How do you easily learn in an online world?

About learning and learning curves...

Learning is a fascinating yet challenging activity. After all, there are countless subjects and skills that we do not (yet) know and of which we are equally unaware that we do not know them. On the other hand, there are numerous skills that we have mastered for so long that it is not easy to adapt or change them based on new knowledge and awareness.

It also happens that we are aware that we do not (yet) know or can do something. It then takes more than simple knowledge transfer to encourage us to experience the learning process effectively and to assimilate it afterwards.

David Kolb distinguishes 4 important phases in the learning cycle:

learning through theory
learning through experience
learning through observation
learning through assessment

Successful learning journeys pay attention to these four ways of learning. It is obvious that this brings different challenges in an online learning environment than in a classroom setting. Every individual has their own learning preference. Some people prefer to learn by doing, others prefer theory. However, we need all four phases to master something well and to start applying it ourselves.

Suppose you only want to learn by doing but you do not have the theoretical knowledge to judge whether you are doing it right or wrong... Then sooner or later you will get stuck. A musician who learns to play by playing will soon notice that the lack of knowledge of notes, progressions, etc... will be limiting. Conversely, a musician who relies solely on theoretical knowledge may sooner or later run into the limitation of not being able to improvise (due to a lack of practice and the ability to assess whether something is good or not)

Consequences for the online learning environment

"Bringing someone from unconsciously incompetent to unconsciously competent in a skill". That is what a learning process is all about. We just saw that this requires four important points of attention. We also remember that in a 'live' environment it is easier than in an online environment to integrate those four points into training.

I will leave aside the too often misinterpreted study by Albert Mehrabian on the share of body language, words and other signals in communication.

In an online learning environment, there is virtually no non-verbal communication. Even silences are often avoided by speakers, because they want to avoid listeners thinking that something is wrong with the connection or the audio.

Below I will go over components that, from my experience, prove to be crucial in effective online learning. I base this on years of experience with very positive results and feedback for international companies including Microsoft, HP, Proximus, Ingram Micro, Breinpiraten, and many others.

The learning platform

I am referring here to the software used to provide training. There are quite a few and most have a proven track record of success. I distinguish between training courses that are given 'live' and where there is interaction with the trainer during the training (Active) and training courses that reach the trainee as a broadcast (Passive). In most learning journeys, a combination of both is recommended (Hybrid)

Active

I prefer to use Microsoft Teams or Zoom for giving active training sessions. I do not mean to detract from GotoWebinar and other media that have been doing a good job for years. I think it is important that people can get online quickly without having to install software or configure things. A link should be enough to connect. The fact that a choice is offered to follow via a browser or via a download is a nice bonus.

In the former Skype for Business, there was the possibility to provide some interactivity from the platform via surveys. We are still waiting for a full integration in Teams. Today I use a tool that integrates into PowerPoint, more on that later.

Passive

For some of my training courses that are made for a larger audience of interested people, I use Teachable and Eudemy. These are companies that offer a platform where you can publish and offer your (video) courses. They also do marketing for you. You pay a fee.

For tailored learning journeys, after evaluating a few platforms, I chose "anewspring.com". Here you can work with gamification and set up communication with your students, which promotes interactivity

Hybrid

In practice, this translates into a combination of active and passive. A passive learning journey is set up where students can process theory at their own pace. At regular intervals, active sessions are held where the emphasis is more on practice. In between, the students communicate and interact via quizzes and the community. In some cases, I also integrate classroom sessions here where only practice and action take place.

For example, I am currently running the first European NLP Flex journey with 2 fellow coaches. It is a training course on "Personal Mastery". We have a fully online (passive) learning journey where students prepare and process the theory. We provide 8 active online sessions and 8 live (classroom) sessions per journey. In both, the emphasis is on experience and practice.

The extras

The combination described above allows us to certainly fulfil two of the four points of attention: theory and practice. What remains is observation and assessment.

Assessment

This step in a learning process includes at least 2 sub-areas.

