The new LMS is settling in well and the elves’ training is starting to show results: Teamwork seems to be improving and much more communication is going on, resulting in less rework and faster completion of projects. Still I felt that we could be doing better. Or to be more precise, I felt like I personally could be doing better. I was frustrated at the lack of progress on the new drone-based delivery system, and I am still getting a lot of pushback from the reindeer crew. After talking to my executive coach on these issues, I do believe I need to take his advice to heart. The problem isn’t with the elves; it’s related to my leadership style. Sure there are things I want to change around here, but since I am not going to be making these changes myself, I need to get better at bringing the elves along with me. That might mean treating them less as green-booted minions and a bit more like sentient beings with their own free will. Four things are missing here at the North Pole to make this a high performing team, or so I am told by my coach. We need to build Community, we need some Authentic leadership, the elves really have to believe in the Significance of what we do, and I need to get them Energized around the whole enterprise. "Think of it this way," said my coach. "You need to build your leadership CASE: Community, Authenticity, Significance, and Excitement." Fair enough. So the first thing I did was get some feedback from the manager elves and shift supervisors. Those folks always have an opinion. So here are my notes, stating where we need to improve. On the Community front, the elves are pretty well bonded. Sure we all feel like one big team focused on one common goal, but silos have emerged ever since the big reorg in 2012. Separating out the building elves from the labeling and shipping side of the house resulted in a lot of performance improvement but has also created some silos. The teams of elves feel like we lost our sense of togetherness, so we should plan some deliberate activities to bring these teams closer together as soon as the big rush is over and things settle down in January. Authenticity might be the most challenging of the four for me personally. I thought everybody knew the big jovial guy in the red suit. After all we had been working together for several hundred years. But while I am told my passion for this enterprise is contagious, the elves want to know more—they want to know why this means so much to me. My coach tells me that sharing a bit more about this system will build trust and help the elves understand why, at times, I get so focused on upping our game. Significance. I guess I took this one for granted. Who wouldn’t think that delighting every girl and boy around the world would be a meaningful and significant task? But it turns out that in the daily work of building, wrapping, and labeling toys, people lose sight of the big picture. So we need to get some of our team reconnected with the purpose of our mission and help them take a pause and appreciate all over again the big change we are making. And as for Excitement, I feel it in my blood. Every year around this time I get pumped up at the idea of getting that sleigh out, revving up the reindeer, and dropping off those presents. Of course, it’s easy for me to forget that for the elves, there is a lot of work to meet their deadline, and then it takes only one night to see another year’s worth of presents fly off into the crisp December sky. And on January 1st, it’s back to planning for the following year. If you look at it from their perspective, it can become a grind. I realize now that it’s easy for me to miss that. As the leader, it’s up to me to make sure we recognize the value that our work provides and create opportunities for all to share in the excitement. Improving my leadership skills will take time and deliberate attention. But, if I set for myself the goal of learning and improving, and if I see this ambition from the perspective of the elves I aspire to lead, I think I have a good chance of making my leadership CASE!

