VIRTUAL INSTRUCTOR-LED TRAINING – VILT

Virtual instructor-led training (VILT) is training conducted over the internet where all participants are geographically dispersed. However, these learners attend and learn in unison in a virtual classroom setting. This virtual classroom setting is created using popular web-meeting tools like Skype, WebEx, Zoom, and GoTo Meeting.

VILT is a great way to train employees in a virtual-classroom setting. Itis a concept that focuses more on cost saving along with the savings of time, efforts, and money. But implementing it may seem a little tricky and getting it right is very important.

VILT programs with little thought and planning, relying solely on the ability of a remote instructor to engage learners may not perform well with learners. A good VILT program requires the additional support of eLearning courses, interactive videos, and images to keep its learner engagement metrics up. Failing to do so may result in disengaged learners who may hesitate to attend future VILT sessions.

Define Goals
Being a more modern form or evolved version of ILT, it’s important to approach VILT from an objective standpoint. In most cases, this objective standpoint is the L&D team’s ability to define achievable goals. The goal-defining stage must consider the type of training you wish to deliver and the desired output. Well-thought of goals give your training structure and direction, allowing your VILT program to succeed.

Some Goals to Keep in Mind When Planning your VILT are:

Choice of Technology and eLearning Vendor
Since VILT is always conducted over a virtual network, it is important to get your choice of platform technology and partner correct. VILT must aid in simplifying your training process and not complicate it. As a result, a platform that is simple to operate and manage is advisable. Also, technical issues are a constant presence. It is important to ensure that your technology partner is readily available to assist in such times.

Density of eLearning Media
Any form of online training must include eLearning media in the form of video-based eLearning content, images, and activities to engage remote learners. After all, the learning experience of a VILT session must surpass that of a classroom session for a larger group to regularly attend sessions and continue training.

It is very important to determine the density of media needed to support the VILT program. By including sections of video-based learning into the mix, a trainer can exponentially increase their learner engagement metric. Hence, understanding the right balance to include is important.

Planning Each Section of the Program
Each section of the VILT program must follow the principles of engagement, adding benefit, and testing learner abilities. Hence, it is important to section the training content into unique segments. where either of the three principles are followed.

By watching videos, a learner’s attention span can be refreshed. By including downloadable segments, the learner takes away helpful information. By including some live interaction with the trainer, a sense of relevance and bonding is created. And, by including assessment sections, the program tests learners.

Getting this mix correct is very important for learners.

As an organization with 13+ years of experience in the field of custom eLearning development, we have helped many organizations realize their VILT pursuits.

HERE’S HOW WE DO IT.

Course Outline and Structuring
The first step is to section your classroom training into smaller sections or sessions. We then arrange these sections into a logical flow to create our blueprint. This way, learners are methodically introduced to new topics or assessments at predetermined stages.

Modern Instructional Design to Promote Engagement and Collaboration
Our team of experienced instructional designers analyze your content, and then proceed to add life into the course. From the tone of the narration, to the images, colors, icons, and illustrations, relevant and engaging media are determined here.

Scripting with Accommodation for:

Microlearning Modules 
Research indicates that learners prefer training content broken into micro-sized modules (5 – 10 minutes) that deliver all the information needed about a topic within the limited time-period and while the learner’s interest and attention span is peaked. Microlearning is a widely used concept and our IDs highly recommend including them.

Audio Visuals
Course modules need a little bit of everything to engages learners. Relying solely on text and images to deliver an impact can impair and take away from a good eLearning course. We also have a team of experienced video developers who use the best tools to produce video-based training with engaging animations, graphics, and voice-over to give your course an added edge.

Scenario-Based Questions
We encourage scenario-based questions and recommend including them in your training. Framing scenarios that are engaging and evoke the imaginations of learners and include them on a more psychological level is a great way to drive home the message.

Open-Ended Questions
By not limiting a learner’s response, open-ended questions encourage learners to participate in the training activity and provide a more detailed response on their outlook on a certain topic. It also helps to assess a learner’s understanding of a subject in detail.

Additions Support Material
We always recommend the inclusion of additional reference materials that learners can use to reinforce the topics already covered in the course. Learners download this additional support material as they progress through the course.

Additional content materials like guides, handouts, videos, and links enhance the training experience.

Tool Agnostic Approach
We do not believe in the one-size-fits-all concept because each eLearning output is different based on the needs and learner preferences. Hence, we never shy away from taking up a project using any of the popular authoring tools available in the market. Our IDs use all popular tools. Their designs are based on your needs.