There are numerous advantages to holding an online discussion similar to a face-to-face setting. Through interactive interaction with their peers and the instructor, employees can extend their learning outside the classroom. An online discussion is similar to a face-to-face conversation in that it requires instructor moderating and active management, preparatory time, and summation of the concepts presented.
An online discussion is a dialogue between instructors and learners using interactive communication technologies in this learning guide. Chat sessions, discussion forums, and video chat are examples of these tools. The benefit of an online debate is that even shy and hesitant trainees can find time to express themselves, and more in-depth communication between learners can occur.
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Online discussion forums: A brief introduction
All you could do in the past was post some eLearning online and hope that your learners would find it. It wasn’t the best answer, but it was all the technology-enabled us to accomplish at the time. You can thank your lucky stars that educational technology has continued to advance.
We now have the applications we need to support any training program we can think of. The main issue is that technological advancements have occurred so swiftly that humans have had little opportunity to acclimatize. Maybe you’re afraid to take a chance and try something new. Perhaps you are unaware of the possibilities accessible to you. Whatever the case may be, now is the moment to embark on a journey into the future of training.
Incorporating social functionality in online learning programs has been one of the most significant advancements. You could be asking yourself — but where do I begin? You can find the answer on online discussion boards.
In general, online discussion forums allow people to log in and watch or participate in a conversation. You can discuss anything from laptop maintenance to winter routines. These organizations allow users to get answers to their burning questions from people who know what they’re talking about.
Forums function similarly in a corporate training setting. Managers of training can develop an online forum for any work-related topic. Learners can even create a group chat to debate ideas that aren’t covered thoroughly in informal teaching.
The Upsides of Online Discussion Forums
High-quality work
Given that employees have time to ponder their discussion contributions before posting, they can offer more resources and fascinating facts than they might in a face-to-face conversation on the same topic if the instructor makes the goals and requirements clear.
Preparation
Employees may or may not have prepared or read the material in face-to-face training. Still, they get enough time to look up the information and study the item before posting a response about it in an online discussion, especially for learners who may need extra time to prepare for meetings.
Netiquette
In the new millennium, we are all being forced to master a whole new set of social communication skills: properly debate subjects in an online format. The instructor plays a critical role in assisting trainees in developing their digital footprint via voices and personas in a polite and socially acceptable manner. This fosters a welcoming learning community for all. This is a skill that employees will apply in their personal and professional lives as technology for communication expands.
Writing abilities
Employees will have the opportunity to enhance their writing abilities if the instructor has high standards for the quality of the work that learners submit.
Management that is proactive
As the instructor monitors employee discussion threads, they can spot misconceptions, logical mistakes, and fallacies as they arise and provide the knowledge or direction that learners require to keep on track in class.
Equal opportunities
In a face-to-face conversation, everyone has a certain amount of time to speak; after the class discussion time is up, the topic is done. The online format is an excellent way to extend classroom conversations, giving all employees, including the shy and timid, an opportunity to speak up. This also allows learners to engage in multiple streams of thought (threads) within the same debate theme at the same time.
Connections around the world
Some online course discussions occur across various sections of the same or several workplaces, or even between the same course at two distinct companies in the same or different countries. Through these global online connections, employees can broaden their cultural perspectives and network abroad.
Extending classroom instruction
A classroom discussion can only run as long as the class period permits, and it may divert time away from lectures and other activities that the instructor must provide to the trainees. After the face-to-face time has ended, the instructor can continue course discussions by having online conversations on the course lectures. It can also be a terrific approach for employees to combine learning from many sources.
Peer-to-peer learning
To begin with, it is widely acknowledged that informal learning accounts for the majority of what we learn at work. Although formal content accounts for only around 10% of all training, most training managers concentrate their efforts. You may start fostering more impactful learning once you’ve established discussion groups.
Supplements formal content
Keeping up with all of the formal training content is difficult. If a new piece of legislation is introduced, it may affect your training materials. You might overlook this amid your other responsibilities. That excellent compliance training from last week may now be completely obsolete. There’s a more significant probability that someone else will notice the discrepancy if more people discuss the same topics.
Promotes organizational culture
Discussion groups may be just what your company needs to take its culture to the next level. Your learners are more likely to take ownership of the training if they are more active in it. This level of participation is the first indication of a cultural shift. They’ll feel more empowered once they discover that they may be recognized for their skill, which they’ll carry with them beyond the training and into their regular activities.
