One day in class, I had a great question asked by an executive from a large organization. He happened to be attending one of my software classes but wanted to know more about online learning. His organization was thinking about implementing an online learning segment for some specialized training they were doing. He was trying to figure out if moving to online learning would be the best bet for his team.
My first response was to ask him a few questions. We ended up taking the discussion to lunch and talked for about 45 minutes. I asked him specifically if they were thinking about online learning purely because they believed it could be cost-cutting or best for the budget. If it were only being pursued because of that one aspect, then I said that they should stick with their regular classroom approach.
If they were pursuing online learning because of feedback from employees, then that would be different. When organization’s try something without researching to see what the true needs are, then the initiative often does not succeed. If potential training participants are asking for the online learning as an option or alternative to in-person classes, then there is a better chance that they will actually use the online training modules.
I also asked him if the skills being taught and the type of training would be conducive to teaching online without a face-to-face classroom instructor. If the concepts/topics/skills being taught could be simulated, taught, and practiced in an online learning environment, then I would definitely consider using it. If not, then people would not use the tools that had been developed. Also, if participants traveled for their job and were not available for face-to-face classes, then that would be another consideration.
Our discussion passed by so quickly during lunch for me. I loved being able to watch the wheels turn in the executive’s brain. He had done his homework and had surveyed potential training participants and had talked to many of them personally. I was really impressed with how thoughtful he was of the wanting to do the right thing and not just throw another item out there that everyone was forced to use but did not want to use.
If you are in the same boat as this executive, give me a call. We can help you figure out if you would be better to do face-to-face classes, online learning classes, or a hybrid of both. I would love to hear from you!
Tags: Online learning
