Myth Busters: Online Training Edition

Online training is an excellent way for employees to learn on the job and develop vital skills. It’s also effective, inexpensive, and relatively simple to implement -and yet, many organizations cite unproven myths to avoid making the change from traditional in-person training to a more modern online option. So today we ask: what is it about online training that makes people nervous?

We’re not entirely sure why some people are so averse (we think a lot of it is simple resistance to change), but we’ve decided to debunk some of the common myths about online training.

#1 It’s Too Expensive

Many companies are under the false impression that online training is expensive to implement and not cost effective long term. However, the opposite is often true – online training is an affordable way to train employees without worrying about going over budget. For one thing, there’s no travel involved so employees can take training right from their desks. Plus, once the content is written, the course is always available. You don’t have to pay the trainer every time he or she presents the material to your employees.

#2 Online Training is Less Effective for Learning

On some level, training, whether in-person or online, is only as effective as the learners want it to be. Success is also determined by the subject matter experts, added resources, and assessment tools. In other words, if you offer high-quality content to invested learners, the lessons will be effective. Plus, because online training allows more time for students to review the course materials, it appeals to various learning styles and paces.

#3 It Takes Too Long to Implement

Many companies believe that initiating an online training program requires a significant amount of time and just isn’t worth the extra effort. There’s work involved, sure, but you have to put some work into making any new endeavor successful and this isn’t any different. Even if you ultimately decide to stick with what you’re doing, it’s worth taking the time to give some serious thought to the goal of your training program and how you’d want to create and deploy your online courses. For instance, will you create your courses directly from a learning management system (LMS) or will you use a third-party authoring tool? Will you put the courses on the intranet or get your own LMS? If you do decide to make the change, once everything is set up, it’ll be easier than ever to assign online courses and track learner progress and completion.

#4 Online Training is Only Good for Millennials

Online training can be easily accessed for employees of all ages and backgrounds. Instead of being limited to a younger generation of workers, online training can help older or less tech-savvy employees navigate new technology and teach them not to fear change. When set up properly, the simple interface allows employees to follow each step of the training program without feeling overwhelmed or out of touch.

#5 It’s Impersonal and Discourages Engagement

Online training isn’t limited to one employee working alone. In fact, eLearning can be adapted in any number of ways to encourage engagement and interaction. We’ve all been to in-person training seminars that have been dominated by one or two know-it-alls who can’t wait to tell us everything they know. Training in this setting can be intimidating for new employees and less outgoing employees who aren’t as eager to speak out in a group. Online training gives those employees the ability to interact in a more private way, without being the focus of every eye in the room. The addition of webcams, microphones, social features, and interactive polls and exercises motivates students to engage and even allows learners to ask questions and participate in group forums. Instead of isolating employees, online training enables them to work together as a team even if they don’t work in the same office.