The pros and cons of blended learning depend on whether you are a learning ‘giver’ or a learning ‘receiver’; each group has its own “view” of the advantages and disadvantages, of course, since the groups approach the subject from a very different point of view.

The main beneficiaries are:

1. The learner: the end user of the learning process

2. The employer – the one who provides the learning, either personally or through another, such as a training professional

Let’s look at the pros and cons of each group…

1 Advantages for me as a student

• I can study part of the content when I want
• I can work at my own pace
• I can experience different learning tools
• I can use the internet, which I use a lot at work and at home anyway.
• I like the balance between face to face and individual work.
• I like the variety of approaches.
• I like to have time to explore a topic, do some research, and reflect on the results before I have to give an answer to the trainer.
• I can work on my training when it suits me
• It focuses on solutions instead of focusing on problems.
• I can build a network of allies through group forums
• It keeps me flexible and agile, which is helpful for modeling in my management role.

OBJECTIVE

• I need to be more motivated than if I were in a classroom.
• I must make sure that I do not let distractions in the office interfere with the results of my training program
• I need to meet deadlines set by myself or my guardians and not let other things get in the way.

As a by-product, we could almost say that blended learning gives the student the opportunity to learn new technical skills or to develop self-motivation, time management and focus skills (all important in other roles and other jobs, as these are key transferable skills). .

2 advantages for me as an employer

• I can get my message out to the entire company quickly and easily by using a blended approach
• I can save money on trainers and training days
• I can save money by keeping people on the job and not in training
• I can encourage staff to take their development seriously.
• Motivated and fully developed staff will be more effective
• I can offer and encourage much more accessible forms of learning.
• It’s just a one-time investment for reusable content.
• I have a resource that is easily updated
• I can get training content tailored to meet changing business needs
• There is greater strategic alignment
• More proactive teams can better deal with changing environments
• I can finally build a complete learning organization!

OBJECTIVE

• I should not focus solely on saving; what is the actual cost?
• You may have to make a technology investment in the short term
• I’ll have to make sure we keep up with new developments as technology advances.
• I need to make sure I use the right people to design and deliver blended learning programs that may include upskilling my L&D staff.
• Students may still need face-to-face contact to build relationships
• I need to make sure that training still takes place within working hours as much as possible and that staff are not expected to work outside of normal hours just because they can
• It could represent a very new learning path for our organization and I will have to sell it.
• It means taking training very seriously!

top tip

If you want to introduce blended learning approaches, clarify the pros and cons for you and your company, as well as your learners.