Tips When Conducting A Diagnostic Assessment Before Virtual Learning

virtual learning assessmentWhen the virtual learning is learner-centric, the chances that the participants will have a great experience will be higher. A course that is learner-centric means it has considered the people who will learn from it. The methods used are all in accordance to what will help the learners feel motivated and engaged in the lesson.

The best way to create a learner-centric course is to conduct a diagnostic assessment prior to the start of the course. This will not only help you understand what the learners expect from the online course. It will also help you identify the areas that need to be focused on.

Here are 4 important tips that will help you effectively assess the virtual learning participants

  • Do it ahead of time. You have to time the assessment well. You do not want to rush the learners into it because it could compromise the results of the assessment. You should give them ample time to answer any survey or question that you may have. In case you will conduct online interviews, make sure that you will do it earlier so you have enough time to go through a couple of interviews before you can analyze them. Of course, you also have to allocate enough time for you to study the results of the assessments and to implement any changes that it might require of the course.
  • Consider providing assessments in the midst of the learning process. This is actually applicable to micro-learning strategies. You should assess the learners to find out if they are able to keep up with the lessons. If not, you may have to give them a refresher course or more information to help them understand the lesson before they go on to the next part of the virtual learning.
  • Use the findings to improve the virtual learning experience. The diagnostic assessment will allow you to take a peek into the expectations of the learners. Not only that, it will give you an idea about the knowledge foundation that they have on the lesson. These are vital information that you can use to choose the right strategy for learning. If your audience involves busy professionals, they might appreciate learning through short videos – something that they can access anytime and anywhere. The assessment will allow you to determine if micro-learning or mobile learning will be more effective than a webinar. With all the options that you have, it is important for you to know what the learners need so you can make the right choice.
  • Give them clear guidelines. With the information that the assessment will give you, try to come up with a unique action plan that the learners can follow. This will ensure that they can address any knowledge gap that may be evident from the diagnostic assessment. Connect them to resources that they can tap into so the learning experience will go smoothly and more efficiently.

Virtual learning can be a great way to learn but make sure that it can effectively address the needs of the participants. Use these diagnostic assessment tips to understand the learners a lot better.

Image courtesy of Sira Anamwong for FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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