So I know this may be a controversial thought. There is this idea that classroom training is the gold standard, and the best of the best. I am here to disagree with this, and as always I have research to back me up!
I think the viewpoint above has been consolidated by what I like to refer to as the Covid Hangover. This is the fact that during Covid every training had to move to virtual, and what most organisations delivered was the same as classroom, with no changes for the virtual environment. Poorly planned, and poorly delivered with the poor learners losing the will to live. I’ll confess back in March 2020, my lessons could have fallen into this category, but after lots of reading, research and attending expert conferences and seminars on the topic – this is now very far from the case.
I’m going to make an argument for why our Diamond classes of live virtual instructor lead training (VILT) is as good if not better than classroom training.
So let’s get into it:
- Easier access. Learners may access virtual training sessions from almost anywhere. All they need is an internet connection and a connected device. We have students from across the world, from South Africa, Uzbekistan, Italy and India to name just a few countries. This gives you as a learner a more global rounded view. Plus, VILT is green. With carbon emissions and footprint being a hot topic in 2025, VILT is much more sustainable. According to an Open University study, virtual training consumes about 87 percent less energy and produces 85 percent fewer CO₂ emissions than classroom-based training. One more reason to love virtual training.
- Session review. All of our Diamond classes are recorded and made available for learners to review in our learning management system. If a participant misses a session or needs a quick refresher, it is easy to catch up and stay on track, and helps with the last minute revision cramming. This is not something that is the norm for classroom sessions, and with the forgetting curve in mind (we will forget 50% of new information within 24 hours and up to 90% in a week) this can make a huge difference to retainment of information.
- Cost-Effectiveness. Reduces costs and time associated with travel, venue rental, printed materials, and accommodations. Especially for our evening sessions, students are not having to drive to their study centre, find parking, drive home afterwards. Plus they can be comfortable and sit in their PJs while learning! We do have our cameras on, and I have a confession, there are many times I am formal on top and party on the bottom with a comfortable pyjama bottom and a hot water bottle! (rock and roll!)
- Chunking. I have spoken previously about the importance of chunking information to help learners digest the information in a way that does not overwhelm and increases memory retention. With VILT it is easier to chunk sessions into smaller ones, whereas venue costs of classroom may dictate that a full day of training needs to be held. This will create a huge amount of cognitive load (thinking pressure) reducing the effectiveness of the training. Rather than the firehose-in-the-mouth format that physical classroom training typically requires, VILT redesigns the learning path to work the way humans learn best—in short, sequential chunks of information that layer one lesson upon another and present opportunities for repetition and practice.
- Agility and flexibility. VILT is incredibly flexible, we design lessons to change up activities every 10 mins, this is to aid attentiveness and memory. Our platform can track participant engagement, quiz scores, and attendance automatically, allowing us as trainers to change topics up quickly or to revisit topics that have proven difficult. Features like breakout rooms, real-time polls, virtual whiteboards can create the interactivity you get in the classroom, while also being documents that can be saved and uploaded as revision to our learning management system, not just lost on a FLIP chart that only a few students may take a picture of to remember.
Just because I cannot stop myself, let me give you another benefit, such as fewer interruptions. Employees can join without needing to take extensive time off work, as sessions can be scheduled around their availability. Our Level 4 Diamond students can attend either the day or evening sessions depending on their availability and that is something we hope to roll out to other levels by the end of the year.
So I hope that I have changed your viewpoint on virtual training a little. Now please don’t think that I am a hater of in-person training, I am absolutely not. I love delivering classroom training just as much, I just reject the idea, especially for a degree programme like CIPS that virtual training is not as good. Does it require more planning and effective facilitation than classroom, absolutely! But when planned well, and focused on retainment of information VILT can be just as effective if not better. In fact a meta-analysis by the U.S. Department of Education found that, on average, students in online learning conditions performed modestly better than those receiving face-to-face instruction.
Just to add we are continuously striving to improve here at Business Academy Online, and we are in the process of adding more questions, more technology and more activities based on neuroscience to our materials and our live lessons. If you would like to join us, or recommend us to a friend or colleague then please check out our website or contact me at info@businessacademy-online.com. Remember if you refer a student and they sign up to us for a full level of training we will provide you with a £50 referral fee.