Comment concevez-vous et offrez-vous des expériences d’apprentissage en ligne efficaces pour les employés à distance?

If you want to create learning content that speaks straight to your audience, you need to know them like the back of your hand. You know that feeling when you read something and go, "It's like they're reading my mind!"? That's because the creator behind the words did their homework on their learners and made them the star of the show — instead of talking at everyone generically. After doing your research through surveys and interviews, create learner profiles that illustrate the motivations and interests of your audience. This is one of the most important steps you can take to make sure your foundation is set up right!

To create a high performing virtual team, leaders should emphasize the common interests and values of the team. In doing this, leaders can create shared objectives that serve as a baseline for developing priorities and strategies. This will also aid in establishing a collective identity which will strengthen the team members’ commitment toward each other and the end-state objective.

Understanding your remote audience involves gathering insights into their unique needs, preferences, and challenges. Conduct surveys, interviews, and focus groups to gather feedback on preferred learning styles, technology proficiency, and remote work conditions. For instance, in a global tech company with remote teams, they regularly survey employees to understand their remote work experiences. Based on feedback, they tailor online learning experiences by offering flexible schedules, bite-sized content for easy consumption, and interactive elements like virtual team-building activities.

Every single objective should be designed with the end result in mind. That’s the entire purpose of an objective! The objectives that you're solving for should not only be the compass that guides the project, but also the foundation for evaluating the program's success later. If, later on, your evaluation shows a lack of results, then it might require a small tweak rather than a complete overhaul. Training can be an iterative process by inspecting what we expect and constantly improving upon it.

Objectives need to be 2 things: Clear and measurable They should begin with powerful action verbs like: - Describe - Define - Explain - Show - Teach - Use - Etc. Avoid vague words like "understand" and "know". Follow it up with a clear and measurable outcome... Ex. Explain the 5-step process for submitting a new ad idea Clear and measurable objectives let learners know exactly what the are accountable for learning. And they provide perfect clarity for what the trainer should be assessing.

Define objectives by aligning them with the organization's goals and remote employees' needs. Objectives may include enhancing remote collaboration, improving productivity, and fostering skill development. For instance, a consulting firm aims to strengthen remote collaboration skills among its dispersed teams. They design online experiences focused on virtual teamwork, communication tools training, and conflict resolution strategies. By defining clear objectives, they ensure that online experiences effectively address remote employees' needs and contribute to achieving organizational goals.

One of the harder but more rewarding formats for some concepts is to let the participants create their own knowledge. The instructor usually provides a stimulus or a spark and follows it by proving and asking questions respectfully. This is challenging because the facilitator needs to be ready for whatever emerges during the session but way more rewarding as participants learn more deeply.

I'm a huge fan of a blended approach because it allows theoretical to become practical in a short amount of time. In a training scenario, shoot for an 80/20 with 20% reserved for instruction, reading, watching, reflecting. The 80% is used for hands-on application, practice, problem-solving, scenario-based activities etc. Real coaching and guidance should happen here, and when it does it's usually more impactful than the regular instruction.

Choosing a format for online experiences depends on factors like content complexity, audience preferences, and technology accessibility. Consider options like live webinars, interactive workshops, self-paced modules, and virtual simulations. For instance, a multinational corporation selects self-paced modules for remote employees undergoing compliance training. These modules accommodate diverse schedules and time zones while allowing learners to progress at their own pace. Additionally, interactive elements like quizzes and case studies maintain engagement and ensure knowledge retention. By choosing the appropriate format, organizations can deliver effective online experiences that cater to the needs of remote employees.

Remember that the tools you use are just that — a tool. Use them to help you deliver top quality content, but don’t get so hung up on tools that your learning content weakens. Use learning platforms to pull all of your repeatable processes and learning experiences into one system, that way you can scale your learning programs. Then, it goes from having a pile of forms, processes, training courses just haphazardly thrown at the learner -- to a consistent program you can repeat over and over for each employee.

Utilize a mix of tools to design and deliver engaging online experiences for remote employees. For instance, a software company employs video conferencing tools like Zoom for interactive virtual meetings and workshops, fostering real-time collaboration among remote teams. They supplement these sessions with asynchronous communication platforms like Slack for ongoing discussions and resource sharing. Additionally, they leverage learning management systems (LMS) such as Moodle to deliver self-paced training modules and track employee progress. By integrating various tools, organizations can create comprehensive online experiences that cater to the diverse needs of remote employees.

3 engagement experiences I swear by: 1. Log in early and casually chat with the early birds. Building relationships before the training starts creates an environment where people feel safe to engage during it. 2. Ask thought provoking questions and allow time for responses and discussion. Polls are especially great if the training is asynchronous. 3. Application activities. I'm a huge fan of requiring learners to literally, physically get up and go do something to apply what they've learned and to produce some kind of artifact showing they've done it. Bottom line: Just because it's online doesn't mean you can't do the things that work well in a face to face setting. Experiment and tweak, and you'll get learners to engage.

Engaging remote learners involves interactive content, opportunities for collaboration, and personalized experiences. For example, a marketing agency hosts virtual brainstorming sessions where remote employees use collaborative whiteboarding tools like Miro to generate ideas and share feedback in real-time. They also incorporate gamification elements into online training modules, such as quizzes and leaderboards, to enhance motivation and participation. Additionally, regular check-ins and surveys gather feedback and ensure that online experiences remain relevant and engaging for remote employees.

Online learning offers flexibility, while instructor-led training provides structure. Receiving feedback at the end of the training is inadequate and will not be beneficial since the employees will have already invested their time. Regularly monitoring the progress of learning is crucial. In an instructor-led online session, the trainer can ask questions and gauge participant engagement. For e-learning, participants can engage with the Learning Management System to assess its effectiveness. Improving the learning content relies on receiving valuable feedback from employees. Communicate with the managers and leaders and inquire about any behavioural changes they have observed in their employees after the training.

By evaluating the learning experience results from your audience will help you: * identify what was ok, what needs to be improved * how the learning experience can be developed closer to the audience needs * how much did they learn from the sessions and another important aspect in my opinion that should matter - how much has been applied in real life from the entire learning experience

Start by gathering feedback through surveys, focus groups, or one-on-one interviews. Look for insights on usability, engagement, and effectiveness of communication tools and platforms. Analyze metrics like participation rates, completion rates, and user feedback to identify areas for improvement. For instance, a company might use employee satisfaction surveys to gauge the effectiveness of their remote training programs. If feedback indicates low engagement or difficulty accessing materials, they could consider redesigning the training platform for better user experience or providing additional support resources.

One thing I have found helpful is to consider the action learning approach. The instructor shares a framework during the session, engages the audience during the session through different ways like break out rooms etc and the participants then go and apply this in their context. The instructor then checks on the application in either the next session or through async mediums. I have observed that this approach significantly deepens participant learning.

Consider METAVERSE Start by creating immersive virtual environments where employees can collaborate, learn, and engage in team-building activities. This can include virtual offices, meeting spaces, and training simulations. Provide customizable avatars and interactive elements to enhance engagement. For example, a company could host virtual team-building exercises in a metaverse environment where employees from different locations can participate in team challenges or attend virtual workshops. Additionally, leverage augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies to enhance training programs and simulate real-world scenarios.