Virtual training already offers substantial benefits for both internal and customer education. In addition to being more scalable and accessible than traditional learning and development, e-learning tends to be more accessible and cost-effective. Through experiential learning, it can also lead to better outcomes, while training analytics can help you optimize your content. 

Collaborative learning even amplifies the potential of your virtual training labs — here’s how. 

What are the benefits of collaborative learning in virtual lab environments? 

We’ve known for decades that people tend to be more engaged and productive when working together than in isolation. This applies to learning and development too. A collaborative approach to virtual team training can also result in better learning outcomes than if people study alone. 

Case in point: roughly 20% of learning happens through social interaction. Collaboration has also been linked to improved comprehension and knowledge retention amongst learners. This doesn’t just apply to employee training, either.

Community-based learning has also been gaining prominence in customer education. Rather than relying entirely on customer support and knowledge bases, customers are increasingly looking to one another for advice. 

The value of supporting collaborative learning amongst customers includes:

• Creating an environment for customer advocates to directly promote a company’s products and services
• Reducing the workload of support teams, allowing them to dedicate more time to complex problems
• Improving the customer experience by giving people a means of interacting with both colleagues and the business

How can you create a collaborative learning environment in a virtual lab? 

To support social learning for both employees and customers, consider the following steps.

Embrace collaboration

Social learning begins with supporting a culture of collaboration. This means emphasizing active listening, being open to feedback, and encouraging interdepartmental communication. The mindset is largely the same for both employees and customers — it’s all about a willingness to listen and work together. 

Find the right technology

Generally speaking, a virtual lab requires several things to fully support collaborative learning. First and foremost is a decent training management system. This will allow instructors to create and maintain quality training content hosted in a structured, centralized environment. 

Integration with existing workplace tools like Slack is also a must, particularly if these are the primary means by which employees communicate. 

Beyond that, make sure you have technology that supports the following: 

• Multiple collaboration options, including online study rooms, desktop sharing, virtual tutoring centers, and digital whiteboards
• Collaborative hands-on simulations and sandboxes
• Chat, voice, and video communication
• Real-time feedback to help learners gauge and improve their performance
• Multiple learning modalities, including instructor-led and self-paced training
• Learner analytics to help instructors track progress and identify anyone who may be struggling
• Gamification features such as team-based leaderboards

Develop collaborative content

Lastly, rethink how you design your training material. Instead of solo projects and problem-based learning, create team-based simulations. For example, cybersecurity training could involve each learner assuming one of the following roles in a simulated attack: 

• Identifying the initial incident
• Determining the overall cost of the attack
• Restoring damaged or compromised systems from backups
• Alerting regulators and law enforcement as necessary
• Notifying stakeholders, including customers, business partners, and vendors
• Performing post-incident forensics to determine how to prevent future attacks

This approach gives employees a firsthand look at the potential damage a cyber incident might cause while also showing them that everyone has a role to play in keeping their organization secure.