How A Blended Learning LMS Redefines Instructor And Facilitator Roles In Compliance Online Training
Many times, compliance testing involves simple yes/no questions that can be administered remotely. But before your employees can sit the test, they need to go through sufficient preparation. If this compliance material is being developed using blended learning software, the instructor’s job description changes. They may have to dig deeper into the technical side of things. They may also need to pull back from directly driving their learners. Blended learning circumstances put them in a more navigational position. What are some of their new and unexpected roles when you implement a blended learning LMS?
1. Instructors Become LMS Metrics Analysts
Sometimes, your trainer is your lesson planner and curriculum developer. They understand the training material in depth. But because this is a blended learning system, the facilitator takes on a more active role. They have to continuously review content, looking through gathered data and figuring out what it means. In online systems, data on slow completion may mean employees need additional online training resources. With a blended learning LMS, the data may imply the need for a face-to-face review session. Employees can see instructors demonstrate tasks, ask relevant questions, and receive immediate feedback. This requires the facilitator to have, or must acquire, the skills to derive sense from theoretical stats, and translate them for practical use.
2. Instructors And Facilitators Have To Build Both Online And Offline Curricula
Online and offline training has drastically different approaches, while a blended learning LMS enables you to design both facets. But you may not have the scope to hire two separate content experts, your instructor may, therefore, need to work on both course outlines. Or rather, they have to design an eLearning storyboard and course structure that covers both areas, which will require them to stretch their skills and capabilities. For example, in a safety compliance online training course, they’ll have to craft a theory lesson, which explains regulations and measures. Then, they have to figure out which segments are better done online, and structure content accordingly.
3. Coaching And Mentoring vs Leading And Directing
Lecturers sometimes joke about how their jobs differ from typical teaching. With younger age brackets, like elementary or middle school, teachers have to engage learners directly. They have to actively draw them out. But with mature learners, the trainer can lecture, leave, and set exams. Good professors check-in to ensure knowledge transfer. Average ones leave learners to their own devices. A blended learning trainer has to straddle both positions. They should be on hand to help employees when needed, but with a hands-off supporting-role approach. Prompt employees but don’t nudge them. As opposed to leading corporate learners by the nose, they need to hint, offer clues, and help them along. Plus, they actively monitor progress.
4. Subtle Guidance vs Authoritative Assessment
This may not seem like a particularly large difference. In practice, think of a driver learning new road compliance rules. A traditional instructor might get in the driver’s seat, put their charges in the back, and demonstrate with running commentary. An online instructor-less course may involve virtual driving lessons or screen-based simulations. A blended learning LMS will have both simulations and physical lessons. But instead of leading the lesson, the facilitator will stay in the passenger's seat and only speak up when needed, or during the simulation, they may remain in the background, offering pop-up text or voice prompts when requested.
5. Master The Nuances Of Online Interactions
Some traditional compliance training instructors are perfectly content conducting all their business offline. They interact with employees through presentations and occasional role-play. However, a blended learning LMS redefines this role by moving them into the online sphere. They must be able to engage with employees on social media, blogs, and other virtual platforms to enrich the experience, as well as offer remote support. The great thing about blended learning software is that it gives them the chance to provide anytime, anywhere knowledge reinforcement. In addition, they have to know all the rules of social media etiquette to keep their personal and professional lives separate, and uphold the company’s image.
6. Become The Online Host With The Most
Many blended compliance online training programs feature live events that stretch the budget and improve comprehension. Employees attend these events to learn about the latest policies or rules that pertain to their positions. In most cases, the instructor or facilitator must step into the role of the online host. They’re the ones who create the script or outline that covers all the key discussion points, but also ensure they have supplemental activities or resources to offer ongoing support. For instance, simulations or branching scenarios that tie into the compliance topic and reduce workplace mistakes.
Corporate eLearning courses are often employee-led. Corporate learners set their own schedules and make their own plans. On the other hand, traditional face-to-face sessions are largely in the hands of the corporate trainer. Blended training combines both, and if it’s designed using a blended learning LMS, there’s far more scope. How does the role of compliance facilitators shift when it’s done in a merged online/offline format via a blended learning LMS? Instructors have to double as data analysts, making sense of collated information and drawing meaning from metrics. If they’re in charge of content development, they have to fuse online and offline structuring, which means they have to gain expertise in both. Trainers in the blended, compliance spaces offer more of a subtle nudge than overt training leadership. They serve a supporting role to their wards.
How is conventional training problematic, and how can the blended learning approach fix it? Is there any way to convince employers blended learning software is the way to go? Download our eBook Blended Learning LMS Buyer's Guide: Tips To Bring The Best Of Both Worlds To Your SMB and discover how to remedy traditional training gaps, leverage your blended learning platform for managing online training, and how to bring the best in your SMB by using a blended learning LMS.