"Well, Mrs. Claus, that just about wraps up another year, and it was a good year, too, don’t you think?" Santa sighed as he settled into his favorite recliner. They sipped their mugs of hot cocoa as they relaxed in front of the roaring fire on the open hearth of their North Pole home. This was Santa’s favorite time of the season—well, next to spreading holiday cheer, of course—sitting back and reflecting on how the season went and starting the planning process for next year. Santa’s operation had sure grown over the years. Every year it seemed to take more and more planning to pull it off with the excellence the kids had come to expect. Santa always did his best thinking in front of a roaring fire with a hot drink in his hand. "Yes," Mrs. Claus chimed in, "it really was a good season. Some of those improvement initiatives we started last year really made a big difference." "What do you think made the biggest difference?" Santa asked. Mrs. Claus replied, "Well, for me, that new LMS was key. Keeping track of all that data in spreadsheets and tables was killing me!" Santa smiled. He knew that Mrs. Claus was the unsung hero of the North Pole’s operation. Without her keeping everything working smoothly, everything would grind to a halt. "I agree," Santa said. "That freed you up to focus more on the production side of things, which really helped." Mrs. Claus added, "Speaking of production, I also think that Role Excellence Profile (REP) we commissioned for the manufacturing elves really made a huge difference. I’d like to expand that to the distribution side. I think we should target at least a 10% improvement in throughput next season." Santa chuckled, "Agreed, but only 10%? We might need even more since our sales distribution channels are doing so much more. The recent focus on sales enablement really paid off." "Yes—almost too well! Omnichannel. Who knew that would make so much difference!" Mrs. Claus laughed along with Santa. She stared into the flames and sipped her cocoa. "So what are you thinking about for next year’s priorities? How bold do you want to go?" "What did you have in mind?" Santa asked. She replied, "You know, making sure we get the most efficient and effective ECM [Elven Capital Management] effort is really starting to become a significant strain. I wonder if there’s an organization with truly global scale and experience to take over the whole operation?" Santa shook his head and looked at Mrs. Claus. "Great minds think alike. I was thinking of a BPO partner as well. We could put the REP work and the focus on outcomes together with the new focus on leadership and coaching. We would have to find a really great partner to work with. One who understands the operation and is willing to roll up their sleeves and work alongside us." Mrs. Claus nodded. "Of course, they’d also have to have some serious cold weather experience. Don’t you know someone at Alyeska? Maybe you could ask who they work with?" "Great idea, I’ll call them first thing next week." They sat looking into the fire. Mrs. Claus got up and refilled their mugs. While she was out of earshot, Santa mused aloud, "She’ll think I’m crazy, but I wonder if that experiment FedEx and UPS are running with making only right turns would work with a sleigh? It might save some wear and tear on the reindeer. I could add it to the list of factors for the new sleigh routing software we’re considering…" Wishing everyone a successful year ahead!

Whether this is your first time to our blog, or you are a repeat visitor, thank you. We are honored that you look to us for information about the latest trends and innovations in learning and development. As we begin another year, we are committed to providing content to help you solve your business challenges and support your goals that will help you achieve ultimate business performance. As we reflect on the changes in the learning industry over the past year and look ahead at the predictions of how it will continue to develop, we are inspired by the dedication of our authors who make staying up to date on the latest information and trends a top priority. As thought leaders, they are the voice and driving force behind our blog.  In case you missed them, here are some of our most read blog posts over the past year: Myth VS. Reality: Setting Your Expectation for Agile Training Development by Matt Donovan 70:20:10 - The Learning Approach for Today’s World by Eric Rodgers North Pole Log: A New LMS Is at the Top of Santa’s Wish List by Katie Wirth What is a MOOC? by Steve Swink Behind the Scenes of a 3D Animator by Sheri Weppel With trending themes such as agile learning, the continued enhancement of mobile applications and training content, MOOCs and leadership development, this is going to be a great year! Our inspiration comes from your comments and feedback, so please continue to let us know what topics, trends, or insights you would like to see more of. We wish you a successful 2015.

Some industry watchers have said that 2014 was the "Year of the MOOC," while others have declared that the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) is a passing fad. As we’ve kicked off the New Year, it is time to reflect on the influence this trend has had on learning over the past year and discuss where it might be headed in 2015. During the recent GP Strategies™ Learning Trends 2015 series webinar, MOOCs Mania, I took a look ahead into 2015, exploring the top learning trends for MOOCs and providing insights to help make this year more successful, focusing on: MOOC momentum The impact of MOOCs on higher education and corporate learning Maturing MOOCs How MOOCs have been received and evolved Molding the MOOC Assembling hybrid learning experiences Marketing the MOOC If you build it, will they come? During the session, we asked the attendees to tell us what their predictions were for MOOCs in the future, and 52% agreed that MOOCs will forever change corporate learning, which aligns with expert opinions