I am Nicola White, the Learning Experience Designer on the MKS Programmewhich is led by Unit 04 of DEVCO.I oversee the learning component ensuring that innovative, effective and coherent learning experiencesapproaches and tools are applied for all our training activities.Firstly, we needed to address that many of our registered attendeesare in separate time zones.We, therefore, decided to hold two groups of the same training, giving the participantsan option to join one of the scheduled groups which was most suited to their owntime zone.Secondly, compared with face-to-face training, we lowered the participant numbers to 15for each group.Limiting these numbers ensure proper interaction between the trainer and participantsand crucially between the learners themselves.Before the training, we made sure everyone understood the format and the goals and thatall participants were expected to have an active role in the course, which maintainedthe participatory character of the face-to-face training.We also underlined that they needed to be distraction-free to really focus on the experiencefully.By the end of the training, the participants had formed quite a bond and enjoyed the dynamicsof discussing and sharing ideas within their group.To encourage the participants to keep their group discussions alive, DEVCO Unit 04 withthe support of MKS, created a learning group on Capacity4dev.Participants to virtual trainings are invited to join.They are encouraged to post their questions, share their experiences and any actions thatthey may have taken post-training event.The most critical element of really good virtual training is interaction and to interact frequently.The video conferencing tool used contains several interaction functions such as a whiteboardwhich both the trainer and the participants could share collaborativelyalso there is a polling function which was used to gauge in real-time responses to questions.Breakout rooms were used for small group activities.The trainer was able to switch between these smaller groups to listen in or coordinatethe discussion.The chatbox functionality allowed participants to type in their thoughts, ideas or questionswithout disrupting the flow of the presentation.Also, several other online tools were used in conjunction with the host platform,such as Mentimeter, Mural and Padlet.These tools added a further element of engagement and interaction.Just as important with classroom training the presentations were very visual and dynamicto keep the participants engaged.And finally, the trainers used energising techniques at key points in the day to keep up the motivation and momentum,such as asking the participants what book they were currently reading or whichNetflix series they were watching.On the final day, having asked “which music gives you energy?”, the trainer then playedthat back to them during the break!All in all, it was clear that the virtual classroom was a powerful learning experiencethat connected learners across distances and delivered on participants' satisfaction.