We need to stop comparing eLearning and traditional classroom-based learning

Often when I tell people what I do - designing eLearning experiences - the first thing they do is make a comparison: 

I don’t think that learning from a computer could ever replace face-to-face education.

Or occasionally there’s a comparison favouring the opposite view: 

eLearning is so much more scalable / convenient / cost-effective than traditional classroom learning.

And actually, I agree with both views - up to a point. Where I disagree is that we should make it a habit to be constantly comparing eLearning and traditional learning.

An example I would give is e-commerce and brick-and-mortar retail. Whilst there was a time when e-commerce was expected to replace brick-and-mortar entirely, it doesn’t look likely to happen. Traditional brick-and-mortar stores are embracing online shopping, whilst e-commerce platforms like Amazon are building physical stores. It’s recognised that in a field as wide and diverse as retail, there is space for both online and in-person experiences, depending on the job to be done and the preferences of individual customers. I think eLearning and classroom-based learning have a similar relationship.




So, what jobs do classroom-based and eLearning do best? Here’re my thoughts:

Classroom-based Training

Collaborative Learning

Whilst collaborative learning methods can be applied on online calls, or even message boards, to me they rarely work as well as getting together and doing it in a room, unless the participants know each other well.

Workshops where the trainees bring issues to be discussed

This is pretty obvious, and an under-discussed element of training programs, in my opinion. Sometimes the most useful part of a training day might be the time when a participant can discuss the problems and issues they’re having with their peers.
When networking is important. Another under-referenced but sometimes important function of training. I think this is often important at managerial-level training.

Low-motivation contexts

If people are reluctant to learn and engage with the subject matter, then the social context of classroom-based training is more likely to nudge learners towards making at least a cursory effort to learn, through the social pressure of being with a room of other people.

eLearning

Delivering information at scale

If you have a small amount of information that you want a lot of people to know, I think it’s often a no-brainer to use eLearning. To gather everyone can be a waste of people’s time.

Time-sensitive training

The logistics of gathering people in a room just do mean that in-person training has a lead in time. In contexts such as onboarding where people are joining at various times and need the training sooner rather than later, I think eLearning fits the bill.

Simulation

Some training can be run as simulations on a computer. Pilots have been learning to fly using simulators for years, and I think there are lots of areas where other industries could catch up.
“Nudges” or microlearning approaches. Sometimes we want to introduce an ideas in small pieces, or repeatedly introduce the same idea at certain moments. eLearning does this well.

I think making a constant comparison between eLearning and traditional classroom-based learning risks generating the impression that they’re locked into a fight to the death, and that we have to commit to using one or the other. I think this could be a problem because they specialise in such different jobs, that to use only one or the other would be a huge missed opportunity. Let’s stop comparing them to find which one to prefer, and start strategizing about what we should use, when.