Standing up for classroom training!

"Classroom and instructor-led training remains at the core of L&D today." There you go... I said it!

The last few years have seen such a focus on new and emerging trends and technologies in L&D that classroom training has seemed to almost fall by the wayside. And the very fact that my opening statement might be considered controversial shows how dramatically the L&D landscape has changed.

If you cast aside the hype and continued obsession with new and innovative learning techniques, however, the fact remains that classroom training remains the delivery mechanism of choice for today's learner.

Our March 2010 survey of 2,200 employees from organisations in the UK, France, Germany and Spain, for example, found that 92 per cent of learners who get trained receive some kind of instructor-led training today. This is followed by 42 per cent of employees who receive e-learning. Furthermore, when asked what they wanted from their training over the next three years, 87 per cent said classroom training, with technology-led learning - e-learning - at 73 per cent.

When asked what they considered to be the most important contributing factors to a successful learning experience, respondents said that the expertise of the instructor or designer of the training (63 per cent) and the appropriateness of the content (58 per cent) were the two most important.

So what does this all tell us?

It tells us that justifying the delivery vehicle both financially and in terms of effectiveness is very much part of the new L&D landscape today and that, if you don't have the instructor and the content right, the training goal - whatever the method of delivery - is destined for failure.

It also serves as a valuable reminder to L&D professionals that the successful adoption of future, technology-led forms of learning should be designed and anchored around what I believe still remains the core platform of training today - instructor-led, classroom-based learning. Together, they can feed off each other to develop an even more compelling learner experience.

The enthusiasm for technology-led and alternative forms of learning is certainly not slowing down. Our survey found that the adoption of technology-led learning - particularly in the UK - is continuing to increase. The UK is leading the way in using blended learning (41 per cent versus 31 per cent average) and e-learning (53 per cent just behind Spain at 56 per cent). Furthermore, in the past three years 51 per cent of UK respondents have used webinars for learning, 34 per cent blogs, 33 per cent forums, 32 per cent podcasts and 31 per cent wikis.

While this generation of learners is clearly in favour of on-the-job and classroom training, it is clear that it wants to use a variety of other learning tools as well. In the UK, for example, blended is highly desired by 83 per cent of learners, e-learning 81 per cent, collaborative tools (blogs, forums and wikis) 67 per cent, games 56 per cent and multimedia resources (podcasts or mobile learning) 63 per cent.

So how can classroom and technology-led training work alongside each other to create an enhanced learner experience? What benefits does classroom learning continue to bring?

A crucial element of classroom learning, which is yet to be effectively replicated with emerging technology tools, is the art of discourse and interpretation. While webcasts are already playing an important role here, the give and take of an initial interactive face-to face classroom discussion can be immensely valuable for participants.

Such discussions can then perhaps be taken online through social networking tools, such as Facebook or web casts.

Another key benefit of classroom learning is the fact that it can be relatively distraction-free. While I fully endorse the flexibility e-learning brings and the way it can merge seamlessly into the learners' day-to-day activities, there is something to be said for a structured environment away from the office as one element of the training mix.

Finally, technology-learning still has things it can learn from the individualised approach that classroom training can so often provide as well as, conversely, the team ethic that often comes out of these collective, classroom-based environments. It is this individual but also collective approach, where everyone is working together towards a common goal, which can play a key role in behavioural change. Such classroom events also serve a purpose as networking forums and an opportunity for different offices and divisions to get together, as well as remote workers.

Learning can only be successful if all delivery mechanisms are utilised and work in harmony with each other. While there is undoubtedly a lot that the classroom can learn from technology-based training, the reverse is also the case.

Francis Marshall is MD of Cegos UK, part of European L&D company Cegos Group. He can be contacted on +44 (0)845 521 1560 or via www.cegos.co.uk