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Training Preferences within the Third Sector

October 13th, 2011

During the Summer of 2011, mch hosted a poll which asked:

Generally, do you prefer e-learning to other methods of learning?

From the 27 responses the results were as follows:

• Yes - 18.5%
• No - 78%
• Not Sure - 3.5%

On the one hand, such results are not surprising as many people I speak to often state how much they value the face to face element of training and particularly the spontaneous discussions that can develop in such an environment.

On the other hand, when you consider the range of training options, the fact that almost 1 in 5 voters prefer e-learning perhaps shows that this training format has really come of age.

Given the huge array of features e-learning can now incorporate, a problem with such a poll question could be that it is too broad. i.e It depends what type of e-learning you are talking about.

At the recent World of Learning Conference, I attended a seminar entitled:

‘What Learning Methods do Leaders and Managers Really Prefer?’

The seminar outlined the findings of a study by Towards Maturity and supported by LMmatters. A key finding was that the type of learning method varied considerably according to seniority (and by implication age) with the more junior levels favouring online methods.