Not that long ago I attended a training course in Brisbane held by a highly regarded registered training organisation. It was a great chance to speak with like-minded trainers about their training needs. While speaking with different people around the room it became quite apparent that a lot of trainers either completely don’t understand online training or are overwhelmed by the idea of it.
Over the course of the conversations I was repeatedly told the same myths and misinformation. It made me wonder why industry seems to have such a negative reaction to online training and its value in the training industry. I even found myself targeted by the teacher in relation to verification.
The common myths exposed:
Myth 1: Trainers are not needed if RTO’s go online.
This is completely not true. Good trainers are always needed to monitor and mentor students through any course. With an effective online training platform, the time spent doing paperwork and other menial tasks is minimised which allows the trainer to focus their valuable time on student development.
Myth 2: I need to be a computer genius to be a online trainer.
The Ammonite TOMS is built for the trainer. The system is designed to help trainers spend less time filing paperwork or solving complex internet issues and more time with students.
Myth 3: Online training has poor verification.
While this is a large issue I will address the teacher's question about student verification. He simply asked, "How does an online training organisation know that a student is who they say they are"?
My answer went something like this: Unlike this course where I simply signed a sheet to say who I was without any further checks to verify my identity (I could have been anyone and they wouldn't have known). The Ammonite TOMS can require a Photo ID check with a valid passport or drivers licence checked against an image of the student which is repeatedly checked throughout the course. Furthermore, students can even record videos for verbal answers. The trainer moved on to the next topic without further discussion.
I always value the opportunity to speak with trainers about the online training environment. It is the needs and concerns of the industry that must be addressed so that the training industry can move forward benefiting both learners and training organisations. Even though my time speaking with each trainer was short I hope I was able to influence at least a few trainers to re-investigate online learning with a different mind-set.