How Different Are Classroom Training and e-Learning Systems?

At eLeaP we often get questions pertaining to the differences between classroom training and e-Learning systems.

Future customers will ask how the two vary in terms of delivering business training and development, how results are different and how the overall process is different.

While the list is quite extensive, some of the primary ways you’re going to see differences between classroom or instructor-led training and e-Learning systems include the following:

The Personalization Factor

In many cases employers feel nervous about the prospect of introducing e-Learning as their primary training method because they think it lacks the “human” factor that comes about with classroom training.

In reality there is both a sense of humanness and personalization in e-Learning that’s completely unique and in many cases tend to be more engaging for learners.

While your employees may not be sitting in a traditional classroom environment, with e-Learning systems it’s possible to incorporate plenty of human elements like social media integration, forums, discussion boards and even automatic feedback from course instructors.

There’s also a high level of personalization that comes with e-Learning systems as a corporate training tool. During classroom training everyone is typically required to work at the same pace and in the same way, while e-Learning provides the opportunity to move about through training at one’s own pace and to take advantage of the elements an individual finds most engaging or helpful. For example, some employees may prefer to read notes from a training manual within the e-Learning module, while other students may learn best through choosing a video option.

Multimedia Inclusion

When we think about classroom training really the only type of media element that’s often used are videos—and typically they’re stale, outdated and ineffective.

With e-Learning systems there’s the opportunity to incorporate a huge range of multimedia elements that make the content feel more exciting and it really tends to draw employees into the training process.

Some of the things that can be included in your e-Learning include animation, videos, pictures and symbols and scenarios. There are also subtle ways that you can make e-Learning more appealing than classroom training including in the way you break-up text and information, how learners navigate through modules and even things like fonts and color choices.

Efficiency

Most people agree e-Learning is more efficient than classroom training in a variety of ways including both time and money.

As for time, the amount of information employees can typically consume with e-Learning is quite a bit more in the same amount of time versus what they’ll take from instructor-led training in the same period of time. That’s because e-Learning systems offer the opportunity to create to-the-the-point content that focuses on just the must-know information. Additionally, e-Learning can be available on a variety of devices so it’s possible for employees to take it on the go with them and learn at the time that best suits their needs and their schedule.

e-Learning systems are also more cost efficient because you’re not paying for course instructors, loss of work time or expensive equipment.

Tracking and Reporting

One of the frequent pitfalls of classroom and instructor-led training is frequently a lack of ability to cohesively and quickly track and report the progress of employees. Without being able to track how employees are doing with their training it’s difficult to make a business case for your training program. There’s no way to determine your return on investment and you can also run into issues of performance and compliance.

e-Learning systems make it easy to track employee performance in a variety of ways, quickly and easily, and if you choose an eLeaP LMS you’ll receive automated and customized reports that can be exported to other programs. That means you’ll always be able to refer to this information and determine how training is going and where changes may be needed on an individual or business-wide basis.

eLeaP is the premier provider of e-Learning systems and we’ve helped businesses all over the globe completely transform how they train and develop employees. Take the time to learn more about our e-Learning systems by checking out our informative webinar or you can sign-up for a no-commitment 30-day trial which will let you explore all we can offer you.