By now, you know that great online training techniques can effectively provide employees and other learners with new skills, problem-solving experience, upskilling and reskilling opportunities, and efficient onboarding. However, there’s nothing magical about transporting the learning experience to a virtual space. Just as traditional learning environments and tools can be more or less effective for learners, online training can be delivered extremely well or very poorly.
When you’re planning online training, it’s important to consider the training methods and tools that will provide maximum retention and real-world results while remaining cost-effective and easy to implement. Perhaps most importantly, facilitators must consider how to tie the different online training techniques together in a cohesive and engaging way. Learners learn best when the materials are connected and inviting.
As we look ahead to 2024 and beyond, we can combine knowledge of effective learning methods based on psychology and pedagogy with the most effective elearning methodologies using technological advancements. Together, this knowledge provides employee training techniques and methods designed to get lasting results.
The top synchronous training techniques and methods
Synchronous learning happens, as the name suggests, synchronously. In other words, learners experience the delivery of training content simultaneously, often with opportunities for live discussion and interactive experiences with other trainees. Synchronous learning can occur in large or small groups, in person or online.
The benefits of synchronous learning are substantial. As Stanford University‘s teaching resources explain, synchronous interactions are optimal for “creating immediate social engagement and faster exchanges of information.” These online learning techniques also allow for more immediate feedback, making misconceptions (which can snowball if left unchecked) less likely.
Training sessions built around synchronous interactions are often led by a facilitator and can easily incorporate hands-on activities and multiple online training techniques. Consider these methods of synchronous learning:
1. Video conferencing
Most online synchronous training methods are going to include video conferencing. Popular platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, Webex, and Skype allow learners to experience real-time interactions with training materials and each other. These virtual conferences allow for:
- Interaction between the facilitators and learners
- Networking between participants within the session
- A sense of importance and attention that can be harder to build in an asynchronous setting
2. In-person training
Don’t overlook in-person training opportunities for your corporate training. The benefits of spatial proximity and community-building are substantial. In-person training programs can provide a fantastic starting point for delivering important information. When these instructor-led training experiences are supplemented with online courses and self-paced assessments, learning opportunities increase.
3. Simulations
Simulations can often be best delivered as a synchronous experience. Depending on the course materials, simulations can be complex and nuanced or require expensive resources to efficiently demonstrate the learning outcomes. Doing a simulation synchronously allows more learners to benefit while providing effective training for real-world situations.
These are especially common in medical, engineering, and technical fields where manual manipulation is important for learning and development. Simulations have also proven popular and effective in business and education settings where interactions with people are a core part of the job. Sometimes, hands-on experience is the only real way to learn how to do the task well!
The top asynchronous training methods and techniques
Asynchronous training happens when learners work separately and usually at their own pace or within a given time frame for completion. Because asynchronous delivery allows for more flexibility and individualization, it has become an increasingly popular option for delivering training courses. Asynchronous online learning techniques can be used alone or in combination with synchronous techniques.
Another major benefit of asynchronous learning is its ability to remove barriers. Several obstacles could prevent some learners from fully engaging with the material. As the Society for the Teaching of Psychology explains, adjustments such as larger font size, closed captioning, and other accessibility features can be built into the asynchronous learning experience. These accessibility options can be individually selected to benefit learners with or without official documentation of disabilities.
In addition, asynchronous learners may be more likely to speak up when they have misunderstandings or confusion if they have an opportunity for anonymous interaction in a virtual classroom. In this way, you can ensure a fuller, more nuanced understanding of course content. You remove the social stigma of asking questions viewed as too simple or wrong-headed.
This can be especially important when the training materials include safety requirements or other compliance issues. Ensure that there are no “dumb questions” left unanswered with better online training techniques that take away the barriers to asking them.
4. Webinars
Webinars are a popular asynchronous training method. These pre-recorded sessions are often led by a content expert and then presented in video format. Many webinars have the benefit of well-trained public speakers and flashy editing to make them especially engaging.
Knowledge retention can be higher for webinars than for a live lecture. Learners can take in the information in bite-sized pieces and check for comprehension through quizzes and other assessments at each stopping point. This method can also be cost-effective. An expert’s knowledge is shared broadly and repeatedly, allowing for staggered onboarding of employees joining at different times or the delivery of just-in-time training to specific employees needing remediation or targeted training.
5. Forums
Forums allow learners to participate asynchronously while still gaining the benefits of communal learning and interactivity. They also provide instructor-led training opportunities in an asynchronous setting. Content experts can engage directly with learners to ask and answer questions, pose case studies, and point participants to additional resources. The most effective forums will include:
- Features like threaded messaging
- Alerts for new responses
- Interactive engagement (such as “like” buttons and other one-click responses) to encourage connection
6. Gamification
Gamification typically works best in an asynchronous delivery method because it allows for full engagement by individuals with different learning styles and training needs. Psychologically, gamification allows for learners’ innate desires and training needs to be met simultaneously.
As research has demonstrated, gamification elements like using points, badges, or leaderboards can tap into learners’ desire for competence while simultaneously ensuring full content coverage of learning materials. Likewise, gamification techniques like creating team environments or meaningful storytelling can tap into learners’ drive for social belonging and the need for autonomy while ensuring they stay engaged in the online learning environment.
The importance of choosing a learning management system (LMS)
As you can see, many learning tools and online training techniques are available to facilitators designing training courses.
Whether you choose synchronous or asynchronous learning opportunities (or, ideally, a combination of both), you will need a learning management system (LMS) robust enough to meet your needs and deliver materials seamlessly to participants.
You must consider how you will deliver your content in a streamlined, intuitive way that will make it easy for learners to engage frequently and intensely.
An effective LMS will provide tools for both the learner and the facilitator/designer, including the following:
Modules
Modules allow learners to move through content in an organized, cohesive way. They ensure that material is delivered with prerequisite information coming first. This ensures that learners have a full and hierarchical understanding of foundational knowledge before moving on to more granular content.
Multimedia
Implementing both synchronous and asynchronous learning methods requires an LMS that can handle embedded multimedia in a variety of formats. Most facilitators will want to provide videos, images, audio, graphs, animations, and more. This can keep learners engaged and activate a variety of learning styles.
Apps
Learners will be accessing materials through smartphones or tablets. So it’s important to make sure the LMS is optimized for delivery through these devices. An LMS with an app option allows seamless participation, even in remote and on-the-go positions.
Templates
A strong LMS will provide templates for facilitators to make it easy to design high-quality course materials. Templates even allow them to replicate course frameworks quickly. Templates also help ensure design cohesion, which makes it easier for learners to follow the information delivery.
Quizzes
Various quizzes and assessment options allow for continued interactivity and methods to check for retention. Combining methods such as multiple choice, short answer, matching, and essay response gives facilitators a wide range of assessment tools. They can select different online training techniques to meet a variety of course content needs.
As we look to the future of online training techniques, we can see that there is no need to reinvent the wheel. We’ve found a wide variety of synchronous and asynchronous tools and techniques that have proven efficient and effective.
The updated methodology for online training is instead about the streamlined nature of the delivery and the continued improvement of the quality. Learners can look forward to:
- Increasingly robust virtual simulations
- Video conferencing with improved engagement tools
- Online classes that invite substantial and meaningful interaction
Those who want to keep their corporate and employee training up to date will make sure to survey a wide variety of tools and online training techniques. They’ll provide the training materials in a way that connects the dots between the delivery of information, opportunities for individual practice, and assessment of understanding.
