| Whether you are looking for a career change or | | | | with instructor-led training may outweigh the high |
| just want to upgrade your existing computer | | | | price tag. |
| skills, deciding between online and instructor-led | | | | If you are a mid-to-large sized company, investing |
| training can be a challenge. In the end, the decision | | | | in your employees' training may take a sizable |
| boils down to two factors: quality and cost. Online | | | | part of your company's budget. Selecting |
| computer education can be cost-effective, but if | | | | between an online course and an on-site instructor |
| you are looking for personal attention and | | | | may be based on the size of your team and |
| customized approach to learning, instructor-led | | | | complexity of the training. Barring the initial |
| computer course is your best bet. | | | | investment in developing or purchasing a |
| The most notable benefit to classroom computer | | | | browser-based training system, an online course |
| training is the direct exposure to a subject matter | | | | can be re-used over and over with no additional |
| expert. Depending on the topic you study, having | | | | costs. A classroom environment requires |
| a qualified instructor at your disposal can be | | | | appropriate facility, equipment, and printed course |
| important. If the topic you study has been | | | | materials. You must hire a qualified instructor who |
| well-documented through online tutorials and | | | | is willing to travel to your location at the time of |
| community sites, an online course may be | | | | your choosing. None of these issues exist with the |
| sufficient. But if the topic is more complex, such | | | | online computer training. |
| as learning a programming language for example, | | | | One of the drawbacks of online education is the |
| it will require frequent elaborate explanations and | | | | lack of live feedback of your progress. The |
| practical exercises. In such cases, opting for an | | | | instructor-led training will provide you with an |
| instructor-led course may yield more bang for | | | | opportunity to share your work with others and |
| your buck. An experienced instructor can help | | | | receive tips on how to improve your learning |
| guide you in learning the appropriate best | | | | progress. Most online courses today lack the live |
| practices and help you avoid mistakes that an | | | | instructor's presence. It is the one-on-one personal |
| online course may overlook. | | | | attention that often differentiates a "good" online |
| An online course can be developed and delivered | | | | training from a "great" instructor-led one. |
| much more rapidly than instructor-led training. The | | | | Computer training opportunities abound. The |
| students have the choice of accessing the | | | | instructor-led classroom training provides a |
| lectures at times convenient to them, eliminating | | | | number of benefits and drawbacks over online |
| the overhead of travel and scheduling. Learners | | | | education. It is important to recognize the |
| can selectively pick the content they deem | | | | trade-offs between online and classroom training |
| relevant and skip that which they do not, | | | | and choose the option that will best fit your |
| improving the effectiveness of the training and | | | | budget as well as your individual learning style and |
| reducing its cost. While the cost is a drawback, | | | | objectives. |
| the benefits of one-on-one mentoring you receive | | | | |