There is a lot of buzz about various educational styles, like digital training. The first iPad-schools have started and the government increasingly stimulates the use of new technologies in the educational field. In the business world as well, for some time now, classroom courses and training are not the only used styles anymore, and new technologies are introduced.

Alternatives for classroom education are definitely not something from recent years, they have always been around. In the past, it was common practice to purchase a textbook as an alternative, and thus focus on self-education. Nowadays, however, a lot of new options have emerged, partially of course because of available new media. But are these (mostly) online training courses and new tools suitable for everyone?

Training market
Nowadays there is plenty of choice for following a digital education: eLearning, recordings from training sessions, and a lot of content is also available on the internet. The difference from about twenty years ago is that information is much more easily accessible, and the amount of information is also increasing. This can be a great advantage, but also a disadvantage. After all, you don’t know ahead of time what the quality of the information that you take in is. It is therefore much harder to separate the good information from the lesser. After all, nobody checks the daily added training courses on YouTube, for example. As a consumer or organization, one must therefore be much more critical, but it doesn’t have to be a reason not to use all that available information.

Self-education or classroom
The big advantage of all available information is that it is easier to immerse yourself into something by self-education. However, self-education isn’t the best solution for everyone. One person can spend hours studying a management book, and, by asking himself the right questions, really benefit from it. Another likes watching a video, and for another, classroom study works better. The advantage of classroom study is that the teacher discusses the material. The student is triggered by it, and it makes him think about it. And of course, fellow students help to supplement the knowledge. When choosing the education style, it is therefore very important to determine which method fits that person best. So there needs to be more focus on the person rather than on available resources

Cost
Of course, the choice of a training method also depends on the cost. Especially in the current economic times, organizations increasingly look at this. Classroom training is more expensive than independently viewing content online or reading a book. However, the time spent on searching relevant content should also be taken into consideration. And maybe the video wasn’t as relevant as you thought, after watching the first ten minutes? An employee can spend a lot of time on this. During a classroom training session, a teacher can indicate what is important, and explain complex issues. This can save a lot of time. While calculating the cost and choosing the training style, it is important not to forget this factor.

Return on investment
As the fourth factor, in addition to the person, cost, and the time invested in the different training methods, the return on investment should not be forgotten. How much knowledge has the employee actually gained by self-education? And what is the quality of the acquired information? Does this outweigh the low cost of self-education?

For an organization it is important that an employee acquires sufficient knowledge and is capable of applying this in his position. If someone does self-education, there is no guarantee that he actually gained certain knowledge, or that this happens within a certain time frame. The advantage of classroom training is that a certain amount of study material is covered, and that the teacher checks whether the students have understood it. It is therefore more predictable than when someone reads a book or watches a video. The result, of course, is most important for an organization.

Conclusion
In short, there are many different methods and approaches. Digital training can certainly be the right method, but before an organization makes a choice, it is important to carefully weigh the alternatives and see how the highest return on investment can be achieved. After all, what matters is the benefits it can offer the organization in the future.

Nico Jansen, Manager Knowledge Center