The effectiveness of intructor-led training?

May 10, 2022 4:49 PM

I'm looking for some resources which discuss the effectiveness of instructor-led training.

While electronic learning can be great. There are still some things which it can't do such as motivating students. And there will always be nuances to a subject matter which cannot always be conveyed electronically.

Can someone point me towards resources (books, blogs, articles, podcasts etc) which discuss which discuss situations where instructor-led training excels? (Contexts such as high-school education, third-level and corporate training are all fine)

posted by jacobean to Society & Culture (2 answers total)

McKinsey published a study where they found that learning outcomes were improved by weighting the blend of instructions methods in favour of teacher-led instruction. I found that interesting because this notion is not at all fashionable where I am. But the study just shows that teacher-led instruction can be more effective when it comes to teaching to the test. Other benefits of instruction are harder to measure. The authors do acknowledge that students tend to find student-centric methods more memorable, even though they seem to display a more shallow understanding of the material in the test when mainly instructed in that manner.

Personal anecdote time: I've always been a pretty independent student - give me the textbook, give me some sample exercises/exam questions, and the model solution (electronically or otherwise) and I'm usually good to go. And sometimes, when there's no explicit requirement to attend in-person-lectures/seminars , that's the approach I prefer - especially if my interest in the subject is somewhat shallow and I just need the grade/a certificate. But if I can make time, and actually care about the subject, I will usually attend the lecture, because I actually enjoy a good lecture. And I do think that I learn more and remember more, for a longer period of time.

Also I like meeting the other students - participating in the in-person lecture/seminar is a good way to adverstise yourself as a useful member of a study group. I'm a big fan of study groups - I don't necessarily need them for a passing grade, but they help a lot with motivation, and I can test my own understanding of the material by trying to explain it to someone else.

I think that's the big-downfall of e-learning, that it usually doesn't promote a lot of interaction between students. I mean, sure, you can use break-out rooms in zoom, and require them to post on a forum and comment on each others posts, etc. but it's all often a bit perfunctory. I often love a spirited debate, but I hate video conferences and just want them to be over as soon as possible, so I'm always going to contribute less in that setting. Lots of people just find online-socializing less enjoyable than in-person socializing and socializing can be a big part of learning.
posted by sohalt at 11:37 PM on May 10, 2022 [3 favorites]

Anecdotal - in my experience both as consumer of training and as facilitator of training it really depends on what you're trying to achieve. I work in professional services and have a ton of training to meet CPD requirements. I am also told that I can explain things well and thus get roped into designing and/or facilitating training regularly. I've also been working in my field for 15 years now.

The audience makes a big difference. Introducing a learner to a concept for the first time or introducing people to tools is much easier in a classroom setting. That is also where co-operation in small groups rally comes into its own and where a trainer being able to see what's going on real time is helpful.

But an experienced learner should have plenty of frameworks in which to explore 'new topic'. Normally, they just have to be informed that something has changed, what that is and where to find more information if they need it. If there is a fundamental step change sure, more detail will be required. But they should still be able to absorb that with relative ease. It is often helpful to have a 'live' session because chances are your colleagues will have the same questions you have but it really doesn't need a classroom, Teams is perfectly adequate.

We also have webcasts and web-based learning. Webcasts are an efficient way of disseminating information to several thousand people at once. But they rely on the audience being self disciplined enough to pay attention as opposed to having it run in the background whilst doing other things...10 years ago the web based learning was basically clicking through endless screens and passing a test at the end. The main take way was repetitive strain injury from clicking...it was bad. Over the last few years they have moved web based learning to video based case studies with real life examples presented by practitioners and passing a test at the end. I take away much more from this format. So real life trainer no, does it need one, probably not.
posted by koahiatamadl at 4:14 AM on May 11, 2022 [3 favorites]