Free Training & Career Tips... Subscribe to Get Weekly Career Tips
By Subscribing You are Agreeing to Terms and Conditions
Virtual learning is training delivered through computers and the internet, either live in an online classroom or self-paced through digital modules. It is not automatically easier than classroom learning. It works well when the sessions are well run and learners plan their time, and it struggles when people are left to click through content alone. BOTI runs short, facilitator-led live online masterclasses for workplace skills, and most of its courses can also be delivered live online.
Many learners find it hard to move from attending a class in person to studying virtually. The format is new to them, and the habits that worked in a classroom do not always carry over.
The physical distance between learners and facilitators makes communication harder. Online, it is more difficult to show a facilitator exactly what you are struggling to understand. That is one of several reasons virtual learning can feel difficult.
How people are taught also changes. Some programmes rely on recorded videos instead of live teaching. Many learners find this approach hard to follow, because they cannot ask questions at the moment they get stuck.
When learners sit in front of a facilitator, the facilitator can see who needs help and respond straight away. Learners can ask questions as soon as they arise and get a quick answer.
Asking questions is one of the most effective ways to learn, but it takes more effort online. The facilitator’s availability matters, and it is harder for a facilitator to balance attention between people in the room and people joining remotely.
Another recurring problem is the reliance on the internet and on power. A dropped connection or a power cut can cost a learner a whole session. In South Africa, load shedding and unstable connections make this a practical concern, so it pays to plan for it.
Virtual learning also asks more of the learner. In a classroom, time is set aside to work on tasks with the facilitator’s help and input. At home or at a desk in the office, learners are expected to direct themselves.
There are more distractions when studying remotely, and more chances to lose focus. This is especially true of asynchronous (self-paced) learning, where nothing fixes the time you sit down to work. A live session, by contrast, holds your attention for its set duration.
Some argue that online learning is more convenient because you can work at your own pace and choose when to complete tasks. That freedom is real, but without a plan it can lead to procrastination and late assignments.
How hard is virtual learning?
How hard virtual learning feels depends on three groups of people: the learners, the facilitator and the organisation running the programme.
For the learners
Online learning can work very well for mature, self-disciplined learners, but it suits learners who depend on close guidance much less. Self-paced online learning gives people control over their learning and more flexibility in their schedules, and it also puts more responsibility on them. To succeed online, learners need to be prepared, self-motivated and good at managing their time so that they keep up with the course. Learners who struggle to take on that responsibility usually do better with live, facilitator-led sessions than with self-study modules.
For the facilitator
Running a good classroom session does not guarantee a good online session. If facilitators are not trained in online delivery methods, the programme suffers. A virtual facilitator must communicate clearly in writing and in the language of the course, manage the online tools, and keep an eye on people they cannot fully see.
An online facilitator has to make up for the lack of physical presence. That means creating a welcoming virtual classroom where everyone feels comfortable taking part and knows the facilitator can be reached. Without this, learners drift away from each other and from the facilitator. Even with a skilled facilitator, being remote has limits: online participants can miss informal conversations and on-site activities that build relationships. Facilitators who want to build these skills can look at BOTI’s Facilitation Skills Training Course.
For the organisation and its managers
Some environments make online programmes hard to run well. Managers and administrators who are uncomfortable with change or technology, or who doubt that online training can be effective, can slow a programme down.
Online programmes also fail when they are treated only as a way to cut costs. An organisation that ignores facilitator preparation, facilitator skills and sensible group sizes will be surprised by poor results. These factors decide whether virtual learning works.
Is online learning easy?
A common misunderstanding is that online courses are easier than classroom courses.
In a well-run online course this should not be the case. Learners should not move through a course without showing what they have learnt and getting feedback on their work.
Online courses should not be simpler than in-person classes, and that is a good thing. They challenge learners in ways that build time management, communication and technology skills that are useful in any workplace.
Here are some reasons why online learning, when it is done properly, is not easier than conventional learning.
It takes some time to get used to online learning
Many learners are surprised to find online classes harder than they expected.
Learners often say that online courses are at least as demanding as face-to-face courses.
One reason is that learners cover the same material as they would in a classroom, but in an unfamiliar environment.
Learners need time and support to adjust. For example, they must learn to use a new platform or learning management system, submit tasks, and contact the facilitator when they need help.
For learners who are struggling to adjust, a patient facilitator, manager or mentor who understands the difficulties and encourages them makes the transition much easier.
Learners still have to complete tasks and receive feedback
Learners should still show concrete evidence of their learning and get feedback from a knowledgeable facilitator, rather than simply clicking through content.
