- onsite, classroom training
- instructor-led web-based training (aka "webinar" or "synchronous e-learning")
- self-paced web-based training (aka "tutorial" or "asynchronous e-learning")
First, here is my take on the pros and cons of the three methods:
Classroom
Pros
- simplest and cheapest to develop
- allows immediate student feedback and questions
- instructor can easily gauge learning
- content easily updated
- requires scheduled time away from the job
- requires dedicated instructor time
- success depends on the instructor's skill
- cost of maintaining an in-house classroom or hiring one offsite
- travel costs for instructor and/or students
Pros
- relatively simple and cheap to develop
- some (limited) facility for immediate student feedback/questions
- can be recorded and archived for reuse
- scales better than Classroom training for large audiences
- content easily updated
- requires adequate technical infrastructure (computers, broadband, headphones)
- technology can be unreliable
- requires scheduled student and instructor time
- success depends on the skill of the instructor (more difficult to deliver well than classroom)difficult to judge student engagement and learning
- if students work from their desks they may multitask and lose attention
- often less interactive and engaging than classroom or well-designed self-paced training
Pros
- available anywhere/anytime
- learners can learn and review at their own pace
- always available to review
- scales well to unlimited audience size
- most difficult and expensive to develop
- cannot immediately answer student questions or measure effectiveness
- content difficult and costly to update
All of that said, there are certainly opportunities to combine two or three of the approaches for business training. A few examples:
- Create a self-paced web tutorial as precursor training for a classroom course. This allows the learners to preview the content and help ensure everyone is up-to-speed when the class begins.
- Combine a self-paced web training course with a monitored forum or wiki. Encourage learners to post discussion, questions or feedback and an instructor to monitor and provide answers.
- Begin a series of instructor-led web training sessions with a single classroom session. This can built engagement by allowing everyone to meet face to face and help the instructor gauge the knowledge level of participants.
What pros and cons do you see in the three delivery methods? What examples of blended approaches have you found to be effective?