Managing employees and getting them up to par on your business policies can be challenging. For many companies, a simple instructor-led class is all that stands between employees and office responsibilities.
The problem with this training strategy is that no two individuals learn and absorb information in the exact same way. Many times this challenge can be one of the biggest contributing factors to a new employee’s success. Here’s an analogy that comes to mind, so let’s imagine ourselves in the following scenario… Your hometown recently had a brand new smoothie shop open up for business. Everyone is really excited about it! This is a great business opportunity for your community because in the past, everyone was forced to drive over 1 hour away for a delicious summertime treat like this. On opening day, people from all over the county began to flock to the new store. With this many visitors, lines started to accumulate which wrapped from inside to around the side of the building! Little to everyone’s surprise as they approached the counter, this smoothie shop did not have flavor options for their customers. They only had one flavor to serve! So, unfortunately, customers had only two choices: 1. Have the same flavor as all the others, or 2. Turn around and walk away without a long awaited smoothie. Now, let’s think about this… if there had been a several flavors to choose from, most likely each customer would have had a better overall experience, agree? It is also probably safe to say that a large majority of learners, given a mixture of teaching delivery methods or “flavors” while learning are more prone to fully absorb the material being taught rather than only being given the traditional auditory classroom setting. That’s where training management software saves the day. Simplistic in nature, yet advanced enough to assist even a wide variety of learners, a digital training management system blends the best of both worlds.
How Online Training Software Can Help
E-Learning has become extremely popular with the advent of technology. Computers, laptops and cell phones are part of our daily lives and they help us simplify even the most complicated of tasks, but how can they help in a business setting?
Online training software helps bridge the gap between instructors and employees. According to a study conducted in 2010 by the U.S. Department of Education, “blended instruction is the most effective” type of training one can utilize. The study also noted that “online learning appears to be as effective as traditional classroom training but not more so.” These results have been duplicated repeatedly, and serve as a reminder that blending both online training software and instructor-led training produces the most significant results.
Benefits of Blended Learning
Instructor Led Training (or ILT) was often thought of as the gold standard for training, but it is also a time-consuming and extremely expensive process. Online training software is far less expensive while remaining highly effective. Blending the two strategies together provides a variety of benefits to companies, including:
- Learners can review previous coursework
- Assessments are already built into the system
- Instructors can assist when necessary
In order to blend these two systems, you need a digital training management system. By utilizing the best of both worlds through a comprehensive and foolproof software system, your employees will be better trained and ready for the work environment.
Software Helps Blend the Two
Of course, the only real way you can accurately combine both face-to-face instruction with e-learning, is through software. Training management software is the single best way to do so. For example, with a digital training management system, new employees can begin their training with self-paced e-learning. Once they have completed their first stage of coursework, they can have their skills tested by an instructor if you wish to guarantee that they are ready for the next phase of training.
Without software, blending and harmonizing these two distinctly different training methods simply would not work. Instructors would be lost on what students have or haven’t learned, and students would be easily confused by their training. A blended system that can track, manage and report is simply the best possible choice.