This is why online courses should be run by a facilitator who knows the subject well.
In a good online classroom, learners show that they have understood the content before they move on. The facilitator checks that each learner has met the requirements and is ready for the next step.
Where learners work through material at their own pace, the facilitator’s main job is to give each person specific feedback that helps them progress.
What is virtual learning?
Virtual learning is learning supported by computers and the internet, inside or outside an organisation’s premises. Most or all of the teaching happens online, so the facilitator and learners are separated by place, time or both.
Put simply, virtual learning takes place in a virtual learning environment, using digital material designed either for live web-conferencing (synchronous learning) or for self-paced (asynchronous) online study and tutoring.
Virtual learning – a glossary of terms
Several terms are used for virtual learning. They sound similar, but they describe different sides of learning and teaching, and knowing them helps you understand what virtual learning involves. For a fuller comparison, see BOTI’s guide to the differences between online, virtual, e-learning, distance and blended learning. Here are the most widely used terms.
E-learning
In its broadest sense, e-learning means using electronic technology for teaching and learning.
The learning activities take place fully or partly online. They can also run without the internet, using other electronic media.
Web-based Learning
Web-based learning means learning through a web browser.
Online Learning
Online learning means learning from electronic content on a computer or mobile device. It may involve the internet, but it does not have to involve a web browser.
It can also happen through programs or apps installed on a phone or computer, some of which work offline.
Distance learning
Distance learning does not need electronic or web-based technology. It simply means learning at a distance, with learners physically separated from the facilitator.
Distance learning is associated with:
- Guiding a learner who studies in a different place, and often at a different time, from the facilitator and other learners.
- Online learning, increasingly, as digital technology advances. Live online classes bring distance learning closer to classroom learning by recreating its key features online.
Blended learning
Blended learning combines virtual and classroom instruction. The learning materials are digitised and made available online, so learners have more control over when, where and how fast they learn.
What is the hardest thing about virtual learning?
Virtual learning has real benefits, but it also has drawbacks. People used to classroom training must adjust their routine. You have to make time to log in, take part, read and complete your tasks. These are the main obstacles learners face.
Challenges with the Study Schedule
Distance learning is more convenient than classroom learning, but you still have to make time to study. Studying online does not reduce the work involved. If a topic takes you two hours to learn in a classroom, it will probably take about the same time online.
Finding the right time is particularly hard for adults with jobs and families. You need a time and place where you can work without interruption. For many adult learners this is the most daunting part: work and family pressures come first, and learning gets pushed aside.
In-Person Communication
A classroom surrounds a learner with peers and a facilitator, which gives more face-to-face time for questions and discussion. Virtual learners do not have the same opportunity. They need a reliable way to raise questions and concerns with the facilitator, whether by chat, email, phone or another channel that suits both sides. It also helps to know how to reach fellow learners, and how to express a question clearly in writing. BOTI’s guide to virtual classroom norms covers the etiquette that keeps online sessions working.
Self-Motivation
Online learning needs self-motivation. Because you can read and join sessions from anywhere, it is also easier to ignore the work. You need to set a study schedule and stick to it, and bring the same drive to succeed that you would bring to a classroom.
Effective Learning
Many people need a facilitator to demonstrate the content. Others learn more easily when they can work with colleagues. Before you sign up for a self-paced online course, be honest about whether you can learn the material on your own. If you cannot, choose a live, facilitator-led session instead.
Distance learning can be a rewarding way to build skills and earn a certificate. Just make sure these difficulties do not hold back your progress. BOTI’s article on common mistakes online learners make has more practical advice.
Advantages of virtual learning
Classroom training has benefits and drawbacks, and so does a virtual classroom. The main advantages of virtual learning are a more flexible schedule, lower travel and venue costs, and the chance to develop your career while you keep working.
Flexibility
Virtual learning suits people who want to keep learning while they work. Classroom sessions run at fixed times, and if they clash with your working hours, fitting a course around your job can be difficult.
With virtual learning you have more say over your schedule, and often you can study wherever suits you. More control over when and where you learn also makes it easier to choose a quiet time and place, away from distractions.
Cost
Training costs money, and virtual learning can reduce some of the costs. Learners do not need to travel to a venue, which saves transport costs and commuting time.
Virtual courses usually supply material digitally, which cuts printing and paper costs. For organisations with staff in several locations, live online sessions also avoid flights and accommodation.
Career Advancement Opportunity
Virtual learning, like classroom training, supports career development. Online learners can also meet peers from other regions and organisations. In small online groups, they often get direct contact with the facilitator, which helps both learning and networking.
