Online training: the concept is gaining more and more attention in the market everyday as companies are striving to streamline their approach to development and reduce the costs associated with running the business. The same motivation is helping to drive the demand for hosted solutions and online training can be delivered both as an on-premise deployment or an SaaS solution. Either way, there are online training pros and cons to consider as not every environment can embrace the virtual approach to doing business.

Online training pros and cons Start with Your People

The qualifications of your users can contribute greatly to online training pros and cons. If your users are not accustomed to using computers in their daily jobs, requiring them to do so in training sessions could prove to be an ineffective approach to improving their performance or qualifications. The same applies for the employee base that is used to hands-on learning. For many of these individuals, visual interactions don’t have the same impact as they cannot engage in the process. For those reasons, it is important that you know your audience before examining online training pros and cons.

Online training pros and cons Consider Your Technology

There are many online training pros and cons to consider, including your available technology. Can your network support online training? If so, can it support a hosted solution or do you have to implement an on-premise solution? Can your workers easily access the online training portals in their locations? There are a number of questions you have to answer when weighing online training pros and cons. Anyone can deliver a presentation through an Internet link, but does this truly engage the audience to deliver value? Is the quality of the standard you would be expect to ensure your employees will appreciate the experience? Can the training your employees need be delivered in this platform?

Online training pros and cons and Anticipated Benefits

A list of online training pros and cons has to be designed around the benefits you anticipate from implementing this method of development for your team. Why are you considering online training? Do you have employees located in diverse geographic offices that need to receive specific training and you don’t want to pay to bring everyone to one location? When you evaluate your laundry list of online training pros and cons, you have to think in terms of what you have to work with and what you expect the end result to be before you can know what elements to put on the pros side and what must be considered a con. And, this must come from your own needs assessment, not just a comparison of other companies. Sure, the pros and cons of online training may look good for your colleague’s company, but that doesn’t necessarily translate in your own.

The good news is that you are making a list of online training pros and cons. Know your people, understand your culture and measure your technical capabilities against the expected benefits. Once you’ve done your homework, the decision should be an easy one.
Click Here for Part 1 of Pros and Cons of Online Training.