We are seeing more and more of our training delivered over the internet. I have always been a fan of remote learning as a way forward to reduce travel and the time, money and hassles that go along with it. It’s also good for the planet as we have discussed before. However, there is some value to being in the same place at the same time. So what about the hybrid version – Blended Learning? Let’s take a look…
When I worked for a previous training company, we came up with an original idea for blended learning. One week delivered remotely, and one week delivered in person. The first week was mainly the introductory topics that could be delivered via “asynchronous” e-Learning with the students determining their own schedule to cover sessions of lecture and hands-on exercises. The second week was delivered “synchronously” with a live instructor in a particular location and was intended for the more advanced topics where person-to-person training was more important. We found that the second week began by “hitting the ground running” with all the elementary topics already covered leaving the group to concentrate on “the good stuff”. From a business point of view, we were offering more value that the standard 5 day class but at less than the full 10 day price. A win-win situation. It proved very popular and we called it PowerSQL.
Now that technology has moved on, we can offer a variation on this blended learning model. Again, a two week curriculum. The first week, delivered in the evening, would be through short 3-hour sessions delivered through our Virtual Classroom environment with a live instructor for interactive questions. Hands-on lab work would be provided through our remote lab environment. The second week would be delivered in a particular location, giving the option of live attendance but with a twist. The second week would also be available remotely via our virtual classroom technology. That gives the student a choice. If they can attend the second week in person, great. If not, they can still attend remotely. The sessions would be recorded too, so could be available for review later. The remote lab environment is available 24×7 so the remote students could choose when they do their labs on their own schedule.
From a utilization point of view, there is only one instructor needed. The instructor could teach another daytime class during the first week, with the evening sessions being paid overtime. The instructor could easily deliver the remote sessions while on the road, if necessary. Only one classroom needed for the 2nd week. Again, 2 weeks training delivered for less than the 10-day price giving extra value and flexibility. Allowing remote access to live sessions is the way of the future, makes sense in this financial climate – and will ultimately go towards saving the planet.
PowerSQL may be a dated name…how about GreenSQL?
Cheers
Brian
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