By Derek Smith
Over the past two to three weeks, whether we wanted it to or not, the way we work has changed dramatically. Many of us have pondered how our children can learn on-line or how meetings can happen virtually. We say to ourselves things like; “It’s just not like it used to be.” or “Learning cannot possibly be done virtually.” That sentiment may be true, but I would ask one simple question: Did you at one point in your life learn anything by watching a good documentary or news show on TV?
If the answer is yes, then really the idea that you can’t learn using screen goes out the window. We all learn in different ways, and, if anything, the past three weeks has shown us we can learn very fast and adapt very quickly. What’s more, we can interface remotely when pushed to do so. Sure, it feels less genuine in the absence of a face-to-face meeting, building trust becomes more challenging, and the warmth of a smile and oxytocin released by a simple handshake seems that much more; well, missing.
Let’s consider that most continuing professional development (CPD) offered by construction associations and higher education institutions for the adult learner working in the construction and design industries in Canada are at a stand-still, and frankly, while we are busy sorting out job sites, I would argue – except for the absolute necessary learning behind health and safety instructions that must happen, and quickly – who cares? For those of us who provide CPD, the past three weeks has hit us like a ton of bricks. Those of us who believe this may be the game changer that some argue has been needed for a long time say get on board or watch your livelihood change dramatically.
I have been a staunch advocate for in-class professional development. To me, you cannot replicate a classroom setting for interaction, ideas sharing or even the right timing on a good joke! Or can you?
What is the real difference in the delivery of professional development virtually? That’s the new question of the day and the answer is – a lot! Virtual learning is not new, it has been around for about 10 years in various formats. For the newer generation, Millennials (born between 1977-1994) and Generation Z (1995-2012), learning is a combination of in-class, webcasts, social networking on-line and webinars. Some are “push methods” like webinars and webcasts, and some are “interactive” like social networking on-line and virtual meetings.
If you have ever used FaceTime, Skype or Instagram, you know what this feels like. For professional development, the “push methods” come with a risk. The risk is, as a learner – I can log on to my webinar and leave to do something else without the facilitator or trainer knowing. So, when it comes time to receive a certificate validating my session attendance, it may not be really earned because I have learned nothing and I ‘gamed’ the system.
Then there are interactive professional development platforms that I like to call “live sessions”. The significant difference is that the facilitator is live – in real time, and attendees are live with live webcams and live microphones. It is more like a real meeting, not a webinar at all. Files can be shared in real time, and even break out rooms for group work is possible.
In effect, you have recreated the in-class atmosphere. Two things come along with this environment, however. It requires high speed internet, preferably a laptop, but a tablet can work and it requires the facilitator to really be on track. The number of features available to the ‘host’ can leave them with a deer in the headlights look on their face as they struggle to toggle from feature to feature.
There also may be the occasional system problem including an echo from speaker phones, but these issues can be overcome by the host in most cases.
There is one final acronym many of us use when looking around at professional development opportunities for our staff and organization: LMS. It stands for Learning Management System and it allows organizations like construction associations to offer pre-recorded courses, often with some interactivity like a test or survey, but very little or zero interactivity. The LMS can be fantastic for the association because it does not rely on a ‘live’ facilitator. The learning experience, some would say, has better success than a webinar because there may be embedded tests along the way, but in the end, I would argue it’s only good for minimum threshold learning.
For a fully immersive experience and the best possible outcome from “On-Line learning”, I recommend checking to make sure the session is a “Live Session”, that the platform allows for all attendees to participate and that you can receive files seamlessly from the host or facilitator of the session.
Session lengths should be no more than a couple of hours, maybe three hours at most. Remember, the opportunities to take breaks are slightly reduced, but not impossible.
Derek Smith is the founder and president of Constructionlab Ltd.
Since 2013, more than 3,500 construction professionals have attended workshops hosted by Derek and he has developed more than 50 corporate customized best practices sessions for owners, prime and subcontractors and design professionals. Derek is a trusted advisor to the Canadian Construction Association, Toronto Construction Association, Stratford & Area Home Builders Association, Gold Seal and Canadian Construction Innovations. Constructionlab ltd. is a member of the Institute for Performance and Learning and the London Chamber of Commerce.