HRDN Virtual Learning Cafe

In the amidst of challenging times of COVID 19 with limited mobility and options to interact, explore & learn, the HRD Network has rolled out a multidimensional knowledge outreach campaign’ for its valued members through Digital Learning Solutions to keep the members abreast of latest situations and Another key objective of initiating such brainstorming interactions was to keep ourselves ready to embrace challenges in the post-COVID 19 times. HRDN believes life will never be the same as it used to be before this pandemic! In this quest, HRDN announced the launch of its “HRDN Virtual Learning Café” for its members as well as other interested professionals, organizations and wider communities. It offered a user-friendly and cost-effective learning opportunity with flexibility & convenience as built-in features. The Virtual Learning Sessions or Webinars were held twice a month with informal discussions with the subject specialists. This Virtual Learning initiative is being offered in partnership with Beyond Paradigm (Pvt.) Limited, one of the learned and active member of HRD Network.

Video calling technology and internet speeds have made gigantic leaps over the past couple decades, and you can now pretty much just talk with someone halfway around the world. After the outbreak of COVID-19 across the globe and lockdown, there was an increased need and demand of virtual presence and existence. In 1950’s if you tell someone that this “videophone” technology would exist one day, I bet they wouldn’t believe that. Today, in an increasingly distributed world where we often live far away, virtual learning seems like the ideal technology, for learning beyond the boundaries. During the lockdown period of COVID-19, a situation of socioeconomic crisis and profound psychological distress rapidly occurred worldwide. Various psychological problems and important consequences in terms of mental health including stress, anxiety, depression, frustration, uncertainty during COVID-19 outbreak emerged progressively. A fun solution to this profound psychological distress is a virtual learning cafe, a physical place designed for informal learning conversations. The virtual cafe would be a combination of physical and virtual space where you can join through the use of state of the art videoconferencing software and hardware. You can have an informal conversation with subject specialist by physically sitting at the place or through the use of virtual technology.

If you’re imagining a geeky “internet cafe,” this isn’t that. The virtual cafe would look just like your local hipster cafe, and the technology would seamlessly fade into the background: a large high-resolution display, a hidden webcam, and a speedy internet connection. The experience wouldn’t feel exactly like a real conversation, but it wouldn’t need to — just close enough that the established social norms of in-person conversation would kick in. The act of changing out and going to a public place to chat would make it feel totally different from Skyping at your house. A Japanese restaurant named as Tree by Naked, located near Yoyogi Park in Tokyo, and it did a great job demonstrating this concept by establishing the virtual restaurant. The virtual cafe would be the perfect place for any remote learning session where you want to really feel like you’re face-to-face. HRDN has successfully implemented the idea of HRDN virtual learning café where discussions on different topics are being done with the experts not as a class but in informal sessions, HRDN has successfully conducted six virtual learning sessions and intends to further probe into virtual learning and bring new transformations.