that MOOCs are here for the long run! After the presentation, a number of questions came up, and while we were able to address many of them, we weren’t able to get to all of them due to time. Below are those questions and my best answers. This is an ongoing conversation that will evolve as the year progresses. I encourage you to keep the questions coming in via the comments section at the bottom of this page or join the conversation on LinkedIn and Twitter. Q: Can you help me understand the dynamics of MOOCs? A: MOOC dynamics can vary by their type or design. Early MOOCs were very one directional and lecture-laden. Evolving varieties of MOOCs, such as the Distributed Online Collaborative Course (DOCC), are by design more interactive, leveraging discussion boards, chat rooms, and other collaborative tools. Q: How is a MOOC created? A: Early MOOCs were not much more than videos of lectures or how-to’s posted online. As the MOOC evolved early on, other components like discussion boards came into play. Some companies (vendors) have started to specialize in aggregating and streamlining these resources for others. Having said that, a MOOC may be as simple or complex as your circumstances dictate. Please see the next question and answer regarding how a MOOC is defined. Q: Can you define or give an example of a MOOC? A: One of the best resources to get a basic understanding of MOOCs is Wikipedia, which itself might even meet a loose definition of a MOOC. Once on the site, you’ll see there is ongoing debate around what specifically defines the "Massive," "Open," "Online," and even "Course" components of a MOOC. Q: Are there any good examples of MOOCs that we can access? A: Many, but not all, MOOCs are free and "open" (the second "O" in MOOC) to anyone. If you are interested in tech skills, try searching a MOOC provider like Udacity as a starting point. Coursera and edX are also MOOC suppliers. Q: How is a MOOC facilitated? A: MOOCs—especially those with truly "massive" enrollment—have teams consisting not only of instructors and subject matter experts, but also technical team members who monitor and manage discussion boards, content postings, and assessments. The more collaborative types of MOOCs will actually leverage participants to curate the knowledge they bring to the table and, in some cases, even develop and grade peer-based assessments. Q: Do you feel more and more companies are using or will use MOOCs as a means of replacing traditional ILT or online training, e.g., leadership training? A: In today’s increasingly mobile and connected world, online learning—including MOOCs—will continue to grow. Some companies are already using MOOCs as a means of onboarding new employees. The more collaborative MOOCs will likely be the best platform to develop leaders and create more synergistic learning experiences. Q: Do you have any recommendations of a basic MOOC to try for the sake of a positive experience? A: Find a topic that interests and even inspires you. An ongoing challenge for MOOCs is being all things to all people. Like most learning experiences, engagement is driven by recognizing the WIIFM ("What’s In It For Me?). Use a search engine or a MOOC provider such as Coursera or edX to locate the topic that excites and engages you. Q: Is it possible to customize the content by just selecting pieces that are relevant for an organization? A: Some MOOC suppliers are willing to do this, sometimes with some sort of fee involved. But the point you bring up here is probably a significant contributor to MOOCs’ abysmal completion rates. Many participants will join a MOOC to "window shop" and cherry-pick the pieces of knowledge they feel they need before moving on and out of the MOOC. Q: How can I learn to create a MOOC-based course, or do I have to contract a company specializing in doing this? A: Creating a MOOC generally involves assembling and streamlining existing content and technologies. There are several vendors that have built platforms and have developed expertise and streamlining components on those platforms. Some organizations use a combination of "do-it-yourself" assembly using internal resources and partnering with vendors. Q: What is the minimum audience to justify a MOOC? A: This depends on two factors. First, how does your organization define "massive"? One variety of MOOC is called the Small Private Online Course (SPOC), which may typically only have around 50 learners per cohort. Secondly, like any business project, consider the end goal of your investment and run a cost/benefit analysis. Is the payoff (knowledge, increased productivity, better product or service, etc.) going to justify the investment in development, maintenance, and tracking of the learning initiative (whether it be a MOOC or another delivery method). Q: Does GP Strategies itself provide MOOCs and have any of GP Strategies’ outsourcing clients adopted MOOCs as part of its blended learning methods? A: GP Strategies offers a Virtual Events Platform, which a major software company recently leveraged to deliver both synchronous and asynchronous learning to employees around the world. We’re also working with a number of clients on innovative learning initiatives that include some or all of the MOOC components we discussed. If you’re considering implementing a similar initiative, please contact us and we’ll be happy to discuss ideas and strategies. Join us for the next sessions in our Learning Trends 2015 Series: Portability - Meeting the Training and Information Needs of a Mobile Workforce Predictive Personalization Visual Learning - A Picture Is Worth an Hour of Training  

In fall of 2013, disaster hit as an explosion injured 1,000 people and pushed a southern state’s hospital network to the brink with patients suffering shrapnel injuries, burns and amputated limbs. Fortunately for all involved, it was just an emergency response simulation and GP Strategies was there to help them test their disaster surge plans and preparedness.

