Designing Effective Online Training: Practical Lessons for Training Providers

Effective online training needs to be designed for the environment in which learners will actually participate.

Moving content from a classroom into a virtual platform is relatively straightforward. Creating an effective learning experience online requires more thought.

My research into online training and Irish SMEs identifies a number of practical recommendations for training providers. These focus on how sessions are structured, how learners participate, the role of the trainer and how different forms of learning can work together.

The findings point towards designing around the learner and the learning experience rather than starting with the technology.

Decide what needs to happen live

Not everything needs to happen during a live online session.

Some content can be explored independently before or after learners meet. Other activities benefit from having the trainer and learners together at the same time.

This creates an opportunity to use live sessions more purposefully.

Rather than spending most of the session presenting information, live time can be used for explanation, questions, discussion, activities, practice and feedback.

Self-directed learning can then support the live sessions through reading, resources, reflection or other activities that learners can complete in their own time.

The research finds that organisations are already using both synchronous and asynchronous approaches to online training. The challenge is to combine them in a way that makes sense for the programme and its learners.

Build participation into the session

Participation should be planned rather than left to chance.

In a classroom, discussion can develop naturally. Online, trainers often need to create more deliberate opportunities for learners to contribute.

This might include questions, polls, breakout activities, discussion exercises or opportunities for learners to apply an idea to their own workplace.

The research also highlights the importance of informal and peer-to-peer learning. It recommends providing time for learners to network and build connections, including through breakout rooms or informal video conversations.

The important point is that interaction should have a purpose. A breakout room or poll should contribute to the learning rather than simply being included because the technology allows it.

Use live time carefully

The research recommends keeping live online sessions to around 90 minutes rather than reproducing longer classroom sessions online.

This has implications for programme design.

If a classroom programme previously involved several hours of continuous trainer-led delivery, moving online provides an opportunity to reconsider how that learning is structured.

A programme might combine shorter live sessions with self-directed learning, workplace activities, resources or reflection between sessions.

This can make the live element more focused while still allowing the overall programme to cover the required learning.

The question becomes less about how long learners are online and more about what they need to achieve during that time.

Match group size to the learning activity

The number of people who can technically join an online session is not necessarily the number who should join it.

The research recommends keeping interactive online classes to around 15 learners or fewer where possible.

This is particularly relevant where learners are expected to discuss, ask questions, participate in activities and receive feedback.

There is an important distinction between an online presentation and an online learning session.

A webinar may be designed for a large audience primarily receiving information. Virtual instructor-led training may require much greater interaction between the trainer and learners.

Group size should therefore reflect what learners are expected to do, rather than simply the capacity of the technology.

Prepare learners before the session

A good online learning experience begins before the trainer starts delivering the content.

Learners need to know how to access the session and how to use the basic tools they will need.

The research recommends ensuring that learners have the necessary technical skills and are familiar with the learning platform.

This can be addressed through relatively simple measures: clear joining information, an opportunity to become familiar with the platform and guidance on the features learners will be expected to use.

It is also useful to establish expectations around participation.

If learners will be expected to contribute to discussions, use breakout rooms or complete activities, making this clear in advance can help them prepare for the session.

Create the right conditions for learning

The flexibility of online training means that learners can participate from many different locations.

Training providers should also consider whether those locations allow people to learn effectively.

The research recommends that learners have a suitable place to attend their training and time away from their normal work responsibilities.

This is partly an organisational issue rather than something a trainer can control directly.

However, training providers can communicate expectations clearly. Organisations sending staff to training can be encouraged to treat the session as protected learning time rather than expecting employees to continue dealing with normal work at the same time.

A learner may technically be connected to a session without being in a position to participate properly.

Prepare trainers for online facilitation

Online delivery places different demands on the trainer.

The research recommends ensuring that trainers have the skills needed to deliver effectively online.

Knowing how to operate the platform is part of this, but online facilitation involves more than technical competence.

The trainer needs to think about how learners will participate, how understanding will be checked and how the session will maintain momentum.

There also needs to be a plan for the activities being used.

What question will learners discuss in a breakout room?

How long do they need?

What should they bring back to the main group?

What is the purpose of a poll?

How will the trainer use the responses?

These decisions turn technology features into learning activities.

Choose the right combination of learning methods

Effective programme design does not require every element to be delivered in the same way.

Some learning may be suitable for self-directed online study. Other learning benefits from live interaction with a trainer. Some learning may require people to meet physically.

The research ultimately identifies blended learning as the preferred direction rather than relying exclusively on either classroom-based or fully online training.

A blended approach provides an opportunity to use different environments for different purposes.

The decision should be based on the learning rather than on a preference for a particular technology.

What do learners need to know?

What do they need to practise?

Where do they need interaction with other learners?

Where is trainer input most valuable?

What can they reasonably complete independently?

These questions can help determine the most appropriate combination.

Learn from each delivery

Online training should continue to develop after the programme has been designed.

The research recommends that trainers share what worked and what did not work so that experience can inform future delivery.

Training providers can build this into their normal review process.

Learner feedback is one source of information, but trainers can also reflect on their own experience.

Which activities worked particularly well?

Where did learners struggle?

Was there enough time for discussion?

Were some activities better suited to another delivery method?

Did the technology support the learning effectively?

Small improvements made after each delivery can gradually strengthen the programme.

Start with the learning experience

Technology is an important part of online training, but it should not determine the programme.

The research points towards a more practical approach: first consider what learners need to achieve and then decide how learning design, technology, facilitation and support can work together to help them achieve it.

For training providers, that means moving beyond the question:

Can we deliver this online?

The more useful questions are:

Which parts should be online?

Which parts should happen live?

What can learners do independently?

Where is interaction important?

What support will learners and trainers need?

And where would face-to-face learning provide a better experience?

When these decisions are made deliberately, technology becomes part of the learning design rather than the starting point for it.

A practical starting point

When reviewing an online or blended programme, training providers can begin with a relatively simple set of considerations.

Look at what learners need to achieve.

Decide which activities genuinely benefit from live interaction.

Identify what learners can complete independently.

Consider an appropriate group size for the activities being used.

Keep live sessions focused and manageable.

Make participation part of the session design.

Prepare learners to use the technology.

Ensure trainers are prepared to facilitate online.

Give learners appropriate time and space to participate.

And review each delivery to identify what should be retained, changed or improved.

Effective online training is not defined by how much technology is used. It comes from making appropriate choices about learning design, delivery, technology and support.

About this research

This article draws on my original research into online training and Irish SMEs. The research examines how Irish SMEs are using online training, the opportunities it creates, the barriers to adoption and its potential to create competitive advantage.

The research included 40 survey responses and seven interviews across a range of sectors.