Comparing instructor-led training, e-learning, and peer training methods

Training Methods

In the ever-changing environment that is the business world today, most employers understand the critical success factor inherent in good workplace training. Indeed, according to Danziger and Dunkle (n.d., p. 1), American organizations spend more than $62 billion per year to ensure formal training for their employees. Increasingly, American organizations are also beginning to realize the importance of effective training methods, created to meet the needs not only of the organization, but also of its employees. Via training, employees can become experts in their fields and obtain work satisfaction by fully utilizing their knowledge and skills for the benefit of the company they work for. There are several training methods, of which the formal, instructor-led model is probably the most traditional. Other training methods include e-learning, which can be either formal or informal, and peer training, which tends to be the most informal of the three training methods to be discussed.

Instructor-led Training

As mentioned, instructor-led training is the most formal training method. According to Austin (2008), this model was one of the most popular business training methods during the 1970s. The form it took during this decade was generally that a group of employees were collected in a lecture hall, spoken to by a trainer, and possibly received training materials or lists of rules during the training session. Early training sessions tended to preclude questioning or clarification, and employees tended to be sent back to work right away.

Today, formal training sessions have evolved to be more interactive, with employees allowed to ask questions or request clarification of the training materials. Generally, a two-way communication platform is also used after the training session to help employees implement the materials presented during the session. Depending upon the nature of the training material and its level of complication, training could also be provided in more than one session, until it could be ensured that all employees were sufficiently trained to apply the material to their work.

The main advantage of this training methods is the control that the instructor and/or employer is able to exercise over the materials presented to employees. In this way, employers can ensure that all the relevant trainees receive the instruction and materials considered necessary for performing optimally at their jobs.

The main disadvantage of this method is the cost. As mentioned above, the cost of formal training per year for organizations run into the billions. The cost can vary according to the materials presented and the expertise level of the instructor enlisted for the training. A further cost is also the work hours lost during this type of training, where hours or days need to be invested to ensure effective instruction.

Peer Training

Peer training generally occurs when new employees join the company team. Such employees are then paired with long-term employees to help them understand the functions and requirements of their work.

This training is generally informal, with the main advantage that employees learn while they perform their work. Hence, virtually no working hours are lost apart from those used by workers to instruct their learners. Furthermore, the cost of training is minimal, as training materials most likely already exist to train these workers.

Conclusion

In terms of effectiveness, each training method mentioned above has its merits. The choices of instruction method depends largely on what employers want their employees to learn, as well as the time and funding they have to invest in such learning. The most viable in terms of both flexibility and cost is probably the e-learning method, which can be modified according to the level of instruction required. E-learning saves time and cost without necessarily losing quality, since experts in their fields can as well train from a remote location as they can on the premises of the workplace itself.