Grounded by Covid-19, our trainers have been learning new skills to be able to impart their expertise to their journalist trainees with promising results.
Thomson Foundation trainer Nick London would normally travel to Al Jazeera's training centre in Doha, Qatar to train journalists in face to face workshops.
But since March 2020 his courses have been conducted via video conferences. Here he explains how he has been able to adapt his training to the virtual world in this case a recent workshop about investigative journalism and filmmaking techniques.
How did you go about adapting previous in-person workshops to e-learning/virtual classes? The main challenge was condensing an intensive two-week course combining classroom learning and practical exercises in the field into three days. Previously there had been an emphasis on participation and engagement, which I tried hard to maintain during the e-learning/virtual classes.
How did it work in practise? In terms of the main practical exercise, participants were split into small teams and invited to come up with a film idea, which they then developed over the 3 days. Previously this would have involved some actual filming but now given the constraints, all course members were working from home, it involved a discussion and understanding of the various issues and challenges they would face together with the research methods they would use.
Who were the participants? The three day course, four hours each day, were made up of seven to ten participants drawn from journalists and production staff across Aljazeera - news, documentaries and online. There were various levels of experience from those who already had several film credits to others starting out as assistant producers.
What worked and what didn't? Adapting the course into virtual class using Zoom but still using many of the previous elements including practical exercises was successful. Overall there seemed to be a high degree of engagement and participation.
But as a recent convert to Zoom (my first experience was in running the family quiz during lockdown!) using the many various elements available - Powerpoint, video clips from various sources, practical exercises and breakout rooms - was pretty daunting. At times I felt myself on a very steep learning curve!
How did you overcome Zoom fatigue ? I had been advised to break-up' the workshop into 10 minute chunks - using a mix of the various available media without making it feel too scattergun. Even within the e-learning environment, I tried to maintain regular discussions and interaction with the participants.
Were there moments you sensed you were losing your audience and acted successfully to re-engage it? I think it's inevitable that there are occasions when the participants start to flag.' For a start the course was taking part in the afternoon in Qatar, after several of the course members had already been working. In those circumstances as the course trainer, I would break off from speaking and would divert attention either onto a group discussion or a video clip from a documentary.
What did the e-workshops achieve? Hopefully to give the participants a grounding in the key skills and methods required for investigative journalism and film making. So far the feedback has been extremely positive.
How did it compare with previous face to face courses? This was a pretty intensive three day course combining many of the features of the previous workshops. There's no doubt that squeezing in 10 days of learning into three four hour sessions is a challenge, but the advantage is that there is always something happening.
Is it possible to introduce a practical element to these e-workshops? The short answer is yes.' While sending out participants into the field to make their own films or reports may not be viable, there are a variety of ways to introduce practical elements. The best example is research, which can be done using the internet from the workplace or home office. This doesn't just apply to journalistic research but in, say, preparing for interviews - working out just who to talk to, framing the questions and having some sense of what the responses are likely to be.
How effective is this practical work within the confines of an e-workshop? Personally, I think it is essential. e-workshops can be pretty intensive both for those taking part and for the trainer. Asking anyone to concentrate on the screen - whether it's on Zoom or Teams or some other method for more than 10/15 minutes is risking losing the audience. Minds tend to wander, concentration lapses and teaching and learning becomes much less effective. Having a practical element is one of several devices that gives everyone a chance not just to put into practice what they are learning but also breaks up the presentation.
As you get more involved in this virtual world of training what tips would you give fellow trainers? Work out in advance what elements of your e-workshop can be done practically - maybe as a way of adding to the mix' of how you teach but also to reinforce what you are teaching. Don't think that the practical element need necessarily simply be a matter for individuals - sometimes putting participants into small groups and asking them to come up with a solution for a particular issue or theme can also be rewarding.
What about future? While initially I had some apprehension about my ability to handle the technology and just how to keep the learning stimulating, I can see many advantages in this type of learning. For a start e-workshops such as these reduce the need for either the traditional classroom or trainer to be in the same physical location. That means learning becomes completely transportable. All that's required is an internet connection!
Related content
A class of
Most recent headlines
18/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
18/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
18/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
18/12/2025
Long-term agreement includes the SES SCORE platform and hybrid distribution worldwide to deliver more than 5,000 hours of golf tournaments annually featuring th...
