Training Industry Magazine - January/February 2021 - 48

Learner engagement measures not only
the way learners engage with the facilitator
but also the way they participate with
other learners. Chatrooms offered in most
web-conference tools offer convenient
methods to create breakout rooms,
discussion rooms and follow-up forums.
Encouraging learners to take advantage
of these features is good; requiring that
they participate in discussions or work
together to create and post summaries
is better.

Do Encourage
Personalization
In workplaces new to the virtual
environment, operational managers
are eager to find ways to increase their
own and their teams' visibility. Many
use eLearning courses to ensure that
their team members are online and
productive. Online courses are an easy
method for mandating engagement,
because they are readily available,
log attendance and completion, and
are often on topics general enough
for widespread implication. Don't let
this practice go unchecked. Training
professionals have a responsibility to
push back on this use of eLearning.
Once learning develops a reputation
as busy work, its credibility as a
meaningful method of developing skills
is severely compromised.

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Identifying and creating relevant learning
requires a thoughtful, strategic approach
to course creation and assignment.
Trainers and operational managers should
partner to discuss how learning can be
positioned to address current problems
facing the organization. Managers can
partner coaching conversations with the
assignment of eLearning to set learning
goals. Follow-up after courses can include
team conversations or one-on-ones that
debrief concepts covered in the course.
Explaining the relevance of a course and
debriefing afterwards shows learners that
training has value.
Aligning courses with organizational
competencies, development goals or
performance objectives is another way
to help learners see the relevance of
eLearning. Learning professionals can
work to create course maps that easily
allow managers to prescribe courses
based on individual needs, level of
tenure and job position. Demonstrating

course value in a personalized way
makes learners feel respected.
eLearning's rise in popularity was
catapulted by the limitations of the
pandemic. Learning professionals have a
responsibility to protect the integrity of this
modality by ensuring that it is meaningfully
implemented. Meaningful eLearning starts
with identifying methods to make courses
interactive. Interactivity is an outlet
for learner action and differentiates
training from presentations. eLearning
should also engage learners with
opportunities to collaborate and learn
from each other. Finally, eLearning
should be relevant. Prioritizing these
characteristics reinforce the importance of
training as an organizational advantage.
Wynnona Haynes-McMahan is the
talent development manager for
Murata Electronics North America and
is the founder of LEADStriveThrive.
Email Wynnona

Converting face-to-face training to eLearning and virtual platforms is
more than sharing a PowerPoint presentation. Considerations for learner
experience, delivery methods and interactive components are just some of
the customizations required. This guide published by the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations is a comprehensive, step-by-step resource
for training professionals of all backgrounds and experience levels.
http://www.fao.org/3/i2516e/i2516e.pdf
Training Industry Magazine - January/February 2021

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