The coronavirus pandemic has seen a massive and necessary change to our health & safety course offerings. As we haven’t been able to host sessions at our training centre in Manston until recently, Zoom training was an ideal compromise. Over the past few months, we’ve had a fantastic reception to our Zoom training courses, and we intend to continue our Zoom offerings in the months to come.
For people who are used to our classroom training, however – or aren’t familiar with the technology behind these courses – the concept of Zoom training may be difficult to grapple with. What exactly does health & safety training over the internet look like? How does it differ from our old e-Learning options, and what do you need to get started? To answer all of these questions, we’ve produced a guide focusing on our biggest Zoom offering: the NEBOSH General Certificate course.
What is Zoom training and how does it work?
Zoom training is our term for remote learning, sometimes known as distance learning. Remote learning is a form of education often used by universities and other institutions to teach people who cannot make it to the physical premises. As a result of the pandemic, this is increasingly being used by teachers and trainers to provide a classroom experience to learners over the Internet.
Remote learning allows us to teach you directly using Zoom, a popular video calling app. By arranging a call on Zoom and sending the link to our learners, they can join a virtual classroom with our expert trainers and their fellow students. Our trainers then deliver the training course in a live video, in the same way they would deliver a normal classroom course.
Learners have the opportunity to join in and ask questions, and receive direct responses, as well as sending messages in the chat if they prefer. The content in our Zoom training courses is exactly the same as our classroom courses, and you will receive the same qualification. The key difference is that you will take the final exam or exams from home, normally in an open book format.
What are the benefits of Zoom training?
While we love the hands-on nature and positive atmosphere of our classroom courses, there are also some benefits to remote learning. One that we perhaps hadn’t anticipated is that it can reduce the pressure that some people find in a classroom environment. We’ve found that remote learners are more willing than usual to ask questions and get involved, which helps with the learning process.
Another key benefit is the changes made to many of the exams. One major example is the NEBOSH exam, which now has an open book format. This means that learners will have to rely less on memorising details from the course, and rely more on their understanding of what they’ve learned – something which not only reduces the pressure of a regular exam, but also tests your application of knowledge in a more realistic way.
Finally, it’s possible to see remote learning as an improvement over the regular e-Learning that we have previously offered. While e-Learning still has a place for those with strict time restrictions, remote learning lets you bring all the benefits of the classroom experience to your home. For the first time, it’s possible to learn in an interactive way and ask questions without having to travel, or worry about booking a hotel to take a course.
How our NEBOSH Zoom training works
Our NEBOSH Zoom training consists of exactly the same contents as the classroom NEBOSH course. As a NEBOSH Gold Learning Partner, we offer the highest standard of NEBOSH training that it’s possible to receive. We’ve achieved this by going above and beyond to offer incredible training and support to our learners, with a wealth of documents and information to help you along the way. NEBOSH Zoom learners will receive the same qualification at the end of the course, and shouldn’t worry about any stigma associated with online training.
What has changed in some cases is the way we present our courses. The online environment naturally doesn’t lend itself to certain physical demonstrations, while we also have to think about people’s attention spans, and how long it is safe to look at a screen for. As such, the NEBOSH Zoom training and many of our other Zoom courses have been adapted to the format. This includes a range of new online resources, presentations and graphics delivered over Zoom, and a larger number of shorter sessions.
The other major change which we mentioned above is the introduction of open book exams. As you will be taking your NEBOSH exam from home, it isn’t possible to invigilate in the same way as in a testing centre. As such, NEBOSH has switched from closed book exams (where you have to memorise and recite a greater amount of information) to open book exams, which challenge your ability to apply the information you’ve gained. This will include being presented with a real world scenario, and carrying out tasks which utilise your full range of knowledge.
Unlike the previous exams, these can be completed within a 24-hour period, though the entire exam should take around four to five hours. As an open book exam, you will be allowed to use a range of resources including notes, textbooks, online resources and other learning materials to help you. What’s important is not just to recall the information – something you may have been used to at school – but to use it in the right way, and make the right decisions based on the scenarios presented to you.
How to use Zoom for remote learning
Using Zoom for remote learning is a straightforward process. Once you’ve signed up for one of our Zoom courses, we’ll let you know when the sessions are due to take place. Closer to the date, we’ll send you an email containing a link to the Zoom call and a password.
If the date of your course is approaching and you haven’t yet received this email, it may be worth checking your spam or junk folders first. Otherwise, feel free to get in touch with us, and we’ll make sure you receive it.
Setting up
When it’s time for the course to begin, you should click on the link and input the password from the email to access the call. As Zoom will direct you to use its app, it may be worth visiting their website and installing this ahead of time to avoid any delays.
However, you can also join the call using your browser (e.g. Internet Explorer or Chrome), without having to download any software. You should see an option in the window that pops up when you click on the link – simply click where it says “If you cannot run or download the application, join from your browser.”
Joining the call
We recommend that you join the call at least 15 minutes prior to the course starting, in order to ensure that your equipment is working and that you are ready to learn. When opening the call, the first thing you should see is a dialog asking you whether you want to join using video. We recommend clicking ‘Join with video’, as it helps you to engage with the class (and vice versa!).
You should now be looking at the main Zoom interface, including a large space for the host video (that’s us!) and smaller spaces for video feeds from the other participants. If you see a button in the bottom left of the screen that says ‘Join audio’, click on it to enable your microphone. If not, it should already be enabled. Get ready to learn from our brilliant tutors and enjoy your first class!
Troubleshooting
If your audio or video isn’t working, it’s possible that your computer hasn’t selected the right devices automatically (this often occurs if using a plug-in device on a computer that has built-in devices, such as a built-in webcam). If you have enabled your audio or video in the bottom left and they are not working, you will need to manually select the correct device.
To do this, click on the small arrow next to either the audio or video icon in the bottom left of the screen. This will present you with a list of either audio or video devices, as well as an option in the audio tab to test your speakers or microphone. If you know which device you need, you can click on it here. Otherwise, click ‘Test Speakers & Microphone’ to configure your devices.
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With all of that done, you should be ready to begin! The meeting will start automatically when we’re ready, and you can begin your journey to a new qualification with SAMS Ltd. For more help on how to get started with Zoom, check out Zoom’s video tutorials. Alternatively, get in touch with us – we’re always happy to help.