When to Use e-Learning vs Classroom Training

Both classroom and online instruction can be utilized to meet organizational and student learning requirements. If the requirements are for standardization, especially with compliance, anywhere anytime learning, and participation for a large number of employees, online learning can be the best option to meet the organizational objectives.

If immediate feedback is crucial or the educator needs to be onsite to judge performance, tradiational classroom instruction offers the best advantage. The different methods to achieve, or deliver, the learning objectives in both the tradiational classroom and elearning environments are provided below:

To Acquire Knowledge:

• Classroom: presentations
• eLearning: self-study guides, self-paced elearning courses, white papers and documentation and recorded live elearning sessions

For Practice (hands-on, role-playing, etc):

• Classroom: workshops with application practice, on-the-job training, coaching and mentoring
• eLearning: simulations, games, online case studies, interactive elearning modules, reinforcements and checkpoints within the modules

To Assess Knowledge and Skill Acquisition:

• Classroom: behavior observation, feedback on activities and exercises, paper-based tests
• eLearning: online assessments, immediate feedback via online chats, etc

Collaboration:

• Classroom: classroom events incorporating networking, action planning and discussion
• eLearning: email, bulletin boards, and online communities of practice

For Support and Reinforcement:

• Classroom: coaching and mentoring
• eLearning: online help and expert systems, job aids and decision support tools, online knowledge management systems

By evaluating the organization and student's needs for learning, and then by choosing the appropriate methods for delivery, the educator can tailor the learning experience to best meet the student's needs.

Copyright M. A. Webb, 2005. All Rights Reserved

PUBLISHING AND REPRINT RIGHTS: You have permission to publish this article electronically, in print, in your ebook or on your website, free of charge, as long as the author's information and web link are included at the bottom of the article and the article is not changed, modified or altered in any way. The web link should be active when the article is reprinted on a web site or in an email. The author would appreciate an email indicating you wish to post this article to a website, and the link to where it is posted.