How to incorporate online discussion forums in corporate training?
Not all training managers are entirely out of touch with what’s going on in the industry. Some people have recognized that discussion groups can help them get more out of their training. Here are a few examples of how chat groups can be used. It’s possible that your training program already contains a group discussion that you’re unaware of.
Keeping learners in the forefront
It’s possible that the learners’ objective was not to form their discussion groups in the first place. Perhaps someone sends a WhatsApp message to a colleague, inviting another expert to join the group. They may also roll it out on LinkedIn or Facebook as more people are added. Before you realize what’s occurred, they’ve created a community of people passionate about the same thing.
Setting clear expectations
It would be simple to hold online discussions to higher standards than face-to-face discussions. In a face-to-face class, however, not all learners participate equally. But be careful what you wish for! Remember that you’ll need to read everything your employees write; if you have fifteen trainees and demand two posts and two responses per person, you’ll get at least sixty posts by the end of the week.
Make sure you set clear expectations for the number of posts, responses, and deadlines associated with each. Before posting to the discussion board, have staff members read and sign a Discussion Guidelines paper. For easy reference, include a link to the document under each discussion topic.
Familiarizing with the discussion board
Employees will need some time to get used to the discussion board, especially if they are new to online courses or the learning management system (LMS) you are using. Introduce an LMS with a user-friendly discussion board. Provide advice on submitting posts and replies if yours is extremely clumsy. Even if you think your learners are tech-savvy, they may have little experience with this type of asynchronous, semiformal communication.
Prepping before a course
A training manager who has access to the LMS’s group discussion capabilities has far greater control and visibility. They can also connect the discussion groups to other workshops and classroom events. Before a face-to-face training session, the training manager can invite registrants to a related discussion group. Students can get to know one another there, and the training manager can have a clearer picture of where knowledge gaps exist.
Lending support in the midst of training
Discussion groups can be employed in a blended learning solution while the class is in session. This can help learners and instructors stay on track with the lecture during the event. This is a significant benefit for students who were unable to attend the session. They need to log on and catch up on what they missed in an active discussion group.
Including online discussions after course completion
Classroom training is notoriously useless on its own, as are all one-off training programs. If no attempt is made to recollect the material, it is estimated that we will forget around 90% of what we learn within a week. Students can participate in online discussion groups to continue the conversation. With a dash of gamification added in, the desire to learn grows with the inclusion of points and badges.
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Clarifying the role of the instructor
The norms of online discussion forums in corporate training are far less well-defined than in-person discussions. Employees may have certain expectations for their online classes. It’s crucial to let them know how you clarify your instructor’s position in online dialogues, influenced by their pedagogical values and teaching style. Make it clear to the learners that s/he might read everything they post and that s/he might respond only when s/he believes in value addition by providing helpful information, addressing a direct question, or correcting a misconception.
Sharing information on various subjects
In any organization, so much knowledge is passed down from one person to the next that is never recorded. Your conventional retail training, for example, may cover the technicalities of operating a till, but it may not include how to deal with demanding clients. On the other hand, the veterans will have amassed their own set of preferred strategies for reducing tension. If people participate in a discussion forum regularly, the organization will apply their knowledge in future training programs.
Providing timely feedback
Encourage employees to share the page number, quotation, or title of the article they are replying to when you begin reading their posts. If a post appears to be unclear, ask for clarification. Learners usually figure out what they can get away with and what lines they shouldn’t cross early on in the course.
In the comments box, provide comprehensive feedback. You could deduct points and refer a learner to the discussion rules if they didn’t satisfy the conversation requirements. This feedback process will take some time, but you will see results over time.
Searching for SMEs
Training managers can also use discussion groups to figure out who is the go-to person for any business-related information. Once again, gamification comes to the rescue! You can identify who has the most to say on any topic by adding a ‘top contributors’ leaderboard to each group. This simplifies the L&D department‘s job, and it also allows otherwise unnoticed people to be recognized for their competence.
Conclusion
Collaboration is exactly what your training program needs. You may add a social element to your training with relatively little effort. If your LMS already allows for group conversations, make sure you’re taking advantage of them. If not, you can start with an existing social app. That should tide you over until you can find the funds to invest in a feature-rich LMS like PlayAblo!
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