When we started researching the feasibility of moving face-to-face training to virtual classrooms, we attended numerous online events and spoke to many experts. We then set out applying the best of what we heard and read and omitted the ineffective practices we experienced firsthand. Since then, we have actively been testing, modifying, retesting, and fine-tuning our virtual-classroom programs while training instructors and launching virtual-classroom initiatives worldwide.The purpose of this book is to share the principles and practices we¿ve discovered with everyone who has been tasked with moving traditional training to virtual classrooms.In this audio program The Learning eXPLOSION: 9 Rules to Ignite Your Virtual Classrooms, Matthew Murdoch and Treion Muller teach you how to:

The Rule of Continual ChangeLearning has been in a state of change forever¿slowly evolving. But with the current explosion, learning is anything but slow. It is rapid. Instant. Continuously changing. Morphing. Upgrading.
The Rule of Knowledge TransferDon¿t try to force the same amount of content you usually teach in instruction-led training programs into your virtual classrooms. Just because you have eight hours worth of face-to-face training content doesn¿t mean you have eight hours worth of virtual training content.
The Rule of Learning CircuitryWhen you first begin the process of moving your training online, you may not want too many people on the project. Actually, in most cases, it¿s best to start with a small core team. Small teams can move fast and won¿t get bogged down in bureaucracy. You¿re going to need the flexibility to modify your circuitry quickly. Ideas will change; strategies will be modified. We guarantee it. So start small and nimble.
The Rule of Overcoming BiasMany people are preconditioned to think that people can¿t be taught if training isn¿t a face-to-face experience conducted in a brick-and-mortar building. Their beliefs are sometimes rooted in a more traditional way of thinking, making their biases hard to overcome. They often just need exposure to new concepts.
The Rule of Virtual AccountabilityIf you want your learners to be active participants in your virtual classroom, then you must hold them accountable in three ways: verbally, visually, and kinesthetically.
The Rule of Personal PracticeTo be successful as a virtual instructor, we propose four stages of personal practice: Platform proficiency, facilitator observation, imitation, and personalization.
The Rule of Thumbs UpPeople in general like to leave feedback¿especially online¿and only if it¿s a seamless experience. This is what the Rule of Thumbs Up is all about¿giving people ample opportunity to share what they like and dislike so you can continuously improve your virtual-classroom experience.
The Rule of Global PositioningFor the first time ever, when we say ¿global,¿ we really mean global. Not a day goes by when someone sitting in another part of the world attends virtual learning. And because we live in a global marketplace, the odds of you conducting a virtual classroom with global attendees is very likely.
The Rule of Sustained OrbitThere are a lot of things that will destroy your chances of getting your virtual classroom off the ground, but the biggest one is the law of gravity. It exists as much in the virtual world as it does in the physical world. This gravitational pull can be caused by other people¿s biases¿like those telling us it can¿t or shouldn¿t be done, by budgetary restrictions, by a poorly planned and executed project, by a lack of focus, or simply by your own inertia. To succeed, you need to escape this gravitational pull.