Converting ILT or VILT to Blended Training
When an Instructor led training or Virtual Instructor led training course contains both cognitive and practical components [role-playing or hands on with technology] it’s prudent to use ‘Horses for Causes’. The best ROI would come from deploying cognitive aspects as adaptive learning and practical aspects as ILT or VILT.
Example: VEJ-EU, the body responsible for safety training on Denmark’s roads, converted a two-day class to adaptive modules in PDC’s partners’ platform Area9 Rhapsode plus one day in class. This better served the students who came from widely different backgrounds, reduced the cost of the class, and eliminated a hotel stay.
Pragmatic VR-based simulation
Hands-on training, both actual and simulation based, is a natural part of learning. Recent technological leaps have made it possible to perform highly realistic hands-on training virtually, and by utilizing modern immersive virtual reality (VR) the training can be highly interactive. Through immersive VR procedural demonstrations can be viewed from all angles, hand-eye coordination can be trained, and otherwise impossible simulations can be played out – as both self-directed as well as collaborative learning.
While VR works wonders for some learning objectives, it is not the solution to all educational problems. To allow educators to utilize VR for relevant learning objectives Area9 Lyceum has partnered with VitaSim. This collaboration has made it possible for teachers to easily create their own VR learning resources – without writing a single line of code. These resources integrate seamlessly into Rhapsode™ and can be accessed through traditional web browsers, consumer level VR headsets or high-end VR hardware.
Converting ILT to Adaptive
Existing classroom courses typically have a fair amount of ‘show and tell’ – the instructor standing at the front of the class teaching facts, concepts, or procedures.
As Bloom showed more than 30 years ago, personalized teaching is significantly better than the classroom for cognitive training. Some courses are exclusively show and tell with no practical component. In these cases, it makes sense to convert the entire class to adaptive.
Example: National Safety Council worked with Area9 to convert a two-and-a-half-day classroom course to 16 adaptive modules. The median time to complete dropped from 20 hours to less than ten, with some learners mastering the material in as little as four hours.
Converting ILT to Blended
Often the cognitive component of a class is followed by some practical component – role-playing or hands on with technology. Here, it makes sense to use the two modalities for what they do best. Cognitive aspects move to adaptive, and practical aspects stay in class.
Example: VEJ-EU, the body responsible for safety training on Denmark’s roads, converted a two-day class to adaptive modules in Area9 Rhapsode™ plus one day in class. This better served the students who came from widely different backgrounds, reduced the cost of the class, and eliminated a hotel stay.
Adaptive Prework
The VEJ-EU case is a classic example of adaptive prework. A common approach to developing a blended program is an online component prior to coming to class. This is often driven by a logistical desire to shorten the in-class time for cost or operational reasons. The major flaw with this approach is that e-learning is not very effective, and students come to class unprepared.
Adaptive learning guarantees that students master the material (prework) and can therefore benefit much more from the classroom component. A further benefit is that instructors can use the detailed metrics generated by Area9 Rhapsode EDUCATOR™ to see where students found the adaptive topics easy or whether they struggled and adjust the in-class experience appropriately.
The platform Area9 Rhapsode allows our team of experts to develop and deliver programs that serve the following training needs:
- Compliance training
- Onboarding
- Products and service training
- Safety training
- Soft skills development
- Team training
- Technical skills development