Companies are faced with an ever-increasing remote workforce. Additionally, the pace of business is hastening every day and the volume of knowledge that individual performers need to master to serve your customers is exploding more than ever before. Mobile isn’t just about how to best utilize the latest smartphone; it’s about "portability" and end user performance. It’s more than merely pushing content from previously designed formats and providing just one more medium of communication to an already over-communicated workforce—it’s about changing how information and content are designed and used. During the recent Learning Trends 2015 webinar, Portability: Meeting the Training and Information Needs of a Mobile Workforce, I explored three key takeaways. First, ensure you are solving the business need first and foremost: Is training or information the right answer? Or should you provide an app that incorporates the workflow directly? Next, analyze your personal and consumer life: Do you find yourself shifting your habits due to the convenience of portability? Are you watching your favorite show on the deck via tablet because you can, or are you watching an instructional video on YouTube while in the basement trying to light the pilot light because you have to? Your employees need the same portability options, even if they aren’t truly considered part of the "mobile" workforce. And finally, do your homework. Portability has a lot to do with authoring/publishing content to allow consumption from many different devices and locations. The tools and technologies are progressing, but there is no silver bullet, so you have to research, test, and plan to create the best environment for your audience. During the session, we asked the attendees if their organization has a BYOD policy that allows access to sensitive content on non-corporate devices and/or away from the corporate network. Attendees responded as follows: 56% said their organizations do have policies, 24% do not, and 20% were unsure. We discussed how truly portable society is becoming and how phones and tablets have surpassed laptops and desktops as the primary point of connectedness around the globe. If you don’t have a BYOD policy today, you will soon (or your employees will have an unofficial one…). After the presentation, a number of questions came up, and while we were able to address many of them, we weren’t able to get to all of them due to time. Below are those questions and my best answers. This is an ongoing conversation that will evolve as the year progresses. I encourage you to keep the questions coming in via the comments section at the bottom of this page or join the conversation on LinkedIn and Twitter. Q:  What types of content work well for mobile delivery? A:  Clearly, video is hugely popular on mobile devices and works well across all devices. Visualization, as opposed to plain text, has also proven to be a better way to communicate information. However, there is plenty of data that also suggests that podcasts are popular for individuals who travel and/or drive. As always, content should be short, succinct, and integrated with an overall training/communication program. Q:  How do you track who has viewed "portable" content? A:  Many organizations use their existing LMS to track content that needs to be tracked. The move toward the experience API (xAPI - http://www.adlnet.gov/tla/experience-api/) is where you want to start thinking about tracking if the LMS isn’t the right solution. Additionally, there are several communication/training tools in the marketplace that work well with mobile distribution and tracking of content: See Ancile uAlign (http://www.ancile.com/products/ualign-software/overview)and Qstream (http://qstream.com). Q:  What are the best ways to deliver content to mobile devices securely? A:  The first step in the security arena is to partner with the IT organization and fully understand what policies are in place and/or evolving and what infrastructure is being enabled. The second step is to leverage that infrastructure completely—not only for the security, but also to streamline the L&D efforts and maximize the IT investments/efforts. Most organizations are on their way to enabling mobile device management processes that securely furnish content and apps for both corporate-owned and employee-owned (BYOD) devices. Q:  What about accessibility concerns? It is nearly impossible to read closed captions on small screens. A:  Accessibility continues to be a moving target for the mobile web and devices. While there is significant recognition and considerable efforts underway, the mobile device, in general, is still far behind when it comes to accessibility—especially in the multi-impairment category—it is prudent to leverage the best practices that have evolved with the web and learning content. Device manufacturers are incorporating more and more accessibility features over time, and your content needs to leverage those, but as you do your audience analysis and planning, you will still need to ensure accommodations are made in terms of alternative/augmented presentations when necessary. Join us for the next sessions in our Learning Trends 2015 series: Predictive Personalization Visual Learning - A Picture Is Worth an Hour of Training  

