6 Benefits of Virtual Classrooms and Continuous Learning

As a trainer who has worked in education for nearly a decade, I’m always hesitant about sitting for new courses. Working in training has taken away from my experience as a learner. Mostly because I genuinely enjoy creating and delivering content, so much so that my training expectations have become quite high.

Prioritising my own learning and development is important to me; the mind is a muscle and it’s important to keep it active. So, knowing this, I pushed myself and I registered for iFinance Academy’s virtual training on An Insider's Guide To Payments and Payment Systems.

Putting work tasks on hold was challenging, especially when my workload is demanding, and I didn’t decide without some hesitation. In the end I just suppressed those nagging thoughts and went for it!

Sticking to social distancing rules, I attended the virtual classroom which meant that travel time and parking stress were inexistent. All I needed was my (average) internet connection, my laptop, and a strong cup of coffee. I did miss the cookies we would have been offered in a physical classroom, otherwise, a virtual set up helped me ease into the idea of meeting new people again, after long months of working remotely.

The course was surprisingly refreshing and got me thinking of the benefits that this set up offers. Here are my top 6 benefits for virtual classrooms from what I’ve experienced:

1. It gave me a very different perspective to a topic which I was already familiar with.
2. The level of detail is dependent on the needs of the group as the training progresses.
3. Training sessions were captivating and dynamic; our trainer led activities challenged me to think of the scenarios presented to the group.
4. The live course allowed us to interact by asking questions, share experiences, and discuss best practice.
5. The virtual classroom enabled us to network with industry professionals, an activity which boosts our own profile and gets our names out there.
6. Finally, by keeping up to date with industry trends, we as learners stay relevant and retain our value in this business sector.

Continuous learning requires self-motivation and persistence to develop new competencies. Ultimately it is a necessary exercise to expand our skillset, especially in such a fast-paced industry, all in an effort to avoid stagnation and develop new opportunities. This will help you gain more confidence and inspire new ideas in your team and business. But don’t take my word for it, because of course, I’m biased, so why don’t you register for a course yourself.