- Employee training is very important, so you need to decide whether you should use in-person or virtual learning models.
As a business owner, you need to know how to ensure your employees get decent training. This often involves having the right onsite training programs. However, you might also need to make sure that your employees have the opportunity to get a formal education to develop the skills needed to thrive on the job.
There are a lot of employee education programs that you can invest in. Both virtual and in-person learning can be great for helping make sure that your employees develop the skills that they need to thrive.
Choose the Right Learning Model to Train Your Employees
With the introduction of technology, the education sector has also moved online. The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has adversely affected learning institution like colleges, universities and schools. This has made it difficult for some employees to make sure that their employees have access to the right educational opportunities.
The lockdowns in different parts of the world has put the learning process on hold. This has led to many countries adopting the e-learning system. It connects tutors and their students virtually. Digital technology has also enabled employers to use virtual reality to train employees.
Business owners have started to utilize similar training models. They have found that it can be great to use e-learning to get their employees to develop the skills that they need to thrive. We will try to understand how e-learning is different from physical learning in this article, so you can decide which is best for your employee training programs.
Definition of virtual and physical learning
Physical learning is where a tutor is able to meet and interact with students one-on-one while in virtual learning tutors and student conduct their lessons digitally.
Also Read
For virtually learning all you need is a laptop, desktop, smartphone or tablet and a good internet connection. In physical learning you need reading materials, pens among others.
Differences between physical and virtual learning
If you want to make sure that your employees have access to the best training, then you need to know the difference between physical and virtual learning opportunities. Some of these differences can be summarized below.
1. Communication
This plays an integral role between tutors and students in order to get good results.
| Physical Classroom | Virtual Classroom |
| The communication here is perfect. Students can ask questions and get the answers fast because they are able to have a face-to-face interaction with their teachers. | In a virtual classroom students and teachers do not interact as much because their lessons are done online. Their interaction is done through chats, emails, webinars and forums. |
2. Time management
Time is of the essence in any learning environment hence wasting it is highly discouraged. They must learn how to manage their time wisely.
| Physical Classroom | Virtual Classroom |
| Students using physical classrooms tend to spend more time in commuting from home to school. | In virtual learning, minimal time is used because there are no movements involved. |
3. Flexibility
| Physical Classroom | Virtual Classroom |
| Students in physical learning follow a strict timetable as given by their school authorities. | In e-learning, they are more flexible as they do not follow strict schedules. |
4. Place of learning
| Physical Classroom | Virtual Classroom |
| Learning in a physical classroom is done in a traditional setup | In e-learning you can study at the comfort your house. |
5. Mediums used for giving instructions
| Physical Classroom | Virtual Classroom |
| Lectures are done verbally with the aid of power point presentations. | Different types of tools are used to deliver lectures. Tools like graphs, presentations, videos and various visuals. |
6. Cost implication
Cost is a factor that cannot be ignored in the education sector.
| Physical Classroom | Virtual Classroom |
| Physical learning requires logistics and travel expenses hence it is expensive. | e-learning is more cost effective because it does require a lot of expenses. |
7. Study material
| Physical Classroom | Virtual Classroom |
| Teachers have to go through chapter one by one when offering lessons in physical learning. | Students are given updated study guides which they can use at any given time. |
Choose the Right Learning System for Your Employee Training Program
You need to make sure that you have the right employee education system in place if you want to make sure your employees have the skills to thrive. Well, it is important to note that both physical and virtual learning have their highs and lows. With the ongoing pandemic, many parents might prefer the digital way of learning for their children. This is because it will put them at low risk of contracting the virus due to movement.
