Spring 2020 / Online
In March, the life of trainers in MeteoSwiss changed suddenly. We were no longer allowed to enter our offices, but it was taboo to cancel planned courses and training. Within a few weeks we had to convert two classroom courses and the initial training of new forecasters into a virtual format. A lot of work and no time, would we succeed?
Without the support from different people and resources, the demands would certainly not have been manageable. Fortunately, we could fall back on a wide range of existing learning modules and courses, a motivated community, and a well-functioning infrastructure. From the beginning Eumetcal supported us all with good tips and technical support in using web conferencing tools, the Eumetcal Moodle and others.
Not only for us, but also for the users of the world of virtual learning this has been a change. The use of new platforms and tools was not easy for all participants. Countless tests, personal coaching and more than one spontaneous rescue action were necessary to get all users used to the new systems. We were all the more pleased about the active participation, the good results and feedback during the courses.
The coronavirus outbreak has meant a lot of work, but also reduced scepticism towards virtual forms of learning. Only the shared beer cannot be replaced by a well-designed online learning course. Cheers!