Online Training vs. In-Person: Which One Should You Use?
If you want your company to have the edge in today’s competitive market, comprehensive employee training is the key. Especially with the advent of online training and e-learning, more and more companies have the opportunity to train their employees more effectively and efficiently.
However, managers implementing traditional training methods feel a bit apprehensive about this new training medium. Is online training effective? How can its results be measured? How can you effectively train people without real, human presence?
As surprising at it sounds, in-person engagement is not always the best way to train employees. In fact, there have been a lot of complaints about face to face training programs having problems getting ROI due to the high cost and time commitment that it requires. In-person trainings have several limitations, low attendance and content retention being the most common blunders of traditional classroom sessions.
A survey done in decision makers and training managers with 100 to 1,000 employees found that when traditional corporate training programs underachieve, logistical obstacles like employee availability, time constraints, and staffing are the common problems. Plus, business travel and remote working also contributes to low participation in training. Face to face training works best when all participants are in the same room, which is the problem of most small and medium-sized companies. For the respondents, remote access from any location and simpler tools are needed to ensure an effective training.
Hence, using a different approach is logical when putting a training program together.
Implementing online training on top of traditional classroom training does not only provide a dynamic and collaborative learning experience, but also saves you time and resources – online training gets rid of logistical planning, travel and venue expenses. By adopting this dispersed business operations and flexible working styles, employees become more spread out and can do their jobs more thoroughly.
While online training raises a lot of concerns in terms of effectiveness, participation, interaction, and attention of trainees, technological advancements have made it a convenient choice for companies of all sizes. The online training services that we have available already have the features necessary to increase employee engagement and ensure ease in monitoring and managing trainees.
As online training gains more attention, it becomes easy to see its advantages. Accepting this new training method and integrating it with traditional classroom training provides the company a variety of resources to reach a broader range of audiences, faster and within budget.
Read more articles on online training and e-learning at the LMS training blog, http://www.coggno.com/learning-management-system/.