Converging eLearning and Live Stream

What do you think, will schools be opening this fall? Will online learning be our go-to strategy? Is this temporary, or is it permanent? What will the new normal bring? The COVID-19 pandemic seems to be putting a wrench in the works of educational progress…or is it? From another point of view, it’s presenting new opportunities. As the saying goes, “Necessity is the mother of invention”.

Part of the problem was the pandemic hit us quickly and we were not prepared for the radical change to our lifestyles. All aspects of daily life became about dealing with the unknown and survival. In the education and training space, unfortunately there were no:

●     Contingency plans for the inability to conduct in-class lessons

●     Consistency to deliver content identically across school districts and Business

●     Standards for testing and monitoring attendance

●     Knowledge of the best online learning technologies and resources

For many who hadn’t fully embraced online learning, the learning curve has been extraordinarily fast and steep. And it’s not just about course curriculum, it’s also about the ancillary aspects surrounding a virtual classroom, some of which include:

●     Instructional design

●     Course delivery

●     Navigating Learning Management Systems (LMS)

●     Administration of the courseware and support materials

●     Schedules

●     Assignments – both collecting and delivering feedback virtually

●     Will classes be synchronous or asynchronous?

●     Etc.

Educational Approaches

Educational institutions are slowly starting to understand the online world. I have been in the eLearning trenches for the past 25 years and found that live streamed audio and video have been an intrinsic component. While there is no replacement for face-to-face learning, there are numerous aspects of live streaming which are equally or more effective than in-class instruction.

Precourse Learning

I believe this is best delivered as synchronous. It can prepare students for live learning, and reduce prerequisite information delivery and questioning that takes time away from the heart of the lesson. In addition, the information can be reviewed multiple times before class for better preparation, and can be reviewed later as reference material.

Blended Learning

This is a hybrid approach of both live and prerecorded learning. They are both effective and when combined, are very powerful. It gives learners the accessibility to on-demand courses that can be repeated if a first pass is conceptually unclear. Live instructional components can be recorded and learning points can be reinforced by watching more than once. Post-class materials keep learners' skills sharp and can prepare them for upcoming modules. In blended learning the entire class becomes a reference tool.

Live Streamed Instruction

Pre-Stream

Live learning can be very effective for various types of classes and also provides the instructor with valuable information to better target the needs of his/her students. Here are some helpful tips:

●     Before the class starts, inform students to make sure there is nothing in their environment that could be embarrassing, inappropriate, or private.

●     As the teacher, scan your students' environment. and get a feel for their interests. Use this to better understand and build a connection with your students.

●     Before class starts, instructors may observe students who seem uncomfortable in live streams or being noticed in the class. Engage the student and ask questions about their environment, helping them feel more comfortable. Other students may chime in with empathetic comments or stories. This builds comradery and a sense of community. Anything you can do to facilitate connections helps motivate students. Fortunately, live streams make it easier to see and hear when learning cannot happen in a classroom.

In Class Live Stream

Live streaming provides a better ability to observe individual students. Everyone has a front row seat. Use this vantage point to your advantage.

• You can see if a student is looking off camera, fidgeting, or speaking to someone else in the room.
• You can tell if each student is reading text or performing the assignment on their screen.
• Need to regain a student's attention without embarrassing them in front of the class? Ask him/her an easy question, bringing them back into the discussion. Or, send a private chat message.

Chat

The chat section of a live learning class is imperative to success and offers many benefits to the instructor. Visual clues and body language can provide a lot of non-verbal information, i.e. if someone is uncomfortable with a subject. This where Instructors learn more about:

●     A student's grasp of or lack of understanding of a concept

●     Student attitudes towards a subject

●     What students say to each other during class

●     Curriculum feedback

●     Whether to adjust the pace of the class to match student learning speed

Social Experience

Probably the biggest paradigm shift to college life (thanks to the pandemic) is the social experience. On-campus life is a big reason why kids go away to college. While there is no replacement for real-world experiences, there are some ways to reduce the effects of student isolation:

●     Toss students softball questions about themselves. This may strike a nerve with another student who finds commonality.

