Converting instructor-led training (ILT) to virtual instructor-led training (VILT) isn’t just a matter of moving your slides to Zoom. It takes intentional instructional design, careful planning, and the right tools to make sure learners stay engaged and the experience stays effective. If your team is looking to shift from in-person delivery to virtual classroom, you’re not alone. More organizations are rethinking delivery models for cost savings, flexibility, and scalability—but they still want the rich interaction and accountability that ILT provides.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you convert your ILT to VILT the right way—so it works for learners and meets your business goals. The seven steps for converting ILT to VILT are:
- Reassess the Learning Objectives
- Rethink the Format and Flow
- Plan for Engagement Every 5 minutes
- Update Visuals and Materials for Screen Viewing
- Prepare the Facilitator for Virtual Delivery
- Build in Learner Accountability
- Evaluate and Approve
Step 1: Reassess the Learning Objectives
Before you even think about the format, revisit the learning objectives. What’s the core purpose of the training? What do learners need to do, not just know, by the end of the session?
In ILT sessions, instructors can often adjust in real-time, filling gaps or emphasizing certain points. But in VILT, you have to be more intentional about every activity and interaction. This is your chance to trim the fat—remove outdated content or activities that no longer serve the objectives.
Now’s also the time to determine how learners will meet each objective. Some objectives are best tackled during the live session, while others may be better suited to pre-reading, self-paced learning, or on-the-job practice with their manager afterward.
For example:
- Knowledge-level objectives (e.g., awareness of a policy or process) can often be handled through pre-reading or a short video.
- Skill-building objectives (like coaching conversations, software use, or giving feedback) are better reinforced through guided practice, simulations, or follow-up discussions with a manager.
- Attitude or behavior change (such as DEI awareness or leadership mindset shifts) often benefit from reflection activities and real-world application outside the classroom.
Tip: Use Bloom’s Taxonomy to evaluate your verbs—are your objectives about remembering, applying, analyzing, or creating? That will help guide your redesign.
Step 2: Rethink the Format and Flow
ILT sessions often run several hours, sometimes even all day across multiple days. But that doesn’t translate well to virtual. Learners simply can’t stay engaged on a screen for that long—attention spans are shorter, screen fatigue is real, and long Zoom sessions can quickly lead to burnout.
Instead of trying to replicate the ILT agenda hour-for-hour, break the content into shorter, focused modules—ideally 45 to 60 minutes each. If you have a large amount of content to cover, spread sessions out over several days or weeks. This spaced learning approach gives participants time to absorb information, reflect, and apply what they’ve learned between sessions.
How to Find Natural Breaks in Content:
Look to your learning objectives to guide your session structure. Each objective or small group of related objectives can serve as a logical breakpoint. If you’re switching from one skill set to another, or from understanding a concept to practicing it, that’s a great place to pause and resume in a follow-up session.
You can also break sessions at:
- Transitions between topics or departments (e.g., from company policies to systems training).
- Moments of mindset shift (e.g., from passive awareness to active application).
- Shifts in delivery method (e.g., from lecture to role play or breakout rooms).
- Points where learners would benefit from reflection, discussion, or on-the-job practice.
By designing around these natural breaks, you not only keep learners more engaged, but you also allow time for deeper learning and skill reinforcement.
Extend the Learning Journey Beyond the Screen:
VILT doesn’t have to do all the heavy lifting. Think of it as one piece of a larger learning journey. Consider layering in:
- Prework: Short readings, a video overview, or a simple worksheet to activate prior knowledge.
- Practice activities: Application assignments or scenarios to complete between sessions.
- Manager involvement: Have learners debrief with their manager, shadow a peer, or get feedback after trying a new skill.
- Discussion boards or follow-ups: Create a space to share takeaways, questions, or resources after the session ends.
Tip: Build in a few minutes at the end of each session for reflection or planning. Ask learners: “What’s one thing you’ll do differently after today’s session?” Then revisit those reflections in the next module to reinforce accountability and learning transfer.
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Step 3: Plan for Engagement Every 5 Minutes
In ILT, you can make eye contact, read body language, and adjust your delivery on the fly. VILT requires more structure and more frequent interaction to keep learners focused. It’s much harder for facilitators to see whether participants are engaged, especially if cameras are off or learners are multitasking. Without the usual visual cues, facilitators have to rely more heavily on planned engagement points to check in and keep the energy up. Many facilitators find that they are more effective and can handle larger classrooms with the help of a virtual classroom producer to manage the planned engagement.
