Learning is a truly personal experience.
According to eLearning consultant Clive Shepherd, people need people. He writes: “Learning successfully requires human beings to exchange information, give and receive feedback, share perspectives, engage together in practical activities, support each other through the bad times and get together to celebrate our successes.”
There is no question that learning is enhanced when students interact and collaborate with one another on instructional tasks. In fact, research by the National Research Council shows that teaching is particularly effective when students can articulate their ideas to peers, as well as listen to and discuss others’ ideas in the context of the classroom.
Shepherd insists that while these personal connections are valuable, they are unrealistic in online learning groups due to size: “We need to find ways to retain that essential human quality to the learning experience—even when we have a great many learners,” he writes in his blog.
He goes on to suggest that in an “ideal world,” we would be able to provide personalization and connections for all online learners.
But this ideal world does exist with ReadyTech’s virtual training software, where personalization and connections are the cornerstone of our online training tools and features.
Founded by actual instructors, ReadyTech was built on the premise that collaboration and engagement are a necessity in the virtual classroom. As a result, we focused our efforts on building solutions to help training organizations and instructors deliver interactive courses that keep students consistently engaged. ReadyTech’s virtual instructor-led training (VILT) platform allows instructors to teach students theories, then offer students a hands-on environment to apply their new knowledge.
Because “learning by doing” creates much greater knowledge retention than just listening and watching, the combination of VILT and virtual training labs helps students achieve performance fluency. Learn more about ReadyTech’s virtual training labs.
ReadyTech’s VILT solution not only provides numerous virtual training tools to help instructors guide students through the course curriculum, but instructors can give students hands-on exercises. This hands-on practice prepares students for real-life scenarios they will face when they are at work.
In addition to hands-on practice, what else matters when it comes to learning?
The answer—according to Dr. John Medina, a developmental molecular biologist focused on the genes involved in human brain development—is relationships.
“Relationships matter when attempting to teach human beings,” he writes in his book, Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School. “Our learning performance may be deeply affected by the emotional environment in which the learning takes place.”
With this in mind, it is critical to use hands-on practice, as well as personal connections, during the teaching process. And with ReadyTech, it is quite possible to make learning a truly personal experience.
