Subject BlogsHow to make on-line training work better than in person
Colleges, schools, and training providers all panicked in the Spring of that year as they scrambled to figure out how to deliver their established courses through screens, rather than rooms – several of which approached me for support with this, as someone who’d been exploring and thinking about how to do so successfully since 2017.
Key takeaways
- Colleges, schools, and training providers all panicked in the Spring of that year as they scrambled to figure out how to deliver their established courses through screens, rather than rooms – several of which approached me for support with this, as someone who’d been exploring and thinking about how to do so successfully since 2017.
- In 2020, the world went into lock-down.
- And testament to how well I seem to do this, is that there’s no discernible difference in the satisfaction that learners report from sessions I deliver, nor in the impact is has on their knowledge and confidence about the subject matter, based on whether I’ve delivered it on-line or in-person.
In 2020, the world went into lock-down.
Colleges, schools, and training providers all panicked in the Spring of that year as they scrambled to figure out how to deliver their established courses through screens, rather than rooms – several of which approached me for support with this, as someone who’d been exploring and thinking about how to do so successfully since 2017. And testament to how well I seem to do this, is that there’s no discernible difference in the satisfaction that learners report from sessions I deliver, nor in the impact is has on their knowledge and confidence about the subject matter, based on whether I’ve delivered it on-line or in-person.
The below offers a collection of my approaches and ideas for how to best fully engage learners in an-online environment, including when you sometimes can’t see their faces (or know if they’re even still listening…)
And there are several benefits that on-line training can offer that in-person can’t:
There’s a lot more on this topic that can be said and explored, but hopefully this initial blog has offered some starting prompts that will mean you’re either less dismissive of delivering training on-line in the future, or can find ways to make it more engaging and enjoyable for the people sharing a screen together when you do.
Adrian Ashton is a freelance trainer, and an associate with the international Co-operative College, Anglia Ruskin University, and other Universities.
He has designed, reviewed, and delivered a range of training and learning programmes for over 30 years, as well as supporting peers by leading ‘train the trainer’ courses for both in-house teams as well as wider sector advisors.
Partly because of his work and approaches around ensuring inclusivity in how people can fully engage with, and access a range of learning on different topics, and in different formats, he was recognised as a UK Progress Champion for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Gamechangers global awards in 2022; and offered a life fellowship of the RSA in 2024.
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