This data is part of new research conducted by Fosway Group, one of Europe's HR main industry analysts, in partnership with Barco, a global provider of networked visualisation solutions. It follows Fosway research in 2020 that showed that 95% of learning leaders believe L&D has changed forever because of the pandemic.

Key headlines from this new research include

• a 5x increase in using virtual classrooms for high value programmes like leadership development since the start of COVID-19
• an explosion in the use of virtual classrooms for coaching and mentoring, with a 19x increase
• a 400% increase in the use of virtual classrooms for external training delivery
• 95% of learners are satisfied with their virtual learning experiences
• group exercises, live collaboration, and levels of interactivity are key influencers of success with virtual classrooms

With the shift to remote working, the explosion in virtual classroom solutions was inevitable. However, the research digs beyond initial crisis adoption to helping understand whether solutions are truly effective for learning, as well as possessing what is required for use in the process of development of high value people. For example, it shows that 70% of organisations are using Microsoft Teams as a virtual classroom, but only 10% rate it as effective for learning. L&D leaders also state that creating a differentiated experience from normal virtual meetings is critical. Designing experiences that include high levels of interaction are necessary to make virtual learning work.

David Wilson, CEO of Fosway said, "Virtual classrooms have been a staple in corporate learning for a long time, but as with so many aspects of digital transformation, it's taken the COVID-19 crisis to create a tipping point in their adoption. Early in the pandemic, there was a sense that any learning done was better than nothing, which meant it had to be virtual or digital. But as time goes on, organisations must go beyond lowest common denominator solutions and also have to deliver against strategic people initiatives such as leadership and team development."

He continues, "Given the ongoing need for extended home working and limited business travel, all companies need to maximise the untapped potential that virtual classrooms can provide. It's not enough to just lift and shift face-to-face sessions into a virtual environment. It's critical to design the experiences and harness the full collaborative and interactive capabilities that some of the solutions on the market have to offer."

Ellen Van de Woestijne, Marketing Director of Barco said, "Supporting organisations through the COVID-19 crisis has been our number one concern and understanding how learning priorities and business challenges are evolving now is key to that. It is clear that many L&D teams won't simply be reverting back to the old face-to-face model even after the pandemic is over, so we are delighted to collaborate with Fosway on this research and hopefully highlight key areas of importance and opportunity into 2021."

This research was carried out between August and October 2020, with initial results based on input from 136 enterprise organisations.