Training Industry Magazine - January/February 2021 - 11

STELLA LEE, PH.D.

WHAT'S NEXT
IN TECH

ONLINE LEARNING IS MORE
THAN VIDEO CONFERENCING

As a result of the global pandemic,
learning leaders were forced to
abruptly pivot to online learning. Many
organizations managed this shift from
classroom training to digital learning
using video conferencing platforms, such
as Zoom, Microsoft Teams and countless
other virtual meeting tools. The reason
is simple: Video conferencing is a near
replica of face-to-face interaction. It is
also familiar and easy to set up. However,
it is not without its disadvantages.
The major downside of being overly
reliant on video conferencing technology
is that these real-time interactions can be
hard on the brain. In addition to virtual
fatigue, using video conferencing as a
learning tool lends itself to the one-way,
pedagogical method that has not served
us well in the past. It is time to think
beyond simply delivering content over
live video and consider other options.
Here are a few ideas to enhance your
online learning efforts:
LEVERAGE GROUP CHATS
AND MESSAGING
Live video content requires relatively high
bandwidth with fast and reliable internet
access. For a low-bandwidth solution,
use group chats and messaging apps.
Many of these tools are already available
within an organization or already residing
in employees' smart phones. These
apps allow learners to share information
easily and consistently, without having
to schedule around video conferencing
sessions. Group chats are particularly
useful for peer-to-peer knowledge
sharing, Q&A sessions, reinforcement of

formal learning concepts and delivering
time sensitive training material.
CREATE AND CURATE
AUDIO CONTENT
Audio content is everywhere these days,
and it is easy to understand why. Audio files
are bandwidth friendly while providing a
sense of human presence. Currently, there
are over 1.5 million podcasts and over
34 million episodes being produced.
You can source content on demand on
topics ranging from the ethics of artificial
intelligence to positive psychology. To
engage learners in discussion, many tools
allow users to record audio feedback and
comments, including the ability to embed
audio clips in PDF files and add voice
narrations to PowerPoint slides.

DIGITAL LEARNING
DOESN'T NEED TO BE
SYNCHRONOUS, BUT
IT DOES NEED TO BE
HUMAN CENTRIC.
CULTIVATE A VIRTUAL COMMUNITY
OF PRACTICE
Communities of practice (CoPs) are
groups of like-minded people who
filter, amplify, convene, share, learn and
facilitate to create and share knowledge
in their domain. For workplace learning,
communities of practice provide a space
for people to interact informally, reposit
and share knowledge, network and
build relationships, and connect learning
to performance. In addition, CoPs work
well in conjunction with more structured

learning sessions to unpack difficult
concepts, share links to resources that
deepen learning, create live polls and
continue discussions. If you are forming
and sustaining CoPs at work, consider this
resource on how to build CoPs.
CONNECT OFFLINE AND ONLINE
LEARNING EXPERIENCES
Ultimately, workplace learning is about
creating, nurturing and curating an
environment and culture that your
workforce can engage in. We need
to worry less about turning on video
cameras and taking attendance and more
about creating learning experiences that
connect people on and offline. People do
not always need to be learning in front of
a computer; they can go offline to work
on an activity, come back to the online
community and discuss their findings.
Provide tools and spaces for people to
have conversations, leverage peers'
expertise and experiences, and allow
time to reflect and ask questions. Digital
learning doesn't need to be synchronous,
but it does need to be human centric. We
need to plan meaningful learning activities
that are applicable to employees' work
contexts and build connections across
learning experiences.
Dr. Stella Lee has over 20 years of
experience in consulting, planning,
designing, implementing and measuring
learning initiatives. Her focus is on
large-scale learning projects including
LMS evaluation and implementation,
learning analytics, and artificial intelligent
applications. Email Stella.

T R A I N I N G I N DUSTR Y MAGAZ INE - VIRTUAL LEARNING I W WW. T RAI NINGINDU S T RY . C OM/ MAGAZ I NE

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Training Industry Magazine - January/February 2021

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