A little more than one year ago, the Foreign Service Institute—the training arm for the US Department of State—adjusted its classroom-based training to be virtual. It was an unexpected “change of venue,” and those in the School of Professional and Area Studies/Curriculum and Staff Development division were tasked with simultaneously transforming their own training from in-person to on-screen and supporting their colleagues with this process.
One of the big differences between the virtual and physical classroom is the opportunity for synchronous and asynchronous learning. While many opportunities for asynchronous learning in face-to-face training, the virtual classroom provides even more. Train-the-trainer work highlights this continuously and encourages colleagues to bring together participants synchronously when multiway communication is optimal, but to “set them free” for asynchronous work when it is not.
Through research, experimentation, and application of synchronous and asynchronous learning, the Foreign Service Institute developed the BASECs framework:
- Build the space
- Accountability
- Support
- Engagement
- Content
Synchronous BASECs
Synchronous learning takes place with everyone in the same virtual space at the same time, focusing on the same, similar, or related material. Let’s take a closer look at the BASECs of synchronous learning:Build the Space
- Learn your platform, practice on your platform, and conduct a thorough equipment check before the session.
- Use a headset to minimize feedback.
- Make your material look professional and inviting (fonts, colors, white space).
- Plan for contingencies.
- Make notes on what is going well and what to change while delivering your training to help with updates and adjustments for next time.
- Plan for no longer than 60 minutes without a short or complete break.
Accountability
- Ask participants to come to the session with one burning question.
- Set expectations and share session objectives beforehand.
- Emphasize the value and importance of synchronous time.
- Use breakout rooms to increase collegial obligation and to add perspective and voice to the conversation.
- Instruct participants to indicate (through an icon) if or when they have to step away, setting the expectation to be “on” if they haven’t used the icon.
- Request that participants have their cameras on if they are comfortable doing so.
Support
- Give people the time needed to review details online: instructions, pictures, logging into a different platform (such as Slido).
- Work with more than two facilitators/moderators/hosts, with one dedicated to supporting participants with technical issues via chat box or other.
- Communicate when participants are expected to be online well ahead of time.
Engagement
- Conduct a social check-in at the beginning of class.
- Get participants involved before the session.
- Ask good questions and vary the way you ask participants to respond.
- Experiment with different tech but don’t overload with tech.
- Give participants time to think and write.
- Monitor for participant engagement and adjust for better participation.
Content
- Maximize collaboration opportunities.
- Match your educational strategies and tools with your objectives.
- Make your material relevant and highlight the relevance.
- Choose content that needs explanation, nuanced discussion, or where participants can benefit from others’ views, perspectives, and opinions.
- Take advantage of this as the perfect opportunity for teach-backs from asynchronous assignments.
Asynchronous BASECs
Asynchronous learning is work that participants do on their own time outside of a facilitator-led environment. The BASECs of asynchronous learning includes:Build the Space
- Put all resources and instructions in the same place for clear and easy access.
- Assign clear deliverables.
- Make the asynchronous design intuitive.
Accountability
- Provide ample opportunity for participants to assess or recap learning.
- Provide recommended or required pacing, benchmarks, or checkpoints.
- Integrate quizzes to test participant knowledge and assess progress.
Support
- Provide or offer virtual support.
- Set expectations by letting participants know what inquiry response time will be (for example, within 24 hours).
- Offer regular unscheduled accessibility, such as office hours for calls or FaceTime.
- Create learning partners, groups, or cohorts; encourage participants to reach out to their learning group throughout the training.
Engagement
- Identify intrinsic motivation and play into it, such as conducting surveys or focus groups.
- Incorporate collaborative tools such as Teams, Google Docs, Padlet, Nearpod, message or discussion boards, Twitter threads, Facebook posts, hashtags, and so on.
- Develop various activities and platforms.
Content
- Develop modules into bite-size pieces.
- Include any lectures, videos, prerecorded webinars, and so on as asynchronous learning; ensure a maximum of 20 minutes and that they are concise.
- Include clear assignments or worksheets to accompany asynchronous lecture-based tasks.
- Include any readings or articles as asynchronous tasks to allow participants to complete them at their own pace.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this blog post are personal and not necessarily representative of the State Department.
For more on insights, join us August 29 during the ATD 2021 International Conference & Exposition for the session, From 4 Walls to the Screen: 5 Things We Learned About Virtual Training, So You Don't Have To.