Here are a few go-to techniques:
- Polls: Use built-in platform tools like Zoom or Webex polls to get a pulse on learner opinions or prior knowledge.
- Chat prompts: Ask open-ended questions and have learners respond in chat.
- Breakout rooms: Plan small group discussions or role-plays to make the session more interactive.
- Collaborative tools: Use platforms like Miro, Clickup, or shared Concept Board for real-time collaboration.
- You can use light-touch gamification to boost engagement without disrupting the flow of the session. Some ways to add gamification include Kahoot!, Mentimeter, or Quizizz.
Tip: Obtain a professional virtual classroom producer to manage tech, monitor chat, keep learners on task, run the games or polls, and manage the breakout rooms. That way, the facilitator can focus on the content and the learners.
Step 4: Update Visuals and Materials for Screen Viewing
In many ways, content is easier to read in a virtual classroom—learners are viewing it up close on their own screens rather than straining to see a projector from the back of a room. That said, your slide deck still needs a refresh. What worked for ILT doesn’t always work for VILT.
The golden rule? Keep it simple. Avoid packing slides with paragraphs of text or dense data. Aim for no more than three bullets per screen, and keep each bullet short and scannable. Your goal is to discuss concepts, not read slides aloud. Let the facilitator do the storytelling, and let the visuals support the conversation.
Here are a few ways to enhance screen-based learning:
- Use large fonts and high contrast colors for readability.
- Incorporate icons, diagrams, or short videos to break up content and illustrate ideas.
- Provide clear instructions for any materials learners need to complete before, during, or after the session.
- Create downloadable PDFs (guides, checklists, or tip sheets) for learners to reference outside of the session.
Detailed instructions, reference materials, or job aids don’t belong on the slides—those can live in your downloadable resources. This keeps the live session focused and clean, while still giving learners access to everything they need to succeed.
Tip: Don’t assume learners will print anything. Design all materials to be digital-friendly and easy to navigate on screen or mobile.
Step 5: Train the Facilitator for Virtual Delivery
Even seasoned facilitators and trainers need coaching to adapt to virtual delivery. Facilitating sessions using Zoom, Teams, or any other virtual platform is a different skillset than standing in front of a room. It requires new techniques, new timing, and new tools. Facilitators need to know how to:
- Keep learners engaged when they can’t see faces.
- Manage breakout rooms smoothly.
- Use engagement tools (polls, whiteboards, reactions, etc.).
- Handle tech glitches on the fly – unless you are providing a virtual classroom producer.
- Create a warm, welcoming environment even when cameras are off.
Facilitating virtually is not an automatic skill, it’s an additional, valuable capability that takes intentional practice to develop. We should never assume that a great in-person facilitator will instantly be great in a virtual classroom without some upskilling and support. Investing in this transition can make the difference between a flat session and a dynamic, engaging experience.
Tip: Do a dry run of the session with your facilitator and producer to test timing, transitions, and tech.
Step 6: Build in Learner Accountability
One of the big concerns with VILT is whether learners are actually learning or just zoning out behind a muted mic with the camera off. Without the structure of a physical classroom, it’s easier for participants to disengage unless there are built-in ways to keep them active and involved.
To build learner accountability:
- Include check-ins or mini-assessments throughout the session.
- Assign post-session action items that learners report back on.
- Have learners share takeaways in chat or on a shared board.
- Encourage the use of cameras if company policy allows.
You can also ask learners to contribute examples from their own work or reflect on how they’ll apply what they’ve learned. Small moments of contribution help create ownership and ensure learners are not just coasting, they’re participating.
Tip: Use breakout rooms strategically. People are more likely to engage in small groups than in a big Zoom room.
Step 7: Evaluate and Improve
Just like ILT, your VILT programs should be continuously improved. In addition to the standard 4 levels of evaluation, it helps to measure engagement when evaluating a virtual classroom program. You can evaluate engagement through these methods:
- Measure active participation: Observe learner participation in virtual sessions, such as through chat, Q&A, and interactive activities.
- Measure Click-Throughs: When you provide the materials through links or PDFs in the chat, you can measure click-throughs that occur during the session.
- Use the webinar log data to find drop-off points—where do learners disengage or logout?
- Collect feedback throughout the virtual class through polls. Participation levels in the polls can provide clues on the level of engagement.
Final Thoughts
Converting ILT to VILT isn’t just a matter of moving the slides to Zoom, it’s a design challenge and a mindset shift. The best virtual instructor-led training is purpose-built, not just ported over. When done well, VILT can be just as interactive, meaningful, and effective as in-person delivery—sometimes more so.
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