Online Care Training vs. In-Person Learning – What’s Best For You?

There are two main training methods you can consider, online care training courses (also known as eLearning) or traditional in-person learning. Both have pros and cons, which we will be taking a look at.

At The Access Group, we have been working with care services for over 20 years. We’ve helped many businesses digitise their services to increase their efficiency, improve the quality of care and save time and money that could be better spent on developing their care. Our in house care learning and training providers also have years of experience in writing and learning content and improving learning outcomes for care providers. We’ve put our expertise and experience together weighing the pros and cons of online vs. in-person learning, so you know how to choose the best option for your care service.

What is In-Person Learning? 

The traditional approach, in-person learning is what many of us grew up on. It involves physically attending classes and sessions at specific times in the presence of a qualified instructor. The instructor can monitor what’s going on and answer any questions when they arise. They can also get their students to participate in practical sessions and activities, which can better their knowledge and skills.

Benefits of In-Person Learning vs Online

One of the benefits of in-person learning includes face-to-face time with a professional who can answer questions there and then and who can conduct useful discussions. The team will benefit from live conversations on case studies, role play and care techniques. Effective communication is key when it comes to successful learning.

Another advantage of in-person learning is the fact that it feels more like a community. Everyone is in the same boat and can form better relationships with one another. These connections can be a fantastic resource or reference and help to ensure people don’t feel like they are isolated or uncomfortable. Due to their busy schedules, care teams may struggle to find time to connect this way.

While it may come as a surprise, there are fewer distractions in the classroom, which can increase productivity and engagement. When using technology that requires an internet connection, people can get easily distracted, and if they’re completing training at home, they will come across common disruptions. The lack of a structured learning environment leads to people frequently losing focus.

Cons of In-Person Learning

When working in care, one of the main issues many care providers face is a lack of time  This can be both at work and in their personal life, making it difficult for them to take time out of their day at work or during their day off to attend a face-to-face learning session. The lack of flexibility can be time-consuming and inconvenient for the majority of care staff.

In-person learning can also be highly disruptive to a care service’s day to day operations, especially when ensuring you have sufficient staff to deliver care is already a challenge. Group training, ‘onsite’ or ‘offsite’ can sometimes lead to you having to fork out more money to pay for agency staff to cover the work of those who are occupied by training.

In-person learning is often far more expensive than eLearning, as you have to pay for the course, and the professionals’ time and as an incentive, pay employees to come in on their days off to attend a class.

Another disadvantage of in-person learning is that the learning styles may not align with physically being there. For example, quiet or shy colleagues will often sit at the back and don’t enjoy getting involved in discussions or role play, which can lead to a lack of engagement. On the other hand, some people may only attend to have a break from their job and don’t take it seriously, which also reduces engagement.

What Are Care Training Courses Online?

Online care training courses or eLearning (electronic learning), are the delivery of training and information through digital resources. It’s often provided through electronic devices that can connect to the internet, such as computers, tablets and smartphones. It has been created to enhance the quality of learning and teaching while meeting the learning styles and needs of each individual.

Benefits of Social Care Online Training

One of the main benefits of social care online training is that it provides great accessibility for the entire team as it can be accessed anywhere at any time. If people are too busy during work hours to attend in-person classes, then they can complete their training in their spare time at work (like during their lunch break) or home. Online education is the perfect time-saving choice for full-time employees and parents.

The above benefit means leads to the next one, which is self-paced learning and schedule flexibility. If people don’t enjoy the structure associated with classroom learning, then using an online alternative is perfect. Care providers will be able to follow their own schedule, tailor it to fit their daily routines and learning styles and work and learn from a variety of locations at their own pace.

Some online social care training solutions also have tools built in that specifically enable people with dyslexia, minor learning impairments, or different learning styles, to fully participate and not be held back in their learning. This is especially beneficial in sectors like social care, where the prevalence of dyslexia is relatively high.

Another advantage of the care service is the price. Online learning is often cheaper than the equivalent of in-person learning. This is often due to the price of each individual course, pay incentives for staff who aren’t working during the class and the cost of equipment, materials, etc. Instead, your employees could access all of the information they need and a huge variety of useful courses from a single source. 

Some online care training courses also allow you transfer licenses between staff. To explain, this means you don’t need to buy a new license for each new learner, instead when someone new needs to do their training you can use a license that is no longer being used by another member of staff.  Compare this to in-person training where each time training needs to be done, you need to pay up again.

Cons of Online Social Care Training

The main cons associated with eLearning are increased isolation and a lack of engagement. People will be completing their training in their own time, which can lead to others feeling isolated and unsupported, especially if they’re struggling with a specific subject. There are also tons of distractions and disruptions that come with working on the internet or at home, which can reduce engagement and motivation.

Another disadvantage of eLearning is that it can be difficult to accommodate certain subjects. For example, if the team needs to learn certain hands-on abilities, it can be hard to demonstrate that with eLearning alone and even harder to ensure they can perform the practical skills successfully if they’ve just read about it or watched a demonstration on a screen.

Other things to remember are that it requires your staff to be self-disciplined and there is a lack of control from an employer's perspective. Staff may also experience technical issues, which can be disruptive.

It should be said, however, that modern eLearning software is constantly finding ways to improve engagement and interactivity and research is showing how effective this has become.

In-Person Learning vs Online Learning Statistics

In 2022, statistics show that 70% of students (at the University of Potomac) agreed that online classes are a better method of learning compared to traditional classroom settings. And according to Forbes, 77% of academic leaders believe online education is equal or superior to classroom learning. Since 2020, around 98% of universities have moved their classes online, which has proven to be successful.

As well as being praised by both students and academic leaders, online learning will reduce energy consumption, as people don’t have to use paper or travel to and from their in-person training. This also means it requires less time than traditional classrooms, as people can learn in their own time and use it wisely. Finally, whether it’s purchased by a business or a student, online learning is more cost-effective.

Does eLearning Sound Right For Your Care Service?

As you can see, there are pros and cons for both online care training and in-person learning. If you’re looking for an up-to-date learning method that is more engaging, accessible 24/7 from anywhere and easy to track and monitor progress, then eLearning may be the best option for you. While in-person learning can be effective and successful, it can also be disruptive, costly and has more limitations.

In most cases, the best choice for the majority is a blended approach. This involves a mixture of eLearning and in-person training to sufficiently cover both theory and practical training.

If you want to start using eLearning and you aim to make training more manageable, engaging and cost-effective, then you can invest in eLearning for Health and Social Care with The Access Group. Our courses have been endorsed by Skills for Care. We have over 30 years of experience digitising businesses in a wide variety of sectors. Whether you have a start-up or an international organisation, no task is too big or too small.

 

Take a look at our eLearning for health and social care courses. If you would like to know more about our unique eLearning management system for health and social care, contact us today.