Learning at Scale: 3 Ways to Scale Online Learning

We’ve all been thrust into a new reality that has expedited the transition to online learning programs across the enterprise

Not surprisingly, L&D leaders have been inundated with requests to launch and scale online training programs that are imperative to critical skill-building, employee engagement, and business growth and transformation. 

1. Plan for Success

To Scale Big, First Start Small

Pick an initiative to start with:

1. The most pressing – A canceled in-person training
2. The program with the greatest impact – An initiative with the greatest impact on employee engagement or business performance
3. The easiest program to transition online – An initiative that already has online components

Make a Plan!

• Form a team
• Identify your resources
• Understand your technology
• Define your timeline
• Determine your content

Don’t Recreate the Wheel

Centralize and standardize

• Decide on the length of your program
• Build a common framework for your course content
• Create content that can be reused – powerpoints, infographics, videos

2. Choose Your Facilitator Persona

Don’t fear digital facilitation! You can be effective no matter how much time you have.

Choose Your Level of Facilitation

Train Conductor

• Plan ahead and automate communications
• Create an ‘Ask Me Anything’ discussion board so learners can easily seek help

Camp Counselor

• Excite and engage learners with reflective emails that acknowledge and reinforce activity
• Run engaging live events to connect the learning community

Coach

• Keep learner motivation high with personal check-ins
• Provide individualized feedback on projects

Learners with a coach are 56% more likely to complete an online course

3. Maintain Engagement and Feedback?

Interactive aspects of face-to-face training – group collaboration, mentoring & coaching, peer sharing, and formal and informal feedback – can all be done online AND at scale.

Use Teams to Keep Engagement High

• Assign teams & team leads
• Create interest groups

Involve Mentors & Coaches

• Involve learners’ managers
• Recruit subject matter experts in your company

Incorporate Peer Sharing & Feedback

• Encourage interaction by prompting questions in discussion forums
• Create an assignment gallery where learners can share work
• Encourage peer-to-peer feedback

Use Data to Track your Learning as it Scales

• Number of active learners
• Learner engagement
• Discussion activity
• Video views
• Learner progress & completion

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