Virtual classrooms: are we giving learners what they want and deserve?

You may have seen that I’m running a survey, with research expert Jane Daly, to get more evidence on which to base our live online learning design and delivery. The survey is open for another few days, so you can contribute your thoughts.

There are some interesting early results from around 75 respondents, mostly UK and US based, but from other countries too, and I thought I might whet your appetite with some thoughts about it.

On the survey there’s an interesting discrepancy between what our attendees want and what our organisations are offering. We asked what type of virtual learning sessions people preferred. 76% of people wanted something small (up to 10 people) and discussion based. 16% wanted an interactive webinar (note the point about it being interactive) and 8% preferred a larger virtual classroom (with 11-30 people).

But when we asked what organisations were offering, 58% of respondents said that their session sizes were 9-15 people or more. Only 17% were offering smaller session (of 1-8 people). What is heartening though is that no one selected “as many as we can”!

We do have to be careful about learner preferences, as what people want isn’t always the same as what is best for them. However this is a very clear message that learners appreciate being in sessions with fewer people, to allow room for more discussions, questions, collaboration and interaction. Having 15 people or more in a live online learning session affects the ability of the facilitator to connect with each individual, keep track of their learning needs and be able to respond to them.

It’s no wonder that only 11% of respondents said that the last three virtual learning sessions they attended exceeded their expectations and only 16% were able to say that the sessions added value so that they could apply what they learned. It’s great that 47% of people had sessions that met their expectations, but is that all we want to achieve? During 2020 and perhaps early 2021, when live online learning was new to so many people, it was more than acceptable to get online, get there quick and keep going. But we are now looking toward our third year of living with Covid-19 and the business and learning ramifications of that.

Digital learning, and my speciality of live online learning, is in greater demand than ever, and we need to ensure that we have the skills to design and deliver what’s needed, as well as knowing what people think of what we are offering. This is why the research I’m doing with Jane Daly is so important. Please complete the survey to tell us about your experience attending, designing and facilitating live online and hybrid learning, so that we can all exceed expectations.

Download the report, get involved in this year's survey, and let us know your key points and questions!