Page 199 - DMGT518_TRAINING_AND_DEVELOPMENT_SYSTEM

Training and Development System

Notes Classroom skills: Several issues in online teaching are similar to those prevalent in a real
classroom like personality clashes.

Example: Someone on the class message board will say that one kind of network server
is better, and someone disagrees. Suddenly people start going ballistic.

Fortunately, such interactions are the exception, not the rule. Don’t allow any hot-dogging by
people who take a class just to show off what they know. Instructors should use any conflicts as
catalyst both for interaction and learning, while at the same time managing them carefully and
coaching students on how to disagree online without hurting others.

Notes Classroom learning and e-learning differences

The traditional classroom offers plenty of opportunity for spontaneous interaction, while
the online instructor has to plan interactivity with techniques such as using a virtual
whiteboard, taking polls, and asking participants to speak. A traditional classroom is
fairly forgiving if you’re not having a good day. Live online isn’t that way. You have to be
well scripted. You can’t just pop up a new slide the way you can go to a new flip chart in the
classroom.
It’s important for trainers to be continuous learners and open-minded to new techniques.
Online trainers should be experts both in their subjects of expertise as well as the working
of technology. Online learning is a fantastic medium that offers tremendous opportunity
to serve you well years into the future. Preparation is the key to successful online teaching.
The easiest way to get better is to get tired of practicing. You want to be in a situation
where you don’t have to concentrate on technical issues. If you’re worrying about graphics
and how you’re moving the mouse, you’ll miss what’s really going on.
A classroom of professional trainer normally makes for a tough crowd, but e-learners
have proven to be empathetic because they face the same kind of rapid transition. A major
challenge will be getting people to contribute in a virtual classroom. Learners might feel
nervous because the sessions are recorded for playback, unlike a regular classroom. Time
management and navigating the technology are two big hurdles for online instructors.
A finer point of teaching in the virtual classroom could be drawing the student’s eye to the
screen through the use of graphics.
Effective e-trainers would develop more of a bond with learners as solid a bond in the
online environment as the live classroom. Part of that comes from seeing the learner. You
may interact before and after the class, and have a chance to make small talk. Sometimes,
making a personal connection is difficult. As a trainer you may want to make jokes and
have fun. But in an online environment, you don’t know if they’re laughing or just rolling
their eyes. As an e-trainer, you have got to be a great listener because you have little else
to rely on in a virtual classroom.

Self Assessment

Fill in the blanks:
10. The differences in training for E-trainers include course conversion, learner support
materials and ………………… methods.
11. After the e-trainers are selected, they need to be put through a well organized and well
designed …………….. programme.

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