In any given organization, the learning and training needs of each team and individual are unique to their goals and job functions. In 2014, there was a lot of focus on personalizing training content to the needs of the learners. But much like Amazon predicting shopping habits of buyers, is it possible to predict what type of learning needs to anticipate? During the recent Learning Trends 2015 webinar, Predictive Personalization, I explored how organizations are using predictive analysis and other tools in marketing and sales to provide a personal experience and the potential applications for learning and performance. After the presentation, a number of questions came up, and while we were able to address many of them, we weren’t able to get to all of them due to time. Below are those questions and my best answers. This is an ongoing conversation that will evolve as the year progresses. I encourage you to keep the questions coming in via the comments section at the bottom of this page or join the conversation on LinkedIn and Twitter. Q:   What are the downsides of this technology? A:   One of the key challenges for predictive personalization is the collection of data about learners and performers, who "owns" that data, and how that data is used to reinforce/drive their behaviors. Q:   What is the cost of some of these initiatives? A:   The costs vary by technology, but the price structure in general is quite affordable. For example, packages of beacons could be purchased for less than a $100. Q:   How do you connect personalization with performance support? A:   The opportunities are rich. The nature of predictive personalization allows us to, better than ever, deliver information and instruction at the point of performance, whether that is a physical location, a point in a process, or a point of performer progression in solving a problem. Q:   Can you give an example of how this info is collected from learners in an organization? A:   Take a new employee onboarding experience, for example. Throughout the experience we can collect data about physical places they have explored, for example, company museum or credit union; critical dialogues they have had within their peer network; and their perception of those events through quick a rating system and qualitative feedback (stars, likes, etc.). From that data, companies can promote offerings other like-minded individuals found relevant. Join us for the next session in our Learning Trends 2015 series: Visual Learning - A Picture Is Worth an Hour of Training

If a picture is worth a thousand words, it is easily worth an hour of training. As the time available for training continues to diminish, organizations need to be creative in how information is communicated to learners. An innovative solution to teaching a challenging project is to use visual learning, or communicating through images and video, instead of traditional training methods. While many sessions have focused on interactivity and the benefits of sound in training, few have focused on how visualization of concepts can increase attention and transfer of knowledge. During the recent Learning Trends 2015 webinar, Visual Learning - A Picture Is Worth an Hour of Training, we started by polling our audience for their preferred learning styles. This is what we discovered: We explored the benefits of considering visual learning and demonstrated six examples of visual learning in practice. Infomercial: This training modality is a short, animated video incorporating graphics, sound, and text to communicate a message. Think of this as a moving infographic. Video: Live-action video can be used to present a message that might normally be communicated through email or town halls. To maximize effectiveness, use a green screen to combine this modality with an infomercial. Audiocast: While this modality may seem out of place, an audiocast can include imagery for the learner to view while listening to the script. This is a lower cost option to a video or infomercial. Quick Reference Card: A quick reference card is a static job aid that uses graphics to convey information. Challenge yourself to create an image that gets your message across instead of tables and text. 3D Animation: There are times where we want to have our learners see a piece of equipment or a scenario that is challenging to accomplish in person. 3D animation allows us to create that experience while showing the learner multiple viewpoints simultaneously. Infographic: When creating charts and graphics, consider a more creative approach to data by using images and colors to convey information. After the presentation, a number of questions came up, and while we were able to address many of them, we weren’t able to get to all of them due to time. Below are those questions and my best answers. This is an ongoing conversation that will evolve as the year progresses. We encourage you to keep the questions coming in via the comments section at the bottom of this page or join the conversation on LinkedIn and Twitter. Q:  What tools are available for creating the types of communications you’re talking about? A:  There are a variety of tools that can be used to create the different types of communications. For the examples we discussed, the following tools were used. While we use mainly the professional