Instructor Led Training (ILT) has been in practice ever since the training function began. Before online training or e-learning revolutionized the mode of training, the norm were classroom sessions complemented by study material. But it has its own pros and cons.
Advantages of instructor led classroom training or ILT:
ILT offers a slew of benefits for training such as:
- The powerful mode of learning involves face to face interaction with trainer or instructor and participation in real time discussions. The key feature of ILT is that questions are answered at once by experts and this enhances the understanding of learners.
- Real time feedback enables and reinforces learning.
- Instructor can manipulate delivery of content according to level of understanding of learners. Slow learners can get special attention.
- Individual attention can be garnered by the learner from the instructor.
- ILT provides the human touch- which is absent in e-learning which is not synchronous.
- Learning is enhanced by group interaction. Learners can benefit from interacting with each other or instructor.
- ILT enables learning by doing.
Disadvantages:
There are many cons with ILT which can be corrected by e-learning. They are:
- ILT’s are costly. Expenses on instructors, venue, travel, lodging, catering, need to be incurred.
- ILT’s also waste time: employees are pulled away from valuable hours at work for training programs. This impacts schedule of work and thus lowers productivity.
- Logistics associated with ILT are a nightmare, particularly for large organizations.
- ILT’s cannot be delivered simultaneously to all employees. But some types of training like compliance training needs to be provided to all employees and this is possible only via e-learning.
- In case of ILT, learner has to waste time away from his job.
- ILT cannot be accessed on demand and near the time of need which can be done by e-learning.
- ILT takes much longer than other types of training.
- ILT does not allow multi-tasking and learners have to concentrate completely on classroom session, with exclusive attention.
- Schedules of ILT are fixed much in advance and are quite rigid.
- If employees work in shifts, ILT is not suitable for those with night shifts.
- Learners are at the mercy of the quality of instructors and inept instructors can ruin content delivery.
- If learner is unable to attend, he loses his chance as classes cannot be rescheduled just for him. In e-learning, timing of learning is not a problem.
- Synchronous e-learning provides all the advantages of ILT.
These are some of the pros and cons of Instructor Led Training.