Training E-Trainers
By Karen Frankola

Here's how some trainers learned how to deliver e-learning.

You’re an online corporate trainer, just minutes into your session, smoothly working your way through the introduction. Suddenly, in mid-sentence, you disappear from the screen. The learners have no idea what’s happened to you.

No, it’s not a dream. That’s what happened to Tony Barrile when he launched NYUonline’s Workshop for Online Corporate Instructors. His cable modem went out, kicking him off the Internet and jettisoning him from his virtual classroom. Learners heard nothing except dead air.

After a few seconds of silence came the soothing voice of Sally Silberman, Barrile’s backup, "OK, everybody. We seem to be having some cable modem problems today. My job is to take over where we left off." It turned out to be a great lesson in the importance of having a backup plan. Barrile was pretty upset with his Internet provider, but soon he was back online. Indeed, he says he’s been through worse as a stand-up classroom trainer, such as the time a fire alarm forced his class outside for an hour.

Sometimes, cyberspace pioneers can find themselves on the bleeding edge of technology. But with corporate America moving into e-learning at a dizzying pace, someone must lead the way. According to Corporate University Xchange, e-learning comprised nearly 20 percent of corporate training delivery methods in 1999 and is expected to double to 40 percent by 2003. Corporate trainers who spent years honing their skills in the classroom now have to quickly figure out how to develop and deliver online learning.

Just a year ago, Barrile had no interest in e-learning. He was running his own corporate training business near Washington, D.C. Sally Silberman, a student in one of his classes, happened to be the program director of online instructional services at NYUonline, the e-learning subsidiary of New York University. Silberman was developing a workshop to teach online training skills over the Internet, one of the first programs of its kind. She thought Barrile, who has coached some 3,000 people over 13 years, might make a great online instructor. But Barrile wasn't interested. He told Silberman, "Online training can’t compete with what I do in a classroom."

Silberman wouldn’t give up. She says, "Tony had the fundamental abilities. He was clear, concise, and enthusiastic. He instinctively knew when to engage people. Best of all, he took a boring subject and made it come alive." After much coaxing, Barrile agreed to take part in an NYUonline pilot last fall.

Silberman's instincts proved true, Barrile did so well in the pilot that he was one of a few top trainers-turned-learners selected to work as an associate instructor in a follow-up workshop, designed primarily for faculty at NYU’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies. He taught several sessions, and last April, Barrile became a lead instructor for NYUonline’s first Workshop for Online Corporate Instructors, also known as "Train the Trainers."

The 10-week program consists of weekly, 90-minute classes taught live over the Internet. Learners and instructors wear headsets with a microphone and talk using their computers. Learners view graphics, raise their hands virtually, respond to polls and quizzes, and send private notes to each other and the instructor. Most of the learners are corporate trainers or managers relatively new to e-learning. Barrile works with guest experts from NYUonline who discuss how to build and deliver both live online sessions and self-paced e-learning. The primary focus is developing skills for the virtual classroom, with learners presenting their own 15-minute online lesson at the end of the program.

Barrile feels that learning the technological aspects of teaching in a virtual environment can be daunting. "You really do have to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time. You have to deliver content while using the technology."

It’s quite a juggling act to maintain a smooth, energetic delivery while advancing slides, checking for virtual raised hands, and answering notes. Also, there’s the lack of eye contact and body language, making it much more difficult to connect with participants. Even the most engaging speakers lose learners if they fail to deliver a highly focused class that promotes interaction.

According to Barrile, the traditional classroom offers plenty of opportunity for spontaneous interaction, while the online instructor has to plan interactivity with techniques such as using a virtual whiteboard, taking polls, and asking participants to speak. "A traditional classroom is fairly forgiving if you’re not having a good day. Live online isn't that way. You have to be well scripted. You can’t just pop up a new slide the way you can go to a new flip chart in the classroom," he says.

Barrile contends that preparation is key to successful online teaching. "The easiest way to get good is to get tired of practicing. You want to be in a situation where you don’t have to concentrate on technical issues. If you’re worrying about graphics and how you’re moving the mouse, you’ll miss what’s really going on."

A classroom of professional trainers normally makes for a tough crowd, but Barrile’s learners have proven to be empathetic because they face the same kind of rapid transition. Colin Gibson, a training manager for PTC, a major software firm, was promoted to Web-based training manager just a few weeks after taking the NYUonline workshop. He says he got the job partly because he’s been actively working to learn more about e-learning. Gibson thinks a major challenge will be getting people to contribute in a virtual classroom. He says learners might feel nervous because the sessions are recorded for playback, unlike a regular classroom.

Tisso Jessop, a corporate trainer for a publishing company near Washington, D.C., thinks that time management and navigating the technology are two big hurdles for online instructors. Jessop's impressed at how Barrile has mastered some of the finer points of teaching in the virtual classroom, such as drawing the student’s eye to the screen through the use of graphics.

Not every learner in the class actually works in a training department. Donna Patnode consults senior management at Black and Decker on more efficient ways of doing business. She’s taking the NYUonline program to learn how the online instruction process works so she can assist the training department.

Barrile’s learners say he’s doing a good job, but Barrile is tougher on himself. Although he says he needs to work harder on transitions and calling on people in class, he thinks that he creates a pleasant environment for learners and works smoothly with guest instructors. After every class, NYUonline staff discuss what worked well and what could be made better. Silberman is impressed with Barrile’s work, and says he’s improved each week.

Barrile admits that he’d like to develop more of a bond with learners. "I don’t know if it can ever be as solid a bond in the online environment as the live classroom. Part of that comes from seeing the learner. You may interact before and after the class, and have a chance to make small talk."

The difficulty of making a personal connection also worries some learners. Gibson agrees that when he teaches in a classroom, he likes to make jokes and have fun. But in an online environment, "You don’t know if they’re laughing or just rolling their eyes," he says. Learners do get personal coaching sessions, which help create a connection. Patnode says her session with Barrile gave her a clearer direction of what to do for her class presentation.

Barrile is just starting to look into using online instruction at his own business. He feels that his online work has made him a better standup instructor. For instance, Barrile says that online instruction has made him a much better listener because he has little else to rely on in a virtual classroom. He adds, "I plan a little more, I’m more detailed on where I’m going, what I can cut out. I’m more targeted on my learning objectives."

If you’re a corporate trainer who’s unsure about moving into a virtual classroom, Barrile says it’s fine to be as skeptical as he was a year ago. But he thinks it’s important for trainers to be continuous learners and open-minded to new techniques. "Online learning is a fantastic medium that offers a tremendous opportunity to serve me well years into the future," says Barrile.

Karen Frankola is the e-learning solutions manager for NYUonline; www.nyuonline.com..