18/12/2025
At 7.45pm on 1st January 1926, the precursor to RT , then 2RN, delivered the fledgling new Irish state's first public radio transmission. From those first c...
18/12/2025
Step out of the vault and into the future of gaming with Fallout: New Vegas streaming on GeForce NOW, just in time to celebrate the newest season of the hit Ama...
18/12/2025
December 18 2025, 05:30 (PST) The Movie Experience SLO Becomes First U.S. Exhib...
17/12/2025
Investigative journalists across the Western Balkans and T rkiye continue to con...
17/12/2025
Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame Inducts 10 Industry Icons During Unforgettable ...
17/12/2025
ESPN to Debut MNF Playbook with Next Gen Stats, a New AI-Driven NFL Data-AltCastThe series, powered by Adrenaline TruPlay AI, launches Dec. 22 and runs through ...
17/12/2025
Inaugural Optum Golf Channel Games Debut Under the Lights' in Primetime on ...
17/12/2025
The right playlist is essential on New Year's Eve, building the energy as you get ready and keeping it high as you count down to midnight. This year, Spotif...
17/12/2025
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...
17/12/2025
Audiences Watched Over 103 Billion Minutes of TV on Thanksgiving Day
NFL Games ...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
17/12/2025
KPop Demon Hunters Stars Visit Berklee for Weeklong Celebration Andrew Choi and EJAE, who voiced the film's main characters and contributed to its soundtr...
17/12/2025
December 17 2025, 17:00 (PST) Dolby and LG Unveil a New Era of Home Audio With ...
17/12/2025
Wednesday 17 December 2025
Heated Rivalry will be coming to Sky and streaming service NOW on 10 JanuaryTurn on cookies to view this content. Go to Privacy opti...
17/12/2025
Back to All News
Inside The Unseen World Of Indian Customs: Netflix Reveals The...
17/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix announces PAPARAZZI KING: the docu series coming to Ne...
17/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils First Look at Jo Nesbo's Detective Hole Pr...
17/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Welcomes Warner Bros. Discovery Board Recommendation
Business
17 December 2025
Global
Link copied to clipboard
After Careful Revi...
17/12/2025
RT has announced that Kathy Fox has been appointed Commissioning Editor with re...
17/12/2025
The Hao AI Lab research team at the University of California San Diego - at the forefront of pioneering AI model innovation - recently received an NVIDIA DGX B...
17/12/2025
Editor's note: This post is part of Into the Omniverse, a series focused on ...
17/12/2025
With the new season of Dancing with the Stars shimmering in the not-too-distant future this New Year, the celebrity and dancer pairings of the twelve couples ha...
16/12/2025
Hawkins has landed on Spotify, just in time for Stranger Things Season 5, Volume...
16/12/2025
Wherever you are, your favorite music and audio content should go seamlessly with you. That's why Spotify has partnered with NAVER Corp, Korea's leading...
16/12/2025
2025 Wrapped arrived bigger and bolder than ever. This year's experience is designed to be ultra personal and shareable, with new features like Wrapped Part...
16/12/2025
Three 12-kilowatt Advanced Electric Propulsion System thrusters, supplied by L3Harris Technologies, form the core of Gateway's propulsion system. Pictured i...
16/12/2025
The challenge facing America's defense industrial base is not just about speed - its about rebuilding the foundation that makes speed possible. Our nations ...
16/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
16/12/2025
SEVILLE, Spain Canal Sur, the public broadcasting service for Andalusia, Spain, has completed a total technology refresh based on Pebble's resilient, softwa...
16/12/2025
NEW YORK Teleprompting hardware provider Telescript International has acquired all software code and intellectual property previously owned by Telescript West. ...
16/12/2025
As cable operators face increased competition from 5G fixed wireless access providers, a new report from Ookla Research finds that T-Mobile is the FWA speed lea...
16/12/2025
Apple has announced a major upgrade to the Apple TV app for device owners outside the Apple ecosystem with news that the Apple TV app for Android now supports G...
16/12/2025
Space42 grows Direct-to-Device partner ecosystem through a Memorandum of Underst...
16/12/2025
16 Dec 2025
VEON Announces Release Date for Full Year and Fourth Quarter 2025 R...
16/12/2025
16 Dec 2025
VEON's Kyivstar Invests in Renewable Energy in Ukraine with Acq...
Grounded by Covid-19, our trainers have been learning new skills to be able to impart their expertise to their journalist trainees with promising results. 
