APPLIED COACHING RESEARCH JOURNAL 2021 , Vol . 7 infrastructure , a workforce with adequate skills and learners to be digitally literate ( Gautam , 2020 ). While digital solutions offer a range of benefits , digital exclusion is a reality for 22 % of the UK population ( Holmes and Burgess , 2020 ; Lloyds Bank , 2019 ). As a result , we need to consider how we minimise our impact on the digital divide when developing learning - surely everyone is entitled to accessing learning and not just those who have the means to do so ?
This article explores what moving to a digital offering means for the future of organisations delivering learning and how we can create excellent virtual learning environments by flipping our thinking about the use of online platforms , while considering those who we may be excluding .
Face-to-face versus virtual learning environments At UK Coaching , we adopt the
Transforming Learning , Transforming Lives approach to learning ( UK Coaching , 2019 ). It guides our thinking to ensure that we are putting the learner at the heart of our learning design and delivery . Transforming Learning , Transforming Lives helps organisations to create excellent learning through connected experiences , communities , people , content and other organisations . Regardless of whether learning has been designed for a face-to-face or a digital environment , this approach is always used as the foundations . With this in mind , we learned through applied principles , some tips that have helped to create connected learning experiences in a virtual environment .
The first thing to establish is what separates a virtual classroom from a virtual meeting and / or a virtual event ? If you think back to a physical classroom , meeting and event , the clues are there . For example , much like a physical face-to-face classroom , a facilitator would usually have a class size ranging from small numbers ( 2-8 people ) through to an average class size of 20-25 . There are a number of factors that can influence the size of the class such as the learner ’ s experience , in-class support , and facilitator confidence . In comparison , for an event , your numbers would perhaps be a lot larger . The two experiences would also be different ; in a classroom , the facilitator would be interacting on an individual basis , checking in with the room to ensure everyone is taking something from that experience and encouraging the learners to contextualise , make sense and apply the learning . Whereas during an event , the speaker would address the room in a global manner , perhaps picking out one or two participants to interact with and use more general tools such as hands up to gauge opinions and responses .
The exact same applies in a virtual environment … In a virtual classroom , the facilitator is doing all the things that they would typically do in a face-toface , physical environment albeit virtually . For an event , it would be a tall order for anyone to address large numbers individually throughout the event . As we move through this article we will focus on the virtual classrooms and how these can be facilitated to mimic , if not trump , face-to-face classroom experiences .
In 2018 , UK Coaching conducted a national Learning Need Analysis for coaches across the UK . It revealed that coaches preferred to learn in a face-to-face environment for the purpose of networking and connecting with like-minded people ( UK Coaching , 2018 ). Yet , there are several barriers associated with with face-to-face learning , such as travel , time , location , and cost . As a result , UK Coaching wanted to see whether online classrooms could provide a solution to these barriers , while maintaining the connectivity learners craved . The challenge was to recreate the excellent learning experiences that face-to-face environments typically provide and overcome the negative preconceptions learners had around online classrooms . A good place to start is to explore what learning experiences look like and the difference between a good and a bad one , paying particular attention to the key ingredients that make up an excellent learning experience , and then flipping these practices into the virtual classroom environment .
Reflection : Take a moment to think about two different learning experiences – one that was excellent and one that was poor .
Tip : You may like to make a note of the key characteristics of each .
From your reflections you may have identified that a poor learning experience could include characteristics such as :
• Being talked at for too long
• Lack of engagement
• Too many slides
• A long lecture
• Boring presentation style
• Lack of purpose
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