We've all experienced the value and impact of an in person, instructor-led training. It can be hard to imagine how you can maintain that same level of interaction online over a webinar or in a virtual classroom. How can you maintain the collaboration between participants? How can the instructor provide feedback? What about all those practice sessions and activities? Here are a five common ILT activities that can easily be mimiced in a virtual setting.
Let's start with a quick icebreaker..."
Many ILT sessions start with a short icebreaker activity. Often times two people are paired together and asked to interview each other. If you have the resources, you could make this a pre-session activity, and then during the live event have the participants introduce each other. Or you can simply adapt the icebreaker to an online setting. Instead of interviewing each other, put some brainteasers on the screen and invite participants to solve them. Or have everyone type into the chat a fun fact or where they're from.
"What's the difference between A & B?"
In an ILT setting, the facilitator might ask a question and allow learners to raise their hands to answer. You can mimic this same interaction by asking a question to your online audience and allowing them to use the raise hand feature, or type into the chat box to respond.
"How many of you have experienced...?"
In an ILT setting, it's common for facilitators to ask participants... "How many of you have experienced xyz...?" or "How many people think we should do option A?" Learners then raise their hands. You can mimic this same interaction online by using the polling feature. Set your questions up before your session, and then when you're ready, put the poll on the screen for your learners to respond.
"Write your ideas on the post-it notes in front of you. Then we'll share them as a group."
A common activity in ILT is for learners to write down ideas on post-it notes or a flip-chart, and then after a few minutes share those ideas with the larger group. You can mimic this same interaction by asking participants to think for a moment about xyz, then "post" their ideas into the chat box. Facilitators can comment on and even ask follow-up questions to participants to encourage discussion.
"Discuss the scenario with your table group, then we'll regroup in 10-15 minutes."
One of the best features of ILT is allowing participants to learn from each other in small groups. Most platforms allow for breakout rooms - don't be afraid to use them! They're not as difficult as they may seem. Simply give your participants an activity to complete, such as a scenario, problem to work through, or questions to consider, and then click the button to put them to the breakout room. Then, allow time for participants to work through the activity together. Facilitators can jump to each room to make sure everyone's on track and answer any questions, or co-facilitators can be assigned to each breakout room.
These are just some of the many activities you can easily convert to an online format. If you’re thinking about converting an ILT course to an online format, now is the perfect time to make the shift. Reach out to us today to discover how we can help you transition your ILT content to a dynamic online learning experience—without sacrificing engagement or effectiveness!