suites, I am also including some free or low-cost solutions that you could leverage as well. Q:  Is there any science behind the four-minute durations? A:  While there is a lot of science around learner attention and bandwidth, I derive my recommendations from other factors. Comparing the duration of a video on Instagram (15 seconds) and the typical duration of a commercial on television (90 seconds) to the duration of a typical section of training (5 minutes), I find the optimal duration of training to be 4 minutes. The key is to drive training into short segments that can be completed in that timeframe. A key tip is that most people will want to hit the fast forward button after that first minute, so try to make your big impact in that timeframe just in case. Q:  What tools did you use to produce the video and the infomercial? A:  The video and infomercial were both produced with Adobe AfterEffects. Adobe Flash is another great alternative. For newcomers to this type of production, VideoScribe offers an easy-to-use alternative. Be sure to save your files as movies to ensure that they play on all mobile devices. Q:  What do you recommend for learners who aren’t visual learners? A:  I recommend for all training solutions that we consider all types of learners with each solution. In most of the examples, we included a visual aspect and audio in the form of music or narration, and we kept the modules very short to accommodate for the decreased interactivity for our kinesthetic learners. Q:  Is there a way to combine the different types of visual learning? A:  Absolutely! In both the infomercial and the video examples, we included infographics, infomercials and videos in a single solution! Q:  What is the (potential) role of interactivity? A:  There should always be the potential for interactivity, or the solution needs to be kept below the four-minute recommended threshold. An interactive PDF is a way to make an infographic engaging by allowing the learner to interact with the diagrams to learn more information. Q:  Which websites do you recommend for best practices on infographics, including free assets/downloads? A:  There are three tools available that include best practices and templates for creating infographics: https://venngage.com/ http://www.easel.ly/ http://piktochart.com/ Q:  How do you incorporate Twitter into a session like this? A:  In our corporate webinars, we tweet out key points throughout the presentation. We encourage all of you to continue the conversation by retweeting and responding with questions. If there is interest, we could also run one of our live tweet events where at a set time we can continue the conversation via Twitter. Q:  How do you balance short with impactful? If it’s too short, it might not be meaningful, memorable or impactful. A:  The key is in the design. When creating a product, first determine what your goal is. For example, if you have a new application rolling out in your organization that will allow your employees to be more effective at their job, make sure that all your graphics, imagery and animation convey that message. This will ensure you can quickly make your impact even in a short period of time. Q:  Visual learning seems like it’s meant to be parts of larger programs or as a standalone for high-level information only. Is that accurate? A:  Not necessarily, however, those are two really excellent uses for these types of training. These modalities can be used to introduce concepts as a part of a change management communication or for remediation. But also consider your yearly training as well. When you look at your 30-minute course on ergonomics that you are required to deploy, should it take the user 30 minutes to complete that, or would one of these methods be a different way to get your compliance message across your organization? What about an infographic of an office environment pointing to the different areas of focus instead? Q:  What is the most common size for infographics? A:  The same principles apply to infographics as they do in eLearning. Try to keep your infographic to monitor or mobile phone size (600 x 1024). Q:  What is your experience in overcoming client resistance to the status quo, which is often text-filled PowerPoint slides? A:  We often recommend a phased approach. For example, you can create the infomercial or infographic to communicate the message and have the text-filled PowerPoint presentations available for download for more information. For more data to overcome your client resistance, track the hits or downloads on the PowerPoint to see if the visual learning is achieving your goal. Q:  Can we see the examples again? A:  Actually, yes! Many of our examples are available on YouTube: Video: The Craft Skills Crisis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E3niI3LvXk Infomercial: The Planning and Scheduling Game https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2z-VVeD8hU Infographics: GP Strategies Annual Report 2013 (Page 2) http://investors.gpstrategies.com/secDocs/AnnualReport2013.pdf It was a pleasure to have spent virtual time with you all. Maybe next week we can get together for a quick game. Please continue the conversation next week when I present Gamification: A Practical Approach to Increase Engagement and Problem-Solving Skills.

