Going Phygital: Quick Start Guide

There is growing acceptance among training providers to design self-paced and need-based e-learning courses to meet the learning needs of professionals.
This document provides a quick overview of the stages involved and considerations that go into developing e-learning from existing in-person training resources.

Here’s an overview of the stages involved and considerations that go into developing e-learning from existing in-person training resources.

There are 5 stages involved in designing a training curriculum in any learning environment such as online, offline, or in settings that are phygital:

  1. Analysis: In the analysis stage, competency gaps and training needs are clarified, the instructional goals and objectives are established and the learning environment and learner's existing knowledge and skills are identified.
  2. Design: The design stage creates the blueprint for the instruction. There are several major activities for a content design that are included in this stage. This involves activities such as sequencing the learning content and information into logical segments or units, creating storyboards for e-learning modules, creating drafts of training outlines and base documents for digital media, etc.
    This step should also take into account any existing content which can be leveraged when moving from physical to digital. In case a phygital learning (blended) approach is deemed to be the best delivery solution, identification and mapping of content pieces to physical and digital happen at this stage. The Assessment strategy is also devised here.
  3. Development: The development phase is where the developers create and assemble the content assets that were created in the design phase.
  4. Implementation: This phase involves testing content and preparing for the course launch. This involves managing an online course when it goes live and running.
  5. Evaluation: This phase consolidates feedback and makes iterations based on pilot tests.

A step-by-step process involving the different stages of converting offline content to digital content is described below:

Step-1: Conducting Organisational Readiness Assessment

Before moving some of the instructor-led classroom training to online, it’s required to assess organisational readiness such as in-house capacity to design elearning content, learner’s access of physical resources etc.

Guiding questions:
  • What are your budgets for this exercise?
  • What is the time at hand available for developing the digital materials?
  • Does the organisation have in-house capacity to build digital materials?
  • What are the costs of software, tools and licences that need to be taken into consideration?
  • Once created, what is the shelf-life of the online materials?
  • Do the intended audience have the infrastructure (computers, phones and tabs) to consume digital materials?
  • Does the intended audience have low internet bandwidth? Factoring in the technological capabilities/limitations of your learners’ remote locations is advised.

Step-2: Content Migration Readiness Assessment

One of the biggest challenges that conversion from physical to digital mode faces is the drastic impact on the learning experience when there is no instructor to anchor online learning. Often the quality of delivery and engagement receives a setback because the online asynchronous delivery medium offers no organic interaction between learners and the facilitator (nonverbal communication, eye contact, nods, smiles, etc.) nor can accommodate real-time questions and experience sharing.

Guiding questions:
  • Do you have access to all the training materials, exercises and assessments used in a physical class?
  • Are the powerpoints with extensive speaker notes?
  • Do you have a Facilitator Guide?
  • Do you have access to any scenarios, best practices, examples, tips and reading materials that your trainer may have used to explain the content?
  • Do you understand accessibility standards that are needed for people with disabilities?

Step-3: Setting up content development team and Preparing In-Person Instructors for Virtual Training

This step is aimed at constituting a course development team and mapping team members to the roles and responsibilities as follows:

  • Subject matter experts: Prepare and give lectures
  • Videographer: Film and edit lecture videos
  • Course assistants: Create exercises, assignments
  • Course reviewer: Beta-test the content, upload the content
  • Course manager/supervisor: Oversee everything

This step also deals with ensuring that the face-to-face instructors are well equipped for training in the virtual space. Teaching in a virtual conferencing mode differs greatly from standing in a classroom, making eye contact and interacting with participants and following their silent cues.

Guiding questions:
  • What are the tools that you plan to use? You can choose between popular choices such as Zoom, Teams etc.
  • Have you trained your facilitators to use these tools adequately?
  • Have you created delivery models where?

Step-4: Choosing the right digital format

This step is aimed at exploring suitable video content formats. The content development team will evaluate options to select the appropriate video content format for their course.

A few popular video formats are:

  1. In-person class recordings:
    1. Advantage: This is best suited to adapting existing in-person lectures. This captures the class environment and discussion.
    2. Disadvantage: This requires time post-filming to work with the videographer on clips, overlaying slides, and arranging segments.
  2. Lightboard filming:
    1. Advantage: This is helpful to illustrate practice problems. This provides a good option for supplementary material.
    2. Disadvantage: This may have significant cost implications.
  3. Studio filming:
    1. Advantage: This is a good option to deliver key takeaways. This may be repurposed as a lower-cost option to show slides with only audio. This requires less editing post-filming.
    2. Disadvantage: This requires studio access. This requires more planning upfront to plan segments.
Video content format options Type of information Amount of prior planning required Amount of editing required post-filming
In-person class recordings Classroom delivery and discussion Low High
Lightboard filming Practice sessions, Supplementary materials High Low
Studio filming Key takeaways High Low
Comparison across different video content format options
Guiding questions:
  • Are there existing in-person lectures?
  • What are the types of information being presented?
  • Does the budget allow flexibility to accommodate equipment access?
  • What are the options available to combine different video formats?

