In Synch With SLS
September 19, 2008
Certifying virtual classroom teaching skills can help organizations successfully adopt synchronous learning systems.
By Karen Hyder
No doubt by now you've heard about Synchronous Learning Systems (SLSs), software tools used to create live, Webbased, instructor-led training sessions. These sessions scale easily, from a few simultaneous participants to large groups. They feature interactivity—in the main session, in "sidebar" chats, and in online breakout rooms. People refer to them as Webinars, synchronous e-learning, or virtual classes—and they are taking off.
Market leader WebEx reported 400 percent growth in 2007. In a recent eLearning Guild survey, most SLS users declared these tools essential to their
organizations. (See chart, right, for a list of software products respondents said they were using.) Organizations are moving instructor-led courses to the virtual classroom, and they plan to move more of them in the coming year.
What does this mean for trainers and training departments? Fasten your seatbelt! It's time to get yourself—and your team—ready for a new training environment. Forget commuting, forget dry erase markers.
With proper training and certification, Synchronous Learning Systems can be the time- and energy-savers you want them to be.
What Does It Take?
The Computing Technology Industry Association, CompTIA (www.comptia.org), an association of technology professionals and developer of vendorneutral IT certification exams, did some research. It identified 12 competencies that effective trainers use to prepare and deliver instruction on any topic (see sidebar). Each competency has knowledge and skill elements, so trainers can do what is necessary to create good learning opportunities, and to achieve a good result. CompTIA organized the many facets of e training to facilitate implementation and measurement of these competencies.
Skeptics claim Webinars can never be as good as face-to-face training, because eye contact and body language are absent. The eLearning Guild surveyed members who are using SLS systems. The majority agreed that, when set up and used properly, synchronous online sessions are as effective as face-to-face sessions. What does it take to be that effective? The answer turns out to be: Use the online tools available to connect with learners the best way possible.
Simple interactions make a big difference. The eLearning Guild learned that Webinar instructors who used the interaction tools more often reported better results than those who did not. Successful instructors more frequently:
• use drawing/highlighting tools
• use open chat and polling questions
to encourage participation
• use whiteboards to create content in
real time
• make downloadable documents
available from within the session
Guild members recommend that new eTrainers get help before beginning. The software isn’t hard to use, but it's different and may have strange terminology. For example, the trainer will ask participants to do things such as, "Show your 'Go faster' icon if you’re ready to move on." It takes practice.
Also, make the most of the other resources the SLS software provides. Design activities and script questions before the session begins. Identify the instructions participants will need. Practice with a friend. See what happens, and fine-tune your methods.
Ready to Get Started?
If you and your team are ready to adopt synchronous learning systems, start by watching trainers who are successful online do what they do. You also might seek the eTrainer Certification from CompTIA for each of your online trainers. Details about the eTrainer certification, or CTT+e, can be found online at certification.comptia.org. Candidates must pass a knowledge exam and a performance exam.
Prometric testing centers administer the 90-minute knowledge exam. It consists of 95 multiple-choice questions. The performance test is a 20-minute recording of the candidate, made while teaching an online session with five or more participants, and reviewed by a CompTIA judge.
CTT+ and CTT+e certifications have similar names, but the skills show up differently online. In a traditional classroom, Competency 1B (Create an environment conducive to learning) means: Set up comfortable chairs; point the tables facing forward; make sure the equipment is working; and ensure there is adequate lighting, heating, and cooling. But in a synchronous online session, this competency might not be so clear. An eTrainer candidate would need to know that an online environment conducive to learning means participants can open a link to the session room, get signed in on time, and see the slides. Participants also need the correct conference call number and pass code e-mailed to them ahead of time.
Final Advice: Prepare Well
Several resources are available to help build your skills and prepare for the certification. Begin by reviewing CompTIA's eTrainer Certification requirements. You may want to take a course to ensure you are prepared and to learn to be great online. The CompTIA Learning Alliance program reviews and approves training vendor courses; check certification.comptia.org.
Recommended reading includes "The New Virtual Classroom: Evidence-Based Guidelines for Synchronous e-Learning," by Ruth Colvin Clark and Ann Kwinn. "The eLearning Guild's Handbook on Synchronous e-Learning" (available at www.elearningguild.com) is a free, comprehensive source of practical advice and checklists from experienced online instructors. Finally, remember to fasten your seatbelt. You're in for quite a ride.
Karen Hyder is The eLearning Guild's online events moderator and speaker coach. Since 1995, she has helped hundreds of individuals and teams of trainers improve their training skills and earn Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) and CompTIA Certified Technical Trainer (CTT+) certifications. Hyder was influential in creating CompTIA’s new CTT+e certification for synchronous online trainers. At DevLearn 2008, she will present, with Curt Valmy of CompTIA, an optional day-long pre-conference workshop, "Preparing for and Presenting Successful Synchronous Online Sessions."
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