In this second part of our 2-part blog, we look at the 3 other reasons why training departments are switching to virtual instructor-led training. Let’s get to it:
3. VILT Provides ROI for Organizations
Training departments save a significant amount of money from online training. In fact, according to a Citrix GoToTraining report, “Companies can save between $9,550 and $15,870 by moving one course from a traditional classroom to VILT.” These savings come from cost reductions in travel, lodging, transportation and instructors’ lost productivity.
According to a Tagoras report, “Association Learning and Technology,” these cost differences are greatest for employees and instructors who work across several sites (for whom travel would be required for in-person training) and for mid-level and senior-level employees (for whom the “opportunity cost of time off task” is greatest).
4. Moving to VILT Is Simple
Many people believe that transitioning from traditional training to virtual training is a huge endeavor. They expect the transition to involve many confusing and time-intensive steps, as well as numerous departments. However, the opposite is true. Moving from in-person training delivery to VILT involves four easy steps:
- Select your virtual training environment software. There are numerous online meeting tools available to organizations. However, an online meeting tool is different from VILT software, and these differences have a huge impact on student and instructor experiences. The bottom line is that VILT software is not the same as an online meeting tool.
- Make your local computer labs available online. In-person training delivery commonly requires students to work on pre-installed desktops in a classroom. For VILT delivery, hands-on labs must be available online. When you consider building a virtual training lab solution in house, you will probably realize that it’s a complex, expensive and time-consuming undertaking. Instead, consider contacting an experienced virtual training lab provider to help deploy your virtual training and IT training labs.
- Add VILT-specific slides to your existing in-person curriculum. In most cases, you can use the same slide decks for VILT and in-person delivery, but it’s a good idea to add a few slides to the course introduction that explain how the VILT software and virtual training labs work from a student’s point of view. This content will boost students’ confidence in using the tool and improve class participation.
- It’s important for instructors to run practice classes. Ask them to practice virtual instruction using role-play. Each participant should play the instructor, as well as the student, to become familiar with the various features that instructors and students can access.
5. VILT Provides Valuable Peer-to-peer Learning
Human interaction is critical for learning, but this interaction does not necessarily need to take place face to face. In fact, participation and peer-to-peer learning are integral parts of virtual computer training. This type of training has several features that allow instructors to effectively teach students and, when appropriate, allows students to communicate with one another.
For example, many platforms enable instructors to see all students’ remote desktops in a single screen at all times – allowing them to see where students are in their virtual training labs or which students are struggling. Other features allow instructors to zoom in on specific students’ screens and offer personalized help. For students, there are features to help them communicate, such as public and private chats and emoticons.
Organizations that make the switch to VILT will quickly realize that it was well worth the effort. By moving from face-to-face learning to a hosted training solution, your training department can focus on creating high-value training content, speeding up student proficiency and exceeding your profit and loss and learning goals.
