Virtual lessons have been the only option for schools, colleges, training providers and universities over the last couple of months. But even as we transition back to face-to-face delivery, many organisations are opting for online delivery. Virtual lessons are efficient, convenient and can be just as powerful as in-person delivery – when done properly.

Follow these 9 top tips to make sure your virtual lessons are as effective and engaging as possible.

1. Make the most of the tech you have

Common systems, like Microsoft Teams, are great for virtual lessons. You can share your screen to display a presentation or switch between windows to make notes, play videos or demo other systems.

If you already use an LMS that integrates with Teams, like OneFile – even better! You can schedule your virtual lessons in the LMS so learners automatically get the event link added to their calendar and upcoming tasks.

2. Send reminders

Despite being sent calendar invites and task alerts, some students will still miss their lesson. Make sure you send a reminder an hour before to jog their memories and give them time to prepare for your lesson.

3. Practice

Remember to give yourself plenty of time to prepare too. Do a trial run of your lesson using the technology and your course notes to boost your confidence and work out timings.

4. Housekeeping

Make sure students know the house rules – how long the session will last, the learning objectives that’ll be covered and if there’ll be any breaks. It’s a good idea to ask attendees to mute their mic and ask questions via the chat box or by raising their hand.

5. Help students engage

Keeping students engaged virtually can be tricky, so give everyone an active role in the lesson with polls. They’ll help break up the lesson, gauge your audience’s opinion and give students the opportunity to get involved. Lots of video software, like Zoom and GoToWebinar, have built-in polling features that are free to use.

6. Test knowledge

As you cover each learning objective, set quizzes to test your learners’ knowledge. If you use an LMS that has a built-in quiz feature, you can build custom quizzes and set them for your students during the lesson. Learners can then share their scores or keep them private – either way, it’ll help students gauge their own understanding of the topics covered.

Watch this video of Karen Jones from GLLM explaining how they've used OneFile course builder to create elearning content and build quizzes during lockdown.

7. Keep it short

The idea of a 3-hour webinar isn’t thrilling for anyone, so keep your lesson short and sweet. If you have a lot of content to get through, break it up with polls, quizzes and water breaks. If you do give students a break, set a timer to make sure everyone returns promptly.

8. Set follow-up activities

If you’re using an LMS like OneFile, set follow-up activities or ask students to reflect on their learning in the learning journal. This will help students apply their new knowledge. If students know they have follow-up work, it might help them concentrate more during the session!

9. Record the lesson

It's a great idea to record your lesson so any learners who missed it can catch up. You can also set up a YouTube channel and upload your recordings to your profile to create a bank of lessons. If you're using an LMS like OneFile, you can add a link to the recordings for each module, so learners can access any lessons they want to watch again – perfect for revision and preparing for EPA.

Virtual lessons are here to stay! Learning organisations across the country are embracing remote learning now more than ever – and it’s no wonder. When done right, remote delivery is far more efficient than face-to-face delivery. It improves efficiency, reduces costs and increases engagement – all while maintaining high quality of learning.

“From an efficiency and quality point of view, it makes sense to move to a system like OneFile. You can do everything from signup, delivery and assessment in one place – it's a one-stop shop.”

Paul McGrail | Myerscough College

To find out how you can use OneFile to deliver learning remotely, download your ultimate guide to remote delivery.