, so ensuring that your training is accessible and can be taken on phones and tablets is especially important. We have some tips on this in our blog, 5 Tips for Creating eLearning for Mobile.
Look at your LMS settings as well. Often there are options at the module level to help convey to the learner which devices can access the content. As you look to transition content to a mobile-first format, this type of messaging can support your remote learners as they work through their assigned training modules as well as reduce the amount of frustration from help desk tickets.
2. Accessibility and training hours
We have been strategizing with many of our clients on how, and even what, training looks like for remote learners. From accessing an LMS outside of a firewall, to verifying that content can easily be taken, no matter device or internet bandwidth, there are many factors to consider when looking towards remote learning for hourly employees.
You will want to talk with your legal department first about what can and should be done within local, state, and federal regulations.
You will also want to verify that your content is available and accessible so that remote employees can access it. Sometimes onsite content servers are used for larger files, such as video or lengthier eLearning modules, so you will want to review that content to determine if the modules need to be modified for remote learning.
3. To Zoom, or not to Zoom
Video conferencing is keeping us all connected, both personally and professionally. It also has the capacity to serve as a key training tool to support remote learning. But the truth is, not all training can easily shift straight into a video conference/webinar format. This may be an opportunity to get creative with your delivery methods!
Review the tools and platforms available at your company to help steer you. You could also do a quick survey and ask your employees given their Work from Home (WFH) environment, what may be the best method for delivering training. Depending on what you have available, adapting your content to fit the needs of the learners may look like shifting go more online methods, such as video, micro-eLearning modules, or infographics. Or if you are hosting live learning events, review what tools are available in your video conferencing platform and reframe your content to include those. Things like break out groups or polls can support in keeping your learners engaged throughout your live presentation.
We have some other great tips to help keep your participants engaged in your presentation.
4. Short and sweet - but pertinent
In some of the industries we support, the need to quickly and efficiently onboard new employees, sometimes thousands of new employees, has become a reality. This requires scaling back on the onboarding content and providing only the information that is immediately needed to get them started. But in scaling back the curriculum, the content still needs to be relevant and impactful to the employee.
Dividing your content across micromodules can not only help you develop and deliver content more rapidly; it will help keep your learners focused on one concept at a time. Check out these microlearning tips!
Planning for the Future
Although you may be focusing on the short term needs for remote training, there may be long-term blended learning strategies that you can set in place by supporting more of your training online. As pointed out in this Forbes article, there are many things your business can learn from your experiences.
[…] as operations go back to normal in the future, the experiments in remote learning should inform practices in the future. For example, successfully launched e-learning with a personalized approach can impart the knowledge that employees need to get up to speed quickly. Then companies can weigh how to incorporate in-classroom experiences for a “blended” approach in the future, such as with exercises in collaboration, role-playing, and providing feedback to foster more learning.
This is a great time to engage your teams and see what resources you have available to keep the marker moving on your learning objectives and goals. With the current climate companies are adjusting labor focus and priorities, and this could mean that key individuals and SMEs have a bit more capacity to support in learning and development initiatives. This is an opportunity to not only keep momentum on current projects, but also revisit that ‘back burner’ list and see what can be accomplished during this time.
And remember, it doesn’t have to be perfect the first time. As the need for online training continues to grow and evolve, give yourself and your team the grace to adapt as needed.
Our team at Reflection Software is here to support – we’re just a phone call/video conference away! We’re here to answer any questions you may have or talk through how our development services can support you in building your online catalog. These times of challenge and disruption are difficult – but we’re here with you and for you.
