Taking your classes and teaching online is easier than you think
If there was ever a time to take your training online, that time is now. With millions of Americans at risk of contracting the COVID-19 virus, virtual training opportunities have emerged as a great way to practice social distancing. “The less we all come into contact with each other, the slower the virus will spread, giving our healthcare system more capacity,” said Alex Mohseni, MD FACEP, Medical Director of Accuhealth.tech and co-host of Mastering Medicare.
While taking your training or teaching online may seem intimidating at first, it doesn’t have to be a nerve-racking, anxiety-inducing exercise. If this is your first time preparing an eLearning course, use these three steps to go virtual with confidence:
1. Pick a Virtual Classroom (Webinar) Platform
Your institution or organization may already have a platform in use such as Skype and Google Hangouts, in which case your choice might already be made for you. If you’re in the market for a virtual classroom platform, consider using easy to implement and moderately priced tools such as Zoom, Webex, and GoToWebinar.
Before your first online lesson, take some time to familiarize yourself with the features offered. Functions such as chat pods, polls, screenshare, and recording options may seem overwhelming at first, but can truly enrich the learning experience and make it new and fun for both you and your students!
2. Prepare to leverage virtual interactive elements
With the help of the available features of your webinar platform, think about how you can connect and engage with your students in real time while resisting the urge to lecture. Incorporate the use of your camera for a personalized introduction or a fun ice breaker exercise, or share your screen to show a funny video clip or interesting website.
If your technology allows for it, try drawing and writing on your virtual lecture slides to emphasize concepts. During class, interact with your students through question and answer prompts the way you would in a traditional class setting: use chat questions and polls to hear from your students and to make participants feel part of the learning process.
3. Tweak your presentation for virtual classroom success
While most of your content will transfer seamlessly, making a few adjustments can make a world of difference for bringing your students along on an exciting and stimulating learning journey.
Break up key points. Learners in an online setting will need bite-sized information presented in a way that promotes information processing and recall. By breaking up key points instead of using summary slides, learners will find it more interesting and engaging to follow along. If your training is running long, cover your most important points first.
Add more graphics. Depending on your subject matter, text heavy slides may be inevitable. When possible, opt for visually stimulating material that breaks up the monotony of text and holds the attention of the viewer. If you don’t have access to custom graphics, try a free image library such as Unsplash to find material that complements your verbal remarks.
With the help of these guidelines, we hope you have a successful first online class experience! Virtual classroom settings can be the source of inspiration and fun for both teachers and students. We encourage you to have the courage to try something new, and to go boldly into the virtual world!
If you’ve got more material than you can handle during this crisis or simply need a hand with conversion of your course in half the time, we’re here to help. Contact us for more information.