Adapting face-to-face to fully online training courses

Abstract

In 2020, the physical distancing required due to the COVID-19 pandemics catalysed the shift of the well established face-to-face training courses into fully online events. This posed several challenges to professors and students.

Video conference platforms were swiftly available with remarkable benefits. Every student has the same view like if they were on the first row, commuting time was non-existent, the Q&A session became more active and the lectures can be recorded for the asynchronous mode. However, some challenges remain such as interaction among students, technical visits, assessments, motivation and focus.

This report presents a few observations and lessons learned aiming at the efficacy of fully online training courses.