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Over the last few weeks I have run a number of online training courses. In doing so, I tried out various tools and formats. Because I don't just want to hold the proven in-house training courses online on a 1:1 basis. And of course I also diligently collected feedback from the participants so that I can optimize my offering.
More flexible in terms of timing
A major advantage of online events is that you are no longer tied to fixed time blocks. Most classroom training courses take place on a day-by-day basis. Usually they also run for several days in a row. That is not ideal, because it is very tiring to sit in a training session for a full day. In classroom training courses I have occasionally experienced individual participants briefly nodding off after the lunch break. That is normal - because we simply cannot concentrate for that long at a stretch.
With online training courses, we are less tied to daily blocks. It is also possible to conduct a training course over 5 mornings or afternoons instead of 3 days of 7 training hours each. And these sessions can also be spread across 2 weeks. This has several advantages:
- The training content is spread over a longer period. You stay receptive and can also think about the content in between
- The day-to-day business can carry on. There is no need to quickly take care of something during the training. That can be done in the other half of the day
- It is easier to find dates
- During the time without training, participants can also review the topics again or do exercises
- The often somewhat monotonous everyday home office routine is livened up
This approach has already proven itself in 2 events and the feedback from participants was very positive.
More comprehensible with a learning portal
For all events I create a course in a Moodle learning portal.
This is divided into the individual lessons and there you will find all the necessary information:
- Slides of the lesson
- Exercises
- Access data for the training systems
- A list of open questions and topics, which can also be maintained by the participants
- Access codes for the e-books
- Instructions and how-to documents
- Recordings of the event
The learning portal remains accessible to participants for 3 months even after the event.
Recorded!
All events can be recorded on video. The prerequisite, of course, is that all participants agree to this. Afterwards, these recordings are edited into sections of at most 1-2 hours and stored with the corresponding lessons in the learning portal. This makes it possible to follow the training step by step afterwards and, if needed, individual lessons can be watched again.
In the feedback surveys, over 80% of the participants state that they intend to use the learning portal again later or to watch the recordings again.
E-books and hardcover
As before, all participants receive a personal copy of "SQLScript for SAP HANA" (or another book suited to the topic) as training material. Since almost every participant works from a home office, this is also a logistical challenge. Here it has proven practical to additionally include the e-book version of the training material. This ensures that all participants have the book on time, despite long postal delivery times. And of course it also offers great added value, because you can have it with you everywhere and you can, of course, also search through it easily.
With guarantee and support
I am convinced that my customers are satisfied with the online offering. If that is not the case, all participants can attend one of the classroom training courses here in Mannheim, which will hopefully take place again soon, free of charge. Promised!
And because sometimes the important questions only occur to you after the training, all participants can make use of free support for all questions relating to the training topic after a course. Simply get in touch via our support portal and we will take care of your questions.
Conclusion
Of course, with online training courses I always miss a bit of the informal, personal contact with the participants, whether over lunch or during the coffee break. But if you make use of the possibilities of the internet, you can hold online training courses that are just as valuable and useful for the participants as classroom events.