Step-5: Designing assignments and learning practices.

This requires careful review and extensive knowledge of course content. A few examples of research-based practices are the following:

  1. Finger exercises: These are practice questions interspersed within the video lectures. The goal here is to engage learners and provide an opportunity to solidify concepts. These may be developed by teaching assistants in consultation with lectures.
  2. Problem Sets: These are assignments to assess knowledge acquired from the module as a whole and apply lecture concepts to new scenarios. These are adapted from existing instructional materials and require subject matter expertise.
  3. Midterm and Final exam: These are assignments to test overall comprehension across modules. These are adapted from existing instructional materials.

Assignments and exams should be cumulative and ask learners to draw knowledge from previous units.

Guiding questions:
  • What are the learning goals for the course?
  • How will learners practice and apply course concepts?
  • How will you assess knowledge and comprehension?
  • What materials will learners need to succeed in the course?
  • Are there existing in-person assignments and materials?
  • What options does the platform allow?
  • If someone studied this topic from another teacher, would they still be able to answer this exercise?

Step-6: Develop learning resources to support learners

This step is aimed at developing course documents, readings, etc. to extend and support learning for diverse learners. The existing reference materials on technical concepts may be referred or new resources may be developed depending on the course timeline and resources availability.

  1. Incorporate the following options to ensure accessibility for all learners.
    1. Audio transcripts: This may be outsourced to transcription service providers for greater accuracy. This adds one week to the video production timeline.
    2. Alt text for images and compatibility with screen readers
  2. Prioritise materials from the public domain or copyrights held by the organisation or course instructor.
  3. Work with Intellectual Property (IP) advisor to track IP agreements and third-party content (copyrighted materials not held by the instructor or organisation). Third-party material may require clearance from the copyright holders and may cause delays in the course creation process.
Checklist for finalising course details:
  • Organise resources (readings, videos, assignments, etc.) in a way that’s easy for learners to find and access the material
  • Set how much each component (finger exercises, homework, final exam, etc.) is worth in the final grade
  • Ensure content is accessibility for all learners
  • Check for third party content
  • Set up a discussion forum to facilitate community building and substitute for in-person interactions and
Guiding questions:
  • What kind of permissions are needed to make available readings?
  • What other resources could help learners in the course?

Step-7: Review and revise the course by beta testing

This involves review for everything from errors to completeness and clarity. The beta testing windows for different modules may be staggered over several weeks to manage the workflow for revision. A feedback sheet and detailed checklist with clear expectations from the reviewer will be helpful.

Guiding questions:
  • How many people should review each module?
  • Is it necessary to have specific background knowledge?
  • Who will incorporate edits and revisions?

Step-8: Oversee operational and functional aspects of running the course online

Some of the best practices are:

  1. Onboard teaching assistants/academic associates with clear guidelines on roles and responsibilities (such as answering content questions, managing discussion forums, grading, feedback collation, etc.)
  2. Ensure ethical learning behaviour through the honour code. This states the principles of academic honesty and preserves the integrity of the course in a student’s performance. Send reminders and provide opportunities to practice
  3. Ensure processes are transparent (such as clear grading rules) and consistent (such as homework is due on the same day each week)
Guiding questions:
  • Who will answer the learner’s content questions?

Step-9: Solicit learner feedback and analyse data on learner engagement and performance post-course launch to course effectiveness

This is an ongoing process and will require analysing data to identify gaps in instructional design and learner engagement. Further, this will require tracking changes and the status of revisions by the course management team.

Some of the best practices to solicit feedback from learners are:

  1. Learner entry and exit surveys: This gauges learners’ expectations, satisfaction, and suggestions for improvement.
  2. Feedback from course assistants: This informs on the logistical challenges and the assignments/questions learners had difficulty with.
  3. Learner feedback throughout the course: This informs on the additional materials and exam experience.
Guiding questions:
  • Are there modules where learners drop off?
  • Is this more or less true for different groups?
  • Is performance consistent across different questions?
  • Does performance vary by different learner characteristics?