In this post, I’ll share a few ideas for building knowledge checks into a virtual instructor led training (VILT) session. Knowledge checks can serve several purposes. Just as in a live classroom, knowledge checks help learners process and apply the information they’ve learned in class. They also give the instructor some feedback about what learners may not understand clearly enough. In a VILT setting, knowledge checks also provide a vital opportunity for learners to engage with the instructor. Knowledge checks can be closed-ended questions with a limited set of responses, or they can be open-ended questions that allow learners to generate ideas and stimulate discussion. When there are only two options If you have a true/false question or a question with only two options, you can get feedback using the same technique you would to do a mood check. If the meeting software supports seat colors, ask learners to change their seat color (to red or green for instance) to indicate their answer to a question. If the meeting software doesn’t support seat colors but has a raise-hand feature, you can ask learners to raise their hands if they agree. If neither the seat color nor the raise-hand feature is available, you could ask learners to type Y or N in the IM window, or mark the whiteboard with a red X or green check. This approach is useful because it’s quick and can also add an interactivity type for variety. Multiple choice polls for closed-ended  We’re all familiar with multiple-choice polls, and meeting software provides some nice feedback features that you may not have in a live classroom. Depending upon the meeting software product, the instructor may be able to prepare the polls ahead of time, but some software supports only on-the-fly polls. If the meeting software supports only on-the-fly polls, be sure to keep the question and answers as brief as possible because the instructor will be typing while the class waits. When a poll is used for a knowledge check, suggest that the instructor NOT display results until most people have answered because learners will tend to choose the most popular answer. Once most learners have responded and polls are displayed, everyone can see the percentage of the class that chose each answer. That’s a nice feedback point for learners to see where they fit and for the instructor to note if a lot of learners are confused. Polls usually support only one choice per learner, so you may not be able to ask multiple-response questions using a poll. Indicate your choice with a stamp  If the meeting software supports a stamp annotation, you can create interesting multiple-choice or multiple-response questions using slide graphics for your knowledge check. Create a graphic with multiple images, columns, rows, or boxes, and have learners indicate a preference by stamping one or more. This is a good choice when you want to ask a multiple-response question because you can have learners stamp their top two or three choices. If the system will not support stamping on slides, you may have to set up a whiteboard ahead of time with divider lines and text. The following image shows a PowerPoint slide that has been set up to be used as a whiteboard that learners can stamp or type on. Not all products will support this method. This next image shows a whiteboard that was set up and saved ahead of time using simple lines and text annotations in Lync. Whiteboard for open-ended responses If you have a large group, and having a verbal two-way discussion isn’t reasonable, you can get a similar free-form response using whiteboards with open-ended questions. Here is an example of whiteboard feedback and how it can provide more open-ended information than a poll.  The whiteboard provides a place where learners can type or draw. The instructor should tell learners to use their text tool (and describe where it is located in the meeting software). Sometimes learner responses will overlap each other on the whiteboard, so it can be helpful to tell the instructor how to select and move responses on the page to line them up more neatly. Advise the instructor to read off answers and comment on the most popular or most interesting ones, and then thank everyone for their responses. The whiteboard can be extended by asking learners to put a stamp next to responses that they like best, or you can follow up with another whiteboard that drills into the results with more depth. With some meeting software, you can get the same effect by inserting a blank slide into the PowerPoint deck, perhaps with a question typed across the top. Learners can annotate in the blank space. Double check the software because some products, such as Lync, only provide annotation tools when an actual whiteboard is opened. When all you have is voice There may be times that, because of software limitations or regulations, learners will not have access to some of the interactivity features. It is still possible to involve learners in the VILT session by having them interact with the instructor verbally. Audio can work well if the instructor presents a scenario, poses a question, and then calls on specific learners by name to answer the question verbally. The instructor could also call on individuals to read scripts or lists aloud to the class. Be careful not to use reading aloud too frequently. If all of the text for the class is on the slide and the learners are reading the whole course, then you might as well send out the deck and spare the instructor. Another way to involve learners is to have them look up something on their own or write down their own responses, and then share their findings with the class verbally. Using the audio method to check knowledge can feel more like a live classroom, but it does have some drawbacks as well. Two-way audio can limit the instructor’s control. Especially with a short class; it can throw off the timing if learners jump in with questions. Of course, this is also true in a live classroom. Finally, audio requires the instructor to limit participation to one learner at a time. Using built-in software tools for knowledge checks allows all learners to participate at the same time, which is more engaging. These are just some ideas for how to work knowledge checks into a VILT session. You can probably think of others. The important thing is to use knowledge checks to make VILT a real learning experience that is different from a recorded video or webinar experience. Please share Have you seen any knowledge checks work especially well or fall flat?

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