Sunday, February 25, 2018

A Best Practices Guide to Converting Classsroom Instruction to Online Instruction


Best Practices Guide: Converting to a Distance Learning Format

A training manager is frustrated with the lack of communication between the learners in the face-to-face classes he facilitates.  He talks with his supervisor and gets permission to work on a blended training program with both classroom and online sessions.  This, he hopes will change the dynamic and get the learners talking with each other.  He wants to allow the learners access to the course material on a server so they can work at whatever hours they want.  This guide will help him strategize, organize and put together a blended course that will meet his requirements. 

This is a Best Practices Guide to help him complete his mission. 

1.   Preplanning strategies 

Putting time and thought into the preplanning strategies and activities will pay off tremendously when it’s time to start building the online program.   

A.   Consider the needs of the learners.  A job task analysis should be done to determine what is involved in converting material to online format.  The results may point the trainer to keeping more of the training in the classroom because it is better suited for those lessons.  It may be difficult to convert some of the material to online formats.  Are we looking at putting PowerPoints online because that is what is used in the classroom?  Overusing PowerPoint has been pointed out several times as causing learners to lose focus (Hedges, 2014). “Death by PowerPoint” is something all trainers want to avoid.   

B.   Consider putting the training material on a server.  Several considerations need to be addressed.  Are there any proprietary material concerns that need to be protected?  How secure is the server?  Who has access to it besides the students?  Does it matter?  If this doesn’t create problems, it is probably a good idea as learners may want to work on assignments at different times of the day. 

C.   Choosing a Learning Management System (LMS) is the next important task.  A LMS is a site that allows learners to access course material, interface with the instructor and other students, complete and submit assignments and receive feedback on performance.  It is set up so that the learners can access and use the course material that has been set up by the instructor.  It also lets the instructor set up the material. 

There are several things that go into choosing a good LMS.  Choose a technology that both the teachers and learners can learn and use.  Just because the teacher knows how to use it doesn’t mean the learners will be able to.  Determine the technical level of the audience (Pappas, 2015).  Then determine how easy it is to use the LMS to set up courses.  Does it walk you through the process or do you need to be an expert?  Then determine how much support may be needed for both teachers and learners to use this LMS.  Do you need 24/7 support or will normal business hours be OK?  Can the site provide that level of support and will it be cost prohibitive?  The training manager wants to convert all training to a blended format which will use the LMS.  Is there a charge per course on the LMS?  Carefully consider and choose the LMS that best accommodates these. 

2.   What can be moved into the online format? 

One of the biggest questions to consider is how the chosen material or method will include the learners (Simonson, Smaldino, & Zvacek, 2015).  Activities will be the biggest step forward towards enhancement.  There are already activities in the synchronous classroom setting.  Some of those can be converted to an online activity that serves the same purpose.  Perhaps an activity involving group work in the classroom can be converted to a synchronous online activity involving the same group members.  Now everyone can participate on their computers, which is more comfortable with some people than face-to-face in a classroom.  Times should be agreed on by the learners, as long as they complete the activities on time.  The key is for the trainer to think of active rather than passive activities for the learners so that learning takes place (Simonson, Smaldino, & Zvacek, 2015).    

3.   How will the classroom trainer role change online? 

Many times teachers are in front of a class lecturing.  Online teaching is more of a coaching role (Simonson, Smaldino, & Zvacek, 2015).  He will encourage the learners to collaborate with each other to complete activities and in discussions.  This will help them learn actively instead of by reading and listening to lectures.  The activities should be built so they require maximum participation from the class and so that no member can sit back and watch everyone else do the work.  This is the coach’s job, to ensure this kind of participation.  It requires the coach to be online often to monitor the monitor the discussion boards and participate in the discussions (Laureate Education, n.d.).  The trainer needs to offer timely feedback so the learners know where they are doing well and where they need to improve. 

4.   How can the trainer encourage discussion between the learners? 

The trainer should provide the ground rules in the beginning class materials.  The syllabus can spell out the course schedule, grading system and how participation in discussions will be measured (Simonson, Smaldino, & Zvacek, 2015).  Students know up front the criteria and what is expected.  If they do not participate the trainer should grade accordingly, reinforcing the criteria and encouraging participation.  Of course there will be exceptions  and the trainer will take those into consideration on a case-by-case basis.

The activities mentioned earlier can help get the students to communicate better online.  Adding humor has proven to be effective in influencing student participation (Anderson, 2011).  It can turn a dreaded course into a lively one by getting learners to talk.  It has also shown to increase learning by promoting greater recall.  So humor gets a big thumbs-up. 

These practices, combined with the curriculum the trainer is currently using in the classroom, should get the learners communicating better than they have been.  Once that happens, the instructor can build on it by seeing what works well and what doesn’t.   Slow progress at first is better than no progress. 

References

Anderson, D. (2011). Taking the Distance out of Distance Education: A Humorous Approach to Online Learning. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 7(1), 74.

Hedges, K. (2014, Nov 14). Six Ways To Avoid Death By PowerPoint. Retrieved from www.forbes.com: https://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2014/11/14/six-ways-to-avoid-death-by-powerpoint/#3310023264d4

Laureate Education, (. (Director). (n.d.). Facilitating Online Learning [Motion Picture].

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., & Zvacek, S. (2015). Teaching and Learning at a Distance, Foundations of Distance Education, 6th Edition. Charlotte: Information Age Publishing.

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