Because virtual learners control more of their timetable, they can keep working while they gain new skills. For people between jobs, a completed course also shows that they used the time productively.
Disadvantages of Online Learning
Many organisations have adopted e-learning over the last decade. Some may now rely on it too heavily.
Training matters to any organisation that cares about its future. Relying only on an e-learning platform, however, can make learning less personal, less engaging and less effective. Here are some of the drawbacks of e-learning and why it is not always the right choice.
No self-discipline
Supporters say the main benefit of e-learning is that it is self-paced. That is true. You can watch a video again, take a break and come back when you are ready.
That same independence means “e-learning” can turn into “no learning”. People disengage from the content and treat it as a box to tick, just another item on a growing to-do list.
In a self-paced setting, an e-learning task can slide to the bottom of the list and stay there for days, weeks or for good.
Many people find that interactive sessions with a facilitator and colleagues help them absorb new skills far better than self-study modules.
No face-to-face interaction
Video conferences, webinars and video chat make e-learning more interactive than it used to be. It is still not the same as sitting across the room from another person, and some kinds of learning depend on that contact.
Lack of flexibility
E-learning is useful for passing on knowledge and teaching straightforward skills. It is harder to build an e-learning programme for more complex skills and competencies, and in business these are often the skills that matter most.
These skills develop when people think critically and work on real problems that affect their organisation. Learning sticks when people work things out for themselves by asking questions and getting guidance. That is harder to do with self-paced e-learning than in a live session.
Virtual learning examples
Virtual learning comes in several formats. Most organisations use a mix of the following.
Live virtual classrooms
A facilitator teaches a group in real time on a video-conferencing platform. Typical tools include screen sharing, an online whiteboard, polls, chat and breakout rooms for small-group work. This format comes closest to a classroom, because learners can ask questions and practise with others during the session. BOTI’s guide to online short courses in South Africa explains how live online courses work in practice.
Self-paced modules on a learning management system
Learners log in to a learning management system (LMS) to work through videos, readings and quizzes in their own time. The system tracks progress and completion. This format suits compliance topics and knowledge refreshers, but it depends on learner self-discipline.
Webinars and short online masterclasses
Focused sessions of a few hours on one topic, with time for questions. They fit easily into a working week and suit busy managers and teams.
How to make virtual learning easier
Whether you are a learner or a manager sending staff on online training, these steps make virtual learning easier and more effective.
- Block the session time in your calendar and treat it like an in-person meeting. Tell colleagues you are unavailable.
- Set up a quiet spot with a headset, a charged laptop and a stable connection. Test the platform link before the session starts.
- Plan for power cuts and dropped connections: know the load-shedding schedule, keep a backup such as mobile data, and ask the facilitator whether recordings or notes are available.
- Keep your camera on where you can, and use chat or the raise-hand tool to ask questions as they come up.
- Take notes and, after each session, apply at least one thing you learnt to your own work.
- Managers can agree goals with staff before the training and check in afterwards on how they are using the new skills.
BOTI’s article on virtual learning when the power goes out has more ideas for staying connected during outages.
Frequently asked questions
Is virtual learning easy?
Not automatically. Virtual learning covers the same material as classroom training, in a less familiar setting, and it asks more of the learner in time management and self-motivation. With a skilled facilitator, live interaction and a planned schedule, most adult learners do well.
What is virtual learning?
Virtual learning is learning delivered through computers and the internet, where the facilitator and learners are separated by place, time or both. It can be live (synchronous), such as a virtual classroom, or self-paced (asynchronous), such as modules on a learning management system.
What is the hardest thing about virtual learning?
For most people it is staying motivated and protecting study time when work, family and other distractions compete for attention. Limited face-to-face contact and unreliable power or internet connections also make it harder.
Is virtual learning as effective as classroom training?
It can be, when it is live, interactive and run by a facilitator trained in online delivery. Purely self-paced e-learning tends to be less effective for complex workplace skills such as communication, leadership and problem solving, which develop through discussion and practice.
If staying focused and managing time are the hardest parts of virtual learning and hybrid work for your team, BOTI’s Time Management and Focus in a Hybrid Workplace masterclass is a practical place to start. It is a 3-hour, facilitator-led online session. Call BOTI on 011 882 8853 or email [email protected]. Training runs in-house at your premises, at BOTI’s venue in Sunningdale, Johannesburg, or live online. This course is not accredited. It is delivered as a professional skills programme, and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance. To plan a session for your team, request a quote.