Skip to the main content.

Knowledge Center: Instructor Led Training – ILT & VILT


Instructor-led training, often shortened to ILT, is often the type of training most people are familiar with and is one of the most effective training methods. Instructor-led training is simply a course taught by a teacher in a classroom. There are many benefits of instructor-led training, but the format is not always feasible in every situation. While there are pros and cons of instructor-led training, the practice has been combined with other educational methods and instructor-led online courses are blending traditional classroom benefits with the power of eLearning to create virtual instructor-led training (VILT) or instructor-led online training. 

The Benefits of Instructor-Led Training

Having an instructor lead a class lets the teacher adapt the material to suit a group of students and the student-teacher interactions lead to greater engagement.


Instructor’s Adaptability

Instructors can recognize the learning needs of their students and adjust the course by optimizing lesson speed or explaining topics differently. They can also adapt to a class’ personality and encourage learners to engage by connecting on a personal level.


Increasing a Course’s Interactions

The more interaction between learners and teachers and learners and fellow learners the better, as interaction leads to higher student engagement which leads to more complete learning.


Increasing Value through Instructor-Led Training

Many learners feel more valued when receiving in-person training vs other training methods. Not only do students learn better with instructor-led learning, but they are more engaged and feel valued creating a positive learning experience. When students have a positive educational experience, they are move likely to want to continue learning. 


Certain Topics are Easier to Learn

Topics that are complex, nuanced, or difficult to conceptualize greatly benefit from live instructor-led training. Simple and formulaic topics that are taught frequently can be presented through instructor-led classes, but it can be a waste of time and resources when those topics can easily be taught through less involved methods.


Benefits of Virtual Instructor-Led Training

There are many benefits of virtual instructor-led training that traditional instructor-led training doesn’t offer by design. It can be cost-effective to build an online course and use an instructor to ensure the material is fully understood while fostering engagement and interaction. This is often done through webinars that can scale to accommodate more users than an ILT classroom could seat. Instructor-led online training or VILT allows for more students to access a course and still receive the benefits of having an instructor guide them through content. 


In Conclusion

Instructor-led learning is considered one of the most common and effective methods of training. ILT offers many benefits such as higher learner engagement and a more positive educational experience for learners. Combining ILT with eLearning or mLearning brings the best of both worlds together to create a highly accessible, but still personal training method. Designing virtual instructor-led training requires instructional design experience and a familiarity with the art and science of learning which the instructional design consultants at SkillSource are happy to share with you when it is time to create your next course.

Interested in Partnering With Us?
Let's Connect