Training Strategies for Synchronous Distance Learning

The Utah Regional LEND, or URLEND, covers five states including Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and North Dakota. The URLEND learning approach includes a year-long series of didactic seminars, a collaborative leadership project assignment, and a broad array of clinical services. URLEND uses multiple distance technologies to synchronously connect groups of trainees, family mentors, and faculty across our partner states at multiple sites to reach defined learning objectives. For example, the four-hour didactic seminars are held each Friday and hosted by faculty at different sites. The seminar is broadcast through an Interactive Video Conferencing system to other sites in the network and streamed in real-time on Canvas, the online course management system used in the URLEND program. The Video Conferencing system is interactive, meaning that the presenter can view and respond to audience members at different sites in real-time. A live visual feed of the presenter and their presentation, as well as the room of participants of each distance site is displayed on a screen at each of the distance sites. Participants can ask or respond to questions by toggling on personal mics, and addressing the larger group. This simulates the environment and experience in a live seminar setting, but allows trainees from multiple sites to work and learn together. Trainees are encouraged to contribute to group discussions, just as would be expected in a traditional face-to-face setting.

Distance technology is also used to facilitate smaller collaborative and group work in the leadership projects. In these projects small groups of trainees work on a substantial project, designed to culminate in a meaningful outcome. The learning objective of the leadership projects is to provide trainees with a rich multidisciplinary experience that will lead to the development of multiple leadership competencies throughout the eight months that they work on these projects. Trainees are purposely assigned to groups where members span not only different disciplines, but are also from different sites, often including multiple states, so as to foster the development of communication skills that by necessity must include distance technologies. Leadership groups decide on appropriate technologies for their individual group, but include meeting synchronously using such tools as Google hangout, Skype, and Adobe Connect, which in our case is integrated into Canvas, our online course management system. These tools allow groups to communicate in real time, and in the case of Google hangout and Adobe Connect, provide a means to record meeting minutes and share documents and computer screens as the meeting is taking place. Using distance technology team members are able to build relationships and collaborate on a regular basis, usually weekly, even though they may live hundreds of miles apart from one another.

Using distance technologies across multiple sites can be tricky and requires the coordination between IT personnel at each site. Most days the technology works without issue, but occasionally unexpected problems do arise. It is helpful to have a "plan B" in place incase people at a distance site are unable to see or hear what is being broadcast using the IVC system. In our case, if the IVC system is not working, individual participants can always view the seminar on the live stream on their individual computer. This allows them to view the presentation, but does not allow them to interact by asking and answering questions. It takes practice for trainees to feel comfortable using the mic and participate in group discussions in this format. Presenters need to be trained to allow an extra period few seconds for participants to respond. At first this silence is a bit uncomfortable, but with time both presenters and participants adapt.

In the leadership group it can be difficult for teams to decide on a method of communication as each team member may have access to different devices that may be better equipped to handle one mode, but not another. With time, we have found that teams generally do come to a consensus and identify a method that works for all team members.

Download Material(s):

Contact Information: