Tony Dervan of EssentialSkillz looks at the relative strengths of classroom training and e-learning and when to blend the two.

THERE IS no “one size fits all” type of training, in health and safety or any other discipline. Just as different individuals have different learning styles, so different topics are suit different methods of delivery. Face-to-face, classroom training was the only option available for most of the 20th Century. Then computer-based training —or e-learning — arrived in the last decade and, like most novelties, was the subject of great claims that it could be all things to all people.

    Since then, the dust has settled and it has become clear that e-learning has its strengths, and so does face-to-face instruction. It’s a question of knowing when to use each, and when to blend the two.

In your face
Face-to-face training scores highest for any topic where physical technique and practical skills are important. Training in safe lifting or first-aid techniques, experience of using a fire extinguisher or donning protective equipment needs an expert eye on the spot to check that learners are translating what they have learnt into correct practice. Learning by doing builds competence.

    Training in groups helps training by “co-operative learning”, as students learn from others trying, failing and being corrected. Learners in a group will ask questions that their colleagues might not have thought of. The presence of other trainees also allows for role-playing or for students to practice their newly acquired skills (resuscitation techniques or wound dressing, for instance) on each other. Face-to-face training also provides the instantaneous feedback trainees need when learning to apply theoretical processes to real situations, such as risk assessment or hazard analysis.

    Finally, let’s not forget the effect of a good instructor, who can make a message truly memorable and tailor it to an audience, turning what might be a routine session into something inspiring.

PC world
The strengths of e-learning correspond exactly to the weaknesses of classroom tuition and vice-versa. E-learning scores on the way it allows. students can learn at their own preferred pace, without having to ask a tutor to go back over a point umpteen times  and holding up the rest of the class.

    It is good for communicating larger volumes of theory or factual information, where sitting in a class watching 20 minutes of unbroken slides would become soporific or where concentration is critical to effective learning. This makes e-learning excellent for continuing professional development (CPD), where health and safety professionals may need to keep up with developments and broaden their knowledge but not have time to travel to seminars.

    On-screen courses can be set up for new recruits as soon as they start, while economies of scale might mean they have to wait weeks or months until there is a group large enough to warrant bringing in a trainer. E-leaning courses can be made available in every depot, office or branch without the students having to travel.  

    E-learning is consistent. You can rest assured it delivers the same standard of training each time while so much face-to-face training depends on the strengths and mood of the tutor. Screen-based courses can build in their own evaluation exercises to check that students have really understood what they have learnt.

Mix and match
Once you recognise the relative merits and demerits of classroom training and e-learning, it is easy to see how a blend of the two can make use of the best of each.

    Where face-to-face training might be needed for the hands-on part of a fire-safety course (the correct use of an extinguisher as suggested above) the theoretical part, including the fire triangle and learning to recognise different types of extinguisher, could be taught via the PC.

    E-learning is also ideal for refreshing previous classroom training. Retention levels from training courses can be frighteningly low — research by the British Resuscitation Council found that after six months, first-aid trainees only retained 10% of what they had learned. So on-screen packages are an ideal six monthly or annual booster for face-to-face courses in anything from manual handling to avoiding slips and trips without having to get everyone into a room at the same time. Computer-based refreshers can even be built into screen savers.

    For organisation-wide campaigns to reduce musculoskeletal problems or raise consciousness about stress, combining group seminars and computer-based training and surveys with poster campaigns or reminder emails helps ensure that all the bases are covered.

    Choosing the appropriate training vehicle for the type of message, like matching the horse to the course is your surest bet for a good result.

Appears in: October 2006 health and safety at work - Training Supplement