The current health crisis is forcing many institutions to provision online courses in a matter of weeks. For some institutions, especially those that have embraced online education hesitantly or not at all, this is a formidable challenge. If you are contemplating or already in the midst of a massive migration to the web, below are considerations to ensure as successful a transition as possible –

Wherever you are on the online learning continuum, start preparation now. Disruption to learning and development can result in significant losses for organizations and unknown negative consequences for employees who have continuing competency gaps. Don’t wait for something significant or critical to happen before responding to the situation. Anticipate and prepare accordingly to keep rising anxieties in check and take yourself out of panic mode and into problem-solving mode.

Don’t let technology stand in the way of learning. In the rush to move course content online, you may be tempted to turn to whatever technology platform you are most comfortable using. In a crisis situation, this can lead to a world of headaches including quality-control issues, scalability problems and ultimately confusion for your learners. Whatever technologies you decide to use, make the course structures consistent. That way, your learners aren’t forced to learn something new and can get up and running faster.

When putting your course and content together, always remember the learning objectives. Think about the most important things your students need to learn. Clear objectives dictate the most appropriate methods for teaching. Keep your eye on that ball. Oftentimes, as facilitators, we get stuck in how we teach something, but getting clear on what you want students to learn can open you up to be more flexible about how you teach the important stuff.

For your resources who’ve never taught online, start with live sessions. Teaching online for the first time is daunting, especially when there’s little time to prepare. Highly produced asynchronous material is not realistic; live video sessions are the most natural starting point. This will serve as a proxy for the classroom environment, and as you get more comfortable in a digital setting, you’ll come to realize that incorporating other online tools like chat forums, polls, desktop videos and other asynchronous content will create a more robust experience for your learners. 

Mimic the human experience in face-to-face interventions. When you’re ready for the full migration of your courses to an online medium, make sure you provide opportunities for your students to still feel connected and be engaged. Include group collaboration, feedback and discussions into your online material. This will help make the experience of online learning less painful and scary for your learners.

The pandemic has forced us to consider moving online out of necessity. Continuity planning through leveraging online technology assets is a critical tool for preparedness. If done well, the result will not only be a readiness for things unseen, but also a greater acceptance of online learning in organizations.