Last year, Tony Karrer predicted that 2009 would see the “Virtual Classroom Tipping Point“. This would be the point at which providers of computer-based learning solutions would be able to stop trying to justify their efforts, and proponents of traditional classroom-based instruction would have to start making an argument for its position in education:
… we’ve reached a point where virtual classroom training is no longer seen as inherently inferior and a lower value … 2009 will be the year when we realize that we should be justifying any in-person training.
As early as March of last year, he began to see signs of this shift happening, and the implications are very interesting. What’s important to understand for your training needs, however, is that the prejudice against elearning is disappearing for a reason: the product now exceeds many classroom experiences. Once you see a demonstration of what’s possible with custom courseware, you will no longer have doubts about the efficiency of online training.