As technology advances, companies are increasingly turning to online training instead of classroom training to save money and time. Conducting classroom training requires a lot of resources, not to mention being away from work to attend classroom training.
Many companies are turning to an e-learning model, where users can take online training from their desktop at their convenience. They envision creating a self-directed learning model where all the information needed is sought by the student during a web-based course. Many companies try to copy the online model of many universities. The university’s online courses are month-long with additional assignments for students to complete outside of class time. This is not the same as business training. It compares apples to pears.
Many types of training, especially soft skills, can be taught using the e-learning model using development tools such as Articulate, Captivate, or other rapid development tools. This can be effective for some types of training, e.g. B. for teaching communication skills or management skills. Training topics where there aren’t many questions or ambiguities work well with standalone courses.
However, some types of training require interaction between students and teachers to present the material effectively. As a teacher with over 35 years of teaching experience, I have found that learning happens during discussion; not during the lecture. A lecturer can lecture all day, but if a student can’t explain the concept or information to me in their own words, they probably haven’t learned the material and I can try to explain it in some other way. My experience has taught me that learning occurs during this back-and-forth interaction between student and teacher.
Self-contained e-learning courses do not allow for this student/teacher interaction. If a student does not understand a concept or instruction and cannot ask a question for clarification, continuing the e-learning course is usually a futile exercise. I remember my father, who was a public educator for 40 years, telling me he learned sequentially. So if he gets stuck at step 3, nothing will be registered with him after step 3. He is still thinking about step 3 and not processing the information for step 4, 5 and beyond.
I have delivered Oracle training for a number of different companies over the past 15 years. When it comes time for training, organizations believe they must make a choice between classroom versus e-learning and are therefore conducting a cost-benefit analysis to determine the best delivery method between online Oracle training and Oracle classroom training determine.
Two major advantages of the e-learning model are no travel expenses and users can use it as they please. Users can work and attend training from home or the office when it suits them, without the time and expense of traveling to and from a training room. The disadvantage of e-learning training is the general loss of student/teacher interaction.
The benefits of face-to-face teaching are interaction between students and teachers, shared experiences, and clearing up ambiguities before moving on to new information. The disadvantage is the loss of costs and time from work to attending training courses. So it usually comes down to whether the cost savings from e-learning outweigh the better learning environment from classroom training. However, don’t forget to factor in the cost of developing and maintaining e-learning material versus teacher-led material.
But there are other alternatives. It’s not just between face-to-face classes and independent e-learning. Virtual training has evolved as a compromise between face-to-face and stand-alone e-learning courses. Virtual online training offers the benefits of student/teacher interaction and class participation while retaining the cost savings of e-learning. Development and maintenance costs are more in line with instructor-led development than e-learning material development, which is another saving.
However, many companies have not been impressed with virtual training due to the offerings in the market. I refer to most of the virtual courses I’ve come across as webinars. Here, students connect to a shared meeting room and one person’s computer is shared while everyone else watches. Sometimes it’s the trainer’s screen that is shared, and sometimes one of the students is demonstrating. But this is a webinar, not the real virtual classroom experience. Webinars are great for sales training or showcasing a new product, but not for software training.
The iLearningInstitute has developed a real virtual classroom www.ilearninginstitute.com where they offer online training for Oracle applications. The classroom is truly a virtual classroom where each student is monitored throughout the training session and each student works through each exercise on their own computer. Student/teacher interaction and class participation and discussion are conducted using VOIP.
Thanks to George Delpit | #Online #Oracle #Training #Classroom #Oracle #Training
