Technology Requirements • Web-based conferencing software • Two-way audio and video • Whiteboard space and breakout rooms
Remote Classroom Logistics
• Adapt the course schedule and activity times • Dedicate at least two SPC instructors per 25 remote learners • Practice using all the technology tools chosen for remote delivery
Best Practices • Create learner working groups and roles • Assign pre-work and homework to learners • Connect SAFe to your enterprise context
PROVIDED BY The SAFe Remote Delivery Instructor Guide is designed for SAFe courses conducted in a remote environment. The guidance here is intended to provide you with the tools and tips you need to succeed in the role of a remote instructor. In this guide you will find recommendations for technology considerations, the logistics of managing a remote classroom, and best practices collected from remote instructors in the field. Review this guidance and the recommendations, as well as all of the course materials and assets as you prepare to teach the SAFe course remotely.
Technology Requirements The first step to remote instruction is choosing a tool to deliver the course. Check with your IT, HR, or Learning and Development departments to see if your enterprise has a license to web conferencing software.
Use this checklist for choosing web-based conferencing software for your remote classroom. Video conferencing Breakout rooms Two-way audio and video Whiteboard space Presentation tools Electronic hand raising Presentation streaming for .ppt Real-time chat and .mp4 files Private chat Screen sharing Mobile access Once you have chosen the tool, do the following actions to ensure optimal functionality. Practice using the tool on your own to learn Collect all of the tool support documentation all of the functionality. to provide to learners. Practice using the tool with your colleagues to test the course activities.
Resources Web Conferencing Software (comparison guide from Capterra) Tools for remote teams by Lissette Sutherland Sharing Computer Sound during Screen Sharing (Zoom)
Remote Classroom Logistics As a remote instructor, consider how you will adapt the schedule and course activities. Think about how you will deliver engaging instruction in the remote classroom considering the web conferencing tool you have chosen. Here are some recommendations for how to deliver a remote enabled course, so learners are prepared for the exam and excited for their role in the enterprise SAFe transformation.
Course Schedule Adapt the schedule to 4 – 4.5 hour segments over four days: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday • Give learners a 10-minute break after hour 1 and hour 3. • Teams work together on Wednesday to review the content by working on their backlog and reviewing articles and videos.
Instructor Roles Schedule at least two SPCs to instruct the course and an enterprise employee to act as technology support. • SPC 1 is the main instructor who presents course content, maintains timeboxes, facilitates large group discussions and class activities, and moderates breakout rooms. • SPC 2 moderates the course chat, breakout rooms, and maintains the parking lot items. • Technology support employee co-leads the web conferencing software overview webinar and provides technology support during the course.
Course Materials A courseware kit is available to the instructor and includes release notes, an instructor guide, a course welcome letter, a sample roster and a roster, a set up and supplies list, course PowerPoint presentations, workbooks for print or digital use, and handouts. • Learner workbook distribution and interaction options: - Option 1: Print and send workbooks to learners a week prior to the course. - Option 2: Learner prints the workbook locally - Option 3: Learner uses the .pdf workbook file digitally The SAFe Community Platform has a Learning Plan available to the learner, complete with black and white slides.
Course Administration Schedule a webinar prior to the course to review the course expectations and web conferencing tool. Send the welcome letter to the learners detailing how to access the pre-course webinar, the course, and their SAFe Learning Plan. This will also ensure that you as the instructor have the correct email addresses for the students prior to uploading the roster. Upload the roster at least a week prior to the course and mark learners as “unattended.” After the course is over, mark learners as “complete.”
Activity Adjustments Add 1 – 2 minutes per activity to account for moving back and forth between the group meeting space and small group breakout spaces. Review the activities and language on the slides to determine how you will adjust the activities for the remote classroom. For videos, if the web-conferencing software you use is not able to stream audio while sharing your screen, you can send a link to the video via the web-conference chat for learners to view the videos. Draw learners back to the whole group with a question related to the video.
Best Practices The remote classroom is different than the traditional classroom. Choosing the right technology and adjusting instruction will help to prepare you and the learners for success. Read on for some additional best practice tips to create an effective and engaging remote classroom. Be present with your learners by avoiding Assign a Scrum Master role to act as a outside distractions. Close programs that team facilitator for each group. The Scrum will send notifications or show on your Master will be responsible for sharing out screen during the course presentation. group responses to the whole class. Practice using the web conferencing tool Assign pre-work and homework to support about 2 – 4 hours prior to using the tool learning and reinforce the context of SAFe with learners. for learner success. Pre-work includes highlighting the framework articles and Provide support documentation for the videos that will best prepare the learner web-conferencing tool to the learners for course participation. prior to the class. Think about how to connect SAFe Provide a pre-training session to terminology to your enterprise and the introduce the training tool/s you will learners’ work contexts during course. deploy to learners. Personalize the experience for the learners Pre-assign learner groups for the breakout by remembering their names and using activities prior to the first day of the course. their names in the discussion forum.
SPC 2 should provide feedback to the Communicate the expectation of each learners after activities. activity clearly, so learners are not confused about what to do. Ask for feedback from the learners to determine what you need to adjust at Close each activity with an opportunity for the end of each lesson. reflection and/or questions.
Sample agenda for the pre-course webinar (30 minutes)
• Welcome and introductions (3-5 minutes) • Groups (2 minutes) • Conference tool overview (5 minutes) - Roles and expectations - Polling • Brief overview of SAFe Community and - Raise hands Learning Plan (2 minutes) - Whole group chat - How to access learner workbook - How to access pre-work/articles • Icebreaker activity using the web conferencing tools (5 minutes) • Support resources (2 minutes) • Course expectations and schedule (5 minutes) • Questions (3-5 minutes)