The first concerns the students' assessment of whether something is relevant to them or not. For example, I often see employees in companies wondering why they have to follow a training course. There is no difference between online and live training here. It is the responsibility of the trainer (or organisation) to generate sufficient Awareness and Desire. I also have a lot of experience with this and can offer support in eliminating resistance and maximising the eagerness to learn.

The second sub-area concerns being able to assess whether there is progress, whether it works. Here I use integrated tools in the online platforms and extra software.

The passive platforms contain quiz options that allow students to assess how far they are in the learning process. Gamification is an important intrinsic motivator here. By means of badges, scoreboards and other results, you give the students a competitive nudge to learn.
In the active sessions, I get nice feedback when I use Polleverywhere. Polleverywhere offers an add-in for PowerPoint. This allows you to include all kinds of interactive parts in your presentation. Students can actively participate via a web browser or smartphone and immediately see the results. I prefer Polleverywhere over, for example, Mentimeter, Slido or Kahoot because of the fine and above all simple integration with PowerPoint and the many possibilities.

Observation

Polleverywhere also responds to the need for observation. Via the add-in, students can also read answers, opinions and feedback from colleagues (anonymously).
In active sessions, I also like to use Break-out Rooms. In Zoom, these are a standard part of the solution. It requires (for now) a bit more preparation in Teams, but it is also perfectly possible to create and use them there. In break-out rooms, students can practice and observe each other and give feedback.
In passive sessions, where relevant, we supplement the theory with videos in which we show how something works in practice. That works very well.

Other critical success factors

The audio quality

When did you last listen to a presentation on a subject that really fascinated you and you dropped out because of the audio quality? That quality is the sum of several factors:

The microphone: in the online world, it is of paramount importance to invest in solid audio recording equipment. I use products from Beecaster and Yeti for active sessions. For passive ones, audio recordings are mastered with Audacity for production.
The trainer's voice: the speaker's voice is even more important in an online training than in a classroom training. I am talking mainly about voice timbre, breathing, and the absence of tics such as lip-smacking.

Analogue/digital Mix

For some of my journeys, I deliver an activity box to the participants at home. Depending on the training, this box contains elements (clay, Lego, cards, ...) to actively work with during the sessions.

The presentation skills of the trainer

Here I am talking about speaking rhythm, volume, intonation in combination with breathing and also the absence of annoying filler words and expressions. The structure of the presentation, dealing with questions and unforeseen circumstances naturally also contribute to the success.

Images

In online training courses, there is often virtually no direct eye contact with the students and vice versa. It is important that you as a trainer take the time to make your training online-ready. To do this, you remove all unnecessary animations. You reduce your text to a minimum and work with images. I personally integrate a minimum of videos in the active sessions. This way you avoid potential points of failure. If you do, test everything out beforehand.

Testing testing and following

When you give active training sessions, make sure you have a computer available (where you mute the sound and microphone) on which you can test and follow your own session. This way you know all the time how your audience experiences the image.

Good Agreements make good learning journeys

Do not be too long-winded in your introduction to an online training. Do take the time to make practical agreements about the session, the process, the expectations, the Q&A procedure, etc...

Your gaze

When giving an online presentation, it is best to look at your webcam as often as possible. The spectators are looking at their screen and thus have an increased feeling that you are talking to them. It also makes it more congruent for the brain.

Your image

Avoid having your webcam film your double chin and ceiling. Set up your webcam so that you are nicely in the picture as if through the eyes of someone sitting at the same eye level as you. Keep enough distance so that the other person can also see your shoulders and hands.

Next steps

This document contains a (non-exhaustive) overview of some experiences and recommendations to give your online training courses more power. Setting up a learning journey is like building a house. You start at the end with the question: "by what will you see, hear and feel that it was a successful project?".

Then starts a process of planning, drawing, designing, evaluating, redrawing, re-evaluating, publishing, measuring, refining, engaging, etc...

Here it is best to bring in an external experienced sounding board. It speeds up your process and guarantees quality.

The author of this document is such a sounding board. In addition to feedback, he mainly offers operational support in setting up and providing online learning journeys in the client's brand style.

Contact me and together we will evaluate how we can complement each other.

By Hans Demeyer