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What is an ILT?
If you’re getting started in learning and development (L&D), you’re going to come across popular acronyms or words that can sometimes leave you scratching your head. One of those frequently used terms is “instructor-led training”, which is abbreviated as “ILT”.
This can be a powerful learning method, offering many benefits that are tough to match. In this post, we break down what instructor-led training is, the benefits it offers, some potential drawbacks, and how you can incorporate ILT into modern learning platforms.
What is Instructor-Led Training?
Instructor-Led Training is the practice of conducting training with an instructor present either in-person or virtually. Whether online or in-person, the instructor’s knowledge of the subject matter helps the individual or group understand the topic more effectively.
If you’re using a learning management system (LMS) or a learning ecosystem, instructor-led training is a module, or section of a course, that can be combined with other module types such as online documents, videos, or exams. Because learning management systems offer the possibility of mixing and matching training formats to best meet the needs of learners, you can think of ILT as one of the power tools in your training toolbox. Instructor-led training can take place in a large group that resembles a traditional lecture, or it can be divided into smaller groups if a greater interaction is required.
Common types of ILT’s include:
- One-on-one
- Small group class
- Workshop
- Seminar
- Webinar
Benefits of Instructor-Led Training
The ILT method allows for a hands-on, personalized learning experience. Some of the additional benefits offered by instructor-led training include:
- Access to expert instructors who facilitate the training session
- Receivingand responding to, feedback in real time
- The instructor’s style or approach can be revised in order to meet the unique needs of the group
- The instructor can return to previous points or place emphasis on particular elements if they sense confusion
- The “classroom” can offer a social, collaborative learning experience, which many learners respond positively to
- If the subject matter lends itself to require practical instruction or demonstrations, those can be easier to accomplish
- Learners can learn from the questions of others
- Many learners will feel more engaged in the learning process and curriculum
What Does Blended Learning Have To Do With ILT?
Blended learning, sometimes also called “hybrid learning,” is the term used to describe the combination of online training and instructor-led training. Its name reflects the “blending” of learning methods to best meet the needs of learners. There are several different blended learning models that can be utilized depending on your circumstances and overall learning objectives.
While blended learning can be accomplished without a learning management system, the use of a LMS with blended learning capabilities makes the process of building, executing, and measuring the success of a blended learning strategy much more efficient.
How the Right Blended Learning LMS Helps Facilitate ILT
Learning management systems offer an unmatched level of organization, scalability, and accessibility. Because of these benefits, it makes sense to include a capable LMS in your instructor-led training efforts, especially if they slot into a larger blended learning strategy.
Some of the specific benefits to using an LMS when running instructor-led trainings include:
- Easy scheduling of sessions
- Invitation emails are sent to attendees
- Automatic reminders of upcoming sessions are sent to attendees
- Waitlisting for sessions at capacity
- Rosters of attendees for Instructors in physical form or on their device
Choosing a Webinar Integration LMS For ILT
Webinars are the most common iterations of virtual ILT, so it’s important to look for a webinar integration LMS when comparing learning management systems. While webinars can be accomplished through hundreds of different free and paid platforms, the addition of a learning management system brings several valuable features that can help make your ILT efforts much more successful. Some of these benefits include:
- Key information like attendance can be collected by an LMS for reporting purposes. This makes reporting much easier than keeping manual records of attendance and reduces the possibility of duplication of records
- LMS webinar integrations make it easier to offer blended learning in an organized, easier to follow format
- Features like LearnUpon’s Live Learning make it extremely easy to centralize and scale all your ILT efforts across an organization
- Webinar participating can be aggregated across different modules and courses, so you can easily track the progress of learners over months or years
Conclusion
Instructor-led training will always play an important role in learning, even if it might look a little different than it did a century ago. Especially when included in a blended learning strategy, ILT can increase learner engagement, reinforce learning concepts, offer an unmated level of real-time flexibility, and more.
In order to maximize these benefits in our digital-first world, however, a learning management system is a crucial piece of the puzzle. The right LMS can deliver all the benefits of ILT in one scalable, accessible, and organized location.
