I have been lucky enough to be a student as well as an instructor and designer in both modalities. Corporations want to save money on training; in the past they have just cut training programs altogether so it is exciting to see more corporations valuing training programs enough to invest in something. That said it is important for companies to realize that for WBT or CBT courses to work as well as ILT programs, a serious investment in time and money must be expected.
• Consider your audience. If your learners are 35 and younger, interacting with others on the computer is “real” and team learning and trainer interaction is possible (if the course is well written.) That isn’t to say that learners over 35 can’t interact online, just that it is more intuitive for those who grew up with computers. If your audience is 25 or younger it is likely that computer interaction is preferred.
• Consider your subject. I argue that system training is MUCH better WBT because learners can learn at their own pace, in the place where they work, and with tools that mimic the function of the system being taught. Soft skills can be taught as well but it takes more work. For a soft skill to be effectively taught online it must be a facilitated program that spans a longer period of time than an ILT would. I think that soft skills can be more effectively taught online because a well written program can focus the skill on a relevant job function, perhaps including hardware in simulations (e.g. a sales class for someone who enters an order while they sell – customer service reps.) I created a sales course that seemed to be very effective based on sales figures and long term retention. The course was all online but blended synchronous and asynchronous communication models. We started with a series of webinars 2 a day at the beginning and ending of the work day. A videoed portion of lecture was also assigned and discussed on a dedicated BBS. There were several assignments that were posted on which all of the students could access and comment. In the end it was successful because after the initial instruction I was able to access learners again at 45 and 90 days to support learning and check on followup. Admittedly this program was much more work for me than an ILT class would have been. Removing the initial costs of the technology the program was comparable in expense (ILT biggest expense was travel because these learners were peppered across the country). The learners were able to attend class as well as work at their regular functions for a half day during the first two weeks of the course (the ILT version had them away for a week with two days traveling)
• Consider your technology. Your program, whatever it is, has to be accessible to your learners.
• In the end WBT, if done well, can be as effective as ILT but it doesn’t save money and may even cost more depending on the technology used.
• For software I prefer WBT. For soft skills I prefer a blended program. If it is hands on (like a mechanic) the technology isn’t advanced enough to make WBT truly effective as you cannot get hands on.

Anyway sorry for the long post, I hope my thoughts provide value.

We have a niche application called SofTutor that our users have preferred over classroom training for years. Although it's niche and specializes in anything that runs on a computer or any process training I.E. "how do I do?" training.

It basically takes screen captures and videos but makes them hands on right away. It also has a technical support feature that dramatically reduces calls to the help desk.

Another softutor user with 1500 users said that when their users were polled as to rate softutor vs classroom training 100% chose softutor. The website also had a quote from a big 10 university who studied the softutor product and said their students learned more in less than 1/2 the time when compared to classroom. I think the key is that classroom tends to be lecture, remember, try or test usually later and softuor seems to be try it now! One would think the kids would love this method but oddly enough older people also enjoy this method of learning as well. It would be interesting if there were similar methods for sales training.

We find softutor is one of those cannot live without learning tools everyone needs in their tool box. They have demos, and trials and can even whip up custom demos in no time. Although you will need to be comfortable with screen recording either camtasia, snagit or windows media encoder.

Anyways you can google "softutor learning system" for more information.

Also its very easy to use from a teachers point of view. We create, modify and update content all of the time and the help desk uses it daily.

Flash makes a better emulation but the learning curve is out of this world, a simple video can be made in minutes checked into softutor and played by everyone. Sure we could tweak quality but keeping people working efficiently is our goal.

"Yeah, I agree teaching is a challenging profession, but it can be one of the most rewarding careers.
It's some times a difficult professional to enter when you have to take a teacher certification like the Praxis II test. It takes a special type of person to be a teacher and be successful at it."



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Hi,

I think online training is more effective in today's world here u can see benefits for the same
Training online involves learning process without needing to leave the workplace; they can fit training around their workload, and can spend longer time for queries

With online speech recognition training as the trainer will remotely view the actions performed on your desktop screen and this is a great way to receive personalized lessons and troubleshooting.

E-learning allows you to learn at your own pace

One more amazing point is that online training program is aimed at the individual

Here you have a privilege to access a course whenever you want

Online speech recognition training program designed specifically for your business, it can be kept and used for any new employees

Its cost-effectiveness has made it a great substitute for offline training, particularly in these tough trading conditions where businesses are slashing costs in order to stay afloat.

www.empowerbpo.com