Online Training for Skill
Development
by Randall Olson
When the purpose of
corporate training is to help employees reach a particular level of skill
competence, online training is often a much better choice than traditional
methods of training.
Online training is an excellent means of providing
convenient, assessment-driven training that enables workers to move at their
own pace toward accomplishing stated training goals.
Employees often have
very different entry-level skills. When faced with learning a new skill
that needs to be applied on the job, some workers are likely to begin
training with no prior knowledge, and others may already have advanced
knowledge. When students with vastly different prerequisite skills are
sitting side by side in instructor-led, fixed time frame classes, it
presents unique challenges for both the learners and the instructor.
When instructors begin
classes at a level appropriate for those who have no prerequisite knowledge
regarding the skill, those who are more advanced tend to become bored and
resentful. However, when instructors begin classes assuming prior knowledge
that some of the students don’t have, those learners who are most in need of
instruction will not be able to achieve the learning outcomes.
In such situations,
many trainers adopt a mentality of teaching to the middle, which simply
results in reducing instructional effectiveness for all participants.
Teaching to the middle still leaves those with no entry-level skills behind,
and still bores those students who are the most advanced.
With
online learning,
this problem disappears. Online training programs are typically designed to
allow learners to progress through training modules at their own pace.
Those with advanced skills can quickly demonstrate proficiency with the
basic skills and can move to the parts of the instruction they really need.
Those who require remediation can spend as much time as they need getting a
strong foundation on which to build.
The best e-learning
systems for corporate training applications allow training managers to
control which classes learners are required to complete, as well as monitor
student progress through training. This results in a win-win situation for
corporate trainers and learners at all levels of skills. Employees will
appreciate being able to move through skill development training at a
comfortable pace, at convenient times.
With corporate
training, what matters in the long run with employee skill development
training is whether or not employees develop skills and are able to transfer
the necessary skills from training settings to the workplace. Online
training options can be the most efficient solution for providing employees
with the skill training they need.
About the Author:
Randall Olson is Director of Certification
Testing, IT Training, and Online Learning at Mobile Technical Institute
http://www.mobiletechwebsite.com, home of the Gulf Coast Certification
Forum. He also works with MTI Business Solutions, providing marketing,
writing, and SEO consulting services to a wide variety of clients.
*This article can be reprinted provided the
author bio and website link are included.
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