Anyone who’s been a part of the education system during the last years and this entire pandemic situation has been exposed to the concept of distant learning.  All kinds of education moved to remote learning. People spent the very best part of the start of the pandemic trying to determine distance learning’s best practices. Needless to say, remote learning has many challenges.

Let’s walk you through some techniques that will help you manage your remote learning properly:

1. Avoid Being Distracted

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Remote work comes with its share of distractions, and distant learning is no exception.

Students in a virtual classroom are disrupted because of interruptions such as packages being delivered or pets running into the home office while they are working on emails.

All pre-training communications should make it clear to participants that the program is a formal training session that requires full attention.

Students who are learning from home should have access to a private, distraction-free workspace. Allow employees who are struggling with scheduling or child care to use your time and resources.

2. Maintain Good Internet Hygiene

When you are busy and discovering new strategies to learn, you should also be wary of cyberattacks. The main mode of communication in distant learning is the internet. The internet is full of hackers that can siphon off your data.

This is why it is best to use a VPN Windows 10 download on your laptop or system to ensure you are safe. A VPN for Windows or Mac OS will ensure that your data is safe from being accessed. A Virtual Private Network will ensure that other users connect to a buffer server before they can connect to your data.

This added layer of protection will deter attacks. Use a good VPN like VeePN to stay secure while learning.

3. Deal With Bad Training Content

Instructor-led training (ILT) isn’t always a perfect fit when it comes to distant learning best practices. While ILT presentations may work in a virtual classroom with a little tinkering, you’ll need to repurpose existing content for interactive eLearning courses.

The use of technology can aid in the implementation of a wide range of educational best practices and methodologies. It’s no longer necessary to spend time formatting content and creating interactions that engage remote students and encourage course completion with modern authoring tools.

To get a course up and running quickly, look for an authoring tool that includes quizzes, assessments, dialogue simulations, and customizable course templates.

4. Deal With Technical Hiccups

Even in a classroom setting, training sessions can be disrupted by technical issues. Distant learning, on the other hand, is even more susceptible to attack. Things can go horribly wrong for a variety of reasons, including slow or unreliable network connections, software bugs, or difficulty getting into the training environment.

Preparation is key when it comes to avoiding technical difficulties. Before a training session, make sure your students know exactly what they need to do and have practiced their log-in and password skills. Also teach them to use a good free VPN for their PCs for security purposes. Consider starting the session early and leaving a buffer of time to deal with any login or access issues that may arise.

With more than five participants in a virtual classroom, it’s also a good idea to have another facilitator on hand to answer questions and resolve technical issues via chat and email. It’s also a good idea to let tech support know that you’re running software training environments and to have them on call.

5. Work Around Scheduling Issues

Scheduling classroom instruction is difficult enough, but doing so for remote instruction can be downright impossible. Another layer of complexity comes into play when using a blended learning solution that requires attendees to participate in multiple synchronous and asynchronous activities (such as the use of eLearning and virtual instructor-led training (VILT).

It’s easier said than done to ensure that all of your learners have access to the best strategies to learn and distant learning at a time and day that works for them, but it’s worth the effort. You could be working on your content instead of wrangling with a slew of spreadsheets and email threads.

In order to keep track of all the training events, your LMS most likely has a calendar function built in. The Learning Management System (LMS) simplifies and automates training attendance confirmations and other important information that would otherwise be scattered across multiple platforms and files.

You may be able to use the scheduling and calendar functions built into popular webinar software and business apps if you don’t have an LMS.

Trainers who are accustomed to working in an ILT setting may find it difficult to adapt to the demands of remote employee training. Planning and preparation are essential to delivering any quality training, and remote learning is no exception. Some of these issues with remote learning can be avoided if you plan ahead of time and keep participants up to date.