●     Ask one student to pick and ask another student a question. This builds comradery between students.

●     Play live team-based games. This builds relationships between groups.

●     Motivate students to talk in the chat. It’s not like it's interrupting the class. They will form bonds with each other. Informal chatting between students speeds up the process and provides the instructor with valuable side information about students' interest in course content.

●     Build after-class chat rooms. Instructors are only a facilitator. Students' conversations flow naturally, they learn informally as they build a deeper connection with each other.

Informal Learning

One of the best teaching methods is informal learning. As a matter of fact, approximately 80% of learning is informal. As a teacher in a live-streamed class your job is to act as a facilitator, and in eLearning  much of this this takes place in the chat section of your class.

While the teacher is instructing, a student may not understand a concept. Instead of asking the teacher, students sometimes put their questions out to the class chat feed, i.e. “Does anyone understand this?” Other students chime and help, making for a better learning experience and building a community out of the class.

The Value of Remote Guests

Remote guests add an extra dimension to a live streamed eLearning class. In a face-to-face class it’s much more difficult to include an out of town guest. Utilizing the power of live streaming, experts, celebrities, and other professors can be remoted in. This provides additional avenues of learning and perspective on the same subject, and maintain student interest in the course content.

Is The New Normal of eLearning Temporary or Permanent?

There is a very good possibility that eLearning will change the face of education permanently. As places of learning, public schools, universities, and businesses see the need for and benefits of eLearning, A blended approach will most likely become the standard with some learning taking place in the classroom, while other learning experiences will take place remotely. Again, necessity is the mother of invention, and we are finding new and more efficient ways to teach. College may become a longer-term experience with students taking fewer eLearning classes per semester. On-going classes to keep skills sharp and accreditations may become the norm.

While on the road, an eLearning instructor can still teach, and a student can still take a class. This will also contribute to changing the landscape of travel and school. The new normal will save time and money for universities as more courses are delivered online. A blended approach also enhances the learning experience. It provides flexibility for those with time constraints or in different time zones, and offers accessibility to students from around the globe who can now take a class that was previously only offered in a traditional classroom.

Universities Adapting to The New Normal

Colleges and universities are concerned that live eLearning could negatively impact revenue. In actuality, by adapting and embracing the new normal, it presents new opportunities and provides new revenue streams. Universities can alter the learning process and change a four year program to an ongoing educational process that keeps skills relevant. This in turn makes a student more valuable in the workplace and provides a never ending stream of revenue for the university. Students who were otherwise unable to attend a school or a class due to location, health, or conflicting schedules can now attend.

Gaming and Gamification in Live Learning

Sometimes material is dry and it becomes difficult to engage or motivate remote learners. Gaming and gamification are creative methods to draw in learners. In a game, there are rules, and a beginning, a middle, and an end. In gamification there are elements of a game but not necessarily a winner. It takes less time than a game, but still engages, challenges, and motivates the learner. When used in a live setting, gamification can be used to learn more quickly, encourage team building, and build stronger relationships among the class community.

What Are The Opportunities For Learners?

In the new normal eLearning presents many opportunities for students. When the pandemic winds down a blended approach to learning may become the de-facto standard. Students will spend class time partly face-to-face and partly in a remote location, freeing up their time to be more productive in other areas. Learners who didn’t have access to a class now can attend, and course content and programming can be tailored more to individual needs rather than “one size fits all”.

The Future is Here, Embrace It!

The rapidly changing nature of our environment has forced eLearning to the main stage and an intrinsic component to the educational process. The ability for instructors to connect with students and for students to connect with each other virtually in real time builds communities out of remote classrooms. The process is more efficient, and learning can take place virtually anywhere at any time, wherever there is access to a decent internet connection. The New Normal is here. Embrace it!

Cliff Sobel is Founder of the @streamcastnetwork and former CEO of The Phoenix Group an eLearning consultation firm. He is a specialist in live streaming and eLearning. If you would like learn more or information on how you can prepare for the "new normal". Cliff can be contacted at, [email protected] and www.streamcastnetwork.com