Instructor Led Training (ILT) is still vibrant and dominating the Learning and Development (L&D) landscape. However, there are many reasons ILT is the worst, most inefficient and effective way to transfer knowledge and skills. The only edge ILT has on any other learning medium is the human aspect and the ability to ask questions ad lib. ILTs are often classroom environments and events that only occur once leaving participants little to go by after they are done. Whoever creates ILT content whether a facilitator or an instructional designer, can benefit from integrating a few technologies that would simplify the delivery of these courses. Strategies like video introductions, mobile device interactive polls and augmented reality-enhanced handouts can minimize a facilitator’s variance of presentation quality. These strategies also offer the opportunity for participants to have on-demand access to the content after the course is finished. In this glorious return of the StyleLearn Andragoblog we discuss these great ILT strategies and their purpose for providing smarter learner experiences.
Don’t Say It Again, Record It!
Video is the more simplistic and yet the most feared or misunderstood learning medium. We can attribute this to the notion that most people would assume every time a video is shot one would need a film crew, trailers and Steven Spielberg on speed dial for artistic input. Most people may also think “video is too expensive” and “too time consuming” or “too difficult to edit or update”. Maybe some of these concerns were true when video cameras were analog and film was trendy. Now video cameras are in every device and their output digital. Now that we know that video is not taboo and impossible, let’s look at how it can enhance the ILT experience.
An Equal Experience For All
Every ILT course has what is known as static content. This is the stuff a trainer or facilitator repeats every time they deliver their course. Examples of static content can be course introductions, agendas, ice breaking activities and activity instructions. This is where video can be a time saver and provide the same quality of instruction regardless of the audience or setting. A trainer can do a phenomenal job explaining concepts in one course and not do so well in the next one. Is it fair that we would be evaluating participants under the same criterion even though their experiences were not equal based on the trainer’s delivery?
Video as an Evaluation Tool
A recorded ILT session can be an excellent resource of evaluation for trainers and L&D leaders. Videos can show the weaknesses or strengths of a presenter, their engagement and influence over participants and the overall mood of the event. When recording video of the ILT setting, ensure your recordings are distributed over several takes and separated by topics. This would allow you to edit the video in small portions which can then be made available to participants through a website for reference after the event. Here’s an example of recording for evaluation purposes (below).
Interactive Polls
The key element of interactive polls is their I-N-T-E-R-A-C-T-I-V-I-T-Y. Applications like PollEverywhere or DirectPoll capture the responses of the audience to any prompt or question asked by the facilitator and display results in real-time on any screen. Trainers can have participants use their mobile phones to text their answers or any other Internet able device. Traditionally, trainers do polls to engage people in feedback but, these often misses the participation of many. Trainer bias can also influence the responses and by just raising hands all the valuable data of learning feedback is dependent on the trainer’s impression of what happened and not on real data. The last advantage to mention about these apps is that they keep the learner anonymous and we can assume this to be less inhibiting than open participation in a class setting.
Augmented ILT Strategies
Augmented Reality (AR) is technology that embeds digital interactions in real life images. The technology was invented to help Boeing technicians visualize wiring diagrams in difficult to reach spaces. The beauty of AR is that is now very affordable $45-$135 a month for apps like Zappar that lets you add video and 3D object animations to real-life object images. These items become interactive by using a Zappar mobile app that tracks the digital signatures and display them as clickable items on the mobile device. AR offers a great array of possibilities to enrich the ILT experience for learners. For example; video clips can be embedded on pages of a participant guide for learners to view whenever they desire after the course is over. Imagine leaving learners with a handout enriched with AR interactions that would reinforce the same context and examples of concepts from a course. Activities can also be highly enhance by spreading AR interactions through various areas of the learning space and letting people explore and figure out their learning objectives with minimal trainer interaction.
The Homestretch
In summary, there’s no denying that ILT is prevalent in L&D but it’s also very inefficient. Several technologies available today can make the ILT experience much better and long lasting even after a course is over. Video can be an excellent tactic to capture everything that’s always the same and trainers constantly repeat on every delivery. Interactive polling applications can elevate the interactive space of ILT and remain as valuable data for trainers or even learners to use. AR applications are now affordable and are an excellent method to liven up the otherwise static participant guide. Finally, these strategies can make learning experiences similar in quality output and allow participants to rekindle memories of the course.
