VILT also known as Virtual Instructor-Led Training is the training which is imparted in a simulated setting virtually. This generally takes place when the instructor and the trainees are in different locations. This training can take place synchronously or asynchronously.
One of the best practices to host this training is with the help of an LMS or a learning management system, for example, Trainual. This tool offers plenty of features to deploy and track your training sessions.
Synchronous training– This is the kind of virtual training that takes place not only online, but also when both the instructor and trainees are online at the same time or in real-time through video conferencing or chat.
Asynchronous training– This is the kind of virtual training that takes place when both instructors or trainees are not necessarily online at the same time. Here trainees can learn at their own pace through emails, online forums as well as collaborative documents.
VILT movement is swiftly gaining momentum, with the help of a regular increase in bandwidth as well as advancement in collaboration software features. Especially during the global pandemic of Covid 19, the demand for Virtual Instructor-Led Training has increased manifolds.
The VILT program can be designed to impart much-needed knowledge to the trainees. Following are the pointers to keep in mind while designing a VILT platform-
- Prioritize the important topics
The first step is to prioritize the most important topics to be educated about. Single training can not cover everything, so choose an important topic, and what you will be doing to make the content understandable. It is also wise to decide the topics which are better trained through a synchronous medium or asynchronous mediums.
- Design for different devices
One important thing to be kept in mind is that the VILT training is taking place at different places as well as different devices such as desktops, laptops, smartphones, tablets, etc. which are being used by different users. So, the content produced must be synchronized to be run on different devices and be coherent for all users alike.
- Engagement of trainees is important
Trainee engagement is important to be maintained. The delivery of knowledge should be interesting enough to pique the interest of trainees as well as keep them interested to log in for the session. All the activities as well interactions should be added considering that they add value to the trainee whether in the form of adding a skill or even making their job easier.
- Create an outline of the curriculum
It always helps to plan. The creation of the outline of the whole curriculum will help in dividing the content into logical fragments and small bite-sized information. Any example or activity to be planned can be integrated easily into the program with the help of timely planning.
- Plan ahead
After an outline of the curriculum is formulated, further planning regarding what to teach and how it can be better taught can be planned. Further planning regarding the verbal knowledge, activities to be included, videos to be included or handouts to be given, if any, needs to be done.
- Schedule breaks
Proper breaks should be scheduled so as not to fatigue the trainees and maintain their flow of knowledge absorption. This is important to avoid any burnout and overload of information resulting in poor retention of course. Of Course, breaks are also useful for trainers to help them rejuvenate and give their best to training.
- Ask for feedback
The trainees should be asked for their honest feedback to better the training sessions. This also helps to understand what part of the lecture they could grasp and what part needs more polishing and effort to be imparted properly. This also helps keep the trainees engaged by asking for their participation.
There is a need for rigorous planning and scheduling to make sure the right content reaches the trainees in an intended way and is grasped by them as is required. With just proper mindfulness the required perfection can be achieved by the trainer.
