Self-paced training as it sounds like, refers to the process of students learning their course work at their own pace and schedule. While most students are familiar mostly with the traditional instructor-student method of learning, self-paced training is bringing new kind of flexibility to education. This type of training does not follow strict timetables or schedules, but rather advances according to learner’s preferences. 

In self-paced training method, the participants have access to all the resources and learning materials from the start and are free to go through at their convenience. Assignments, projects, and quizzes are also self-paced and can be attempted at any point of time through the course. Participants get the liberty to go through the course at any point of time within a specified time and can engage with the course content at their ease. 

Today, organizations make use of cloud technology to enable efficient self-paced training courses. Businesses make use of this method for employee, customer, and partner training.  

How does self-paced training work in the workplace? 

We all know our customers have busy schedules, and it is difficult to coordinate training sessions with them often. This is where self-paced training shines. With self-paced training methods, customers can access the training content about the company and products on the go and helps have flexible learning opportunities in between their tight schedules. 

Additionally, hands-on training that such self-paced environments give make it engaging and effective for them to process maximum information. They can go through virtual environments simulating real-world scenarios and engage with multimedia content to ensure maximum knowledge retention. 

Getting new customers to keep up and learn about the company workflow, products and services can also be a laborious task in a smaller time frame. Self-paced learning is one of the best ways to ensure effective learning and the participants can always go back to the content as well. 

Self-paced training is also a great marketing strategy as it enables customers to engage with the products in their own simulated real-world environments. This helps them figure out how the company can help solve their issues and help them gain the training they require for their needs. With this method of training, it is easy to spot areas of struggle and give them effective feedback.  

What are the advantages of self-paced training? 

There are several advantages of making use of self-paced training in workplaces. These include: 

1. Flexibility: Self-paced training allows learners to complete the course on their own schedule and at their own pace, which makes it easier to fit the training around their work and personal commitments. 
2. Customization: Self-paced training allows learners to customize their learning experience based on their needs and preferences. Learners can focus on the topics they need the most help with and skip over content they already understand. 
3. Increased retention: Self-paced training allows learners to review and repeat content as often as they need to, which can increase retention and improve their understanding of the material. 
4. Cost-effective: Self-paced training is often more cost-effective than instructor-led training, as there are no travel or accommodation expenses, and fewer materials are required. 
5. Accessibility: Self-paced training can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection, which makes it accessible to learners who are in remote areas or who have mobility issues. 

Why use virtual labs for self-paced training? 

Self-paced training is not entirely new in the business world as companies have often provided their customers with learning manuals, instructional videos, and other resources for training. The drawback with this mode of self-paced training is that customers are expected to go through the content on their own terms and this in turn leads to losing sales if the training process is not effective. 

The use of virtual training labs is the most popular solution to this problem and is now being adopted by companies worldwide. This enables virtual self-paced training and is preferred by most managers. Using virtual training labs for your self-paced training courses can ensure effective learning and engaging coursework. Getting feedback and informative analytics also makes it easier to revise the course and tweak marketing campaigns. 

While instructor-led training has its own advantages, the development of cloud-based products and services has changed the course of corporate training. Self-paced training with virtual labs is proving to be more efficient and cost-effective. Other advantages of using virtual labs include instant assessment, participant progress tracking and instructor shadow. Besides, virtual labs make it easier to access self-paced online courses from anywhere as they can be accessed from any machine with an internet connection and a browser.