Online Training

Online training includes various forms of instruction such as distance learning and virtual education. If a person opts for online training, he/she will be studying from material provided to them across the internet or as digital coursework on a CD or equivalent. The goal is to enable students to learn from anywhere convenient for them. This can be from their homes, their community library or literally any place that has a computer and an internet connection. 
Modes of Online Training

Online training is different from face-to-face classroom situations. The students are provided material and have to study it and complete assigned projects. To make up for the absent teacher and the classroom environment, online training courses involve a lot of interactive platforms where students can bring forth any problems they might be having with understanding the course or to have informed discussions about the topic currently being covered. Therefore, many instruction modes have been developed so that the experience of a classroom is not entirely lost and that learning is optimized in the students. Online training courses simulate virtual classrooms and audio, video and animated files along with electronic textbooks may aid in the learning process. Many virtual platforms have been developed to make online training as interactive and effective as possible. These are collectively known as Learning Management Systems (LMS). Some of these platforms are:

• Moodle;
• Blackboard;
• OLAT;
• WebCT;
• JoomlaLMS;
• SharepointLMS;
• WebEx; and
• Second Life.

LMS allow instructors to upload lecture videos and other multimedia files along with text for the coursework. 
Advantages of Online Training
There are many advantages to online training. The first is that there is no space constraint. An online training course can be taken from anywhere where there is a computer and an internet connection available. This makes it very attractive for people who cannot leave home for multiple reasons such as their own health and children or a convalescing family member whom they have to look after.
Also most online training is very flexible and the students are allowed to create their own schedules and deadlines. Some courses may demand that a person spends a specified number of hours per day at the same time every day, but usually students are allowed to choose their own timings and routines. They can take longer to complete online training than they would have a traditional training or they may even finish it earlier than traditionally because they do not have to ‘wait up’ for the rest of the class. 
Also, since the cost of travel and accommodation are not present in online training, these courses are also relatively cheaper than usual training courses. Some people might have to invest in a computer to take these courses but that is a long term investment, and one that is very useful even after the training is finished.
Popular Courses for Online Training
Some of the online training courses that are really popular are:

• Languages;
• Graphic Design;
• Web Design and Development;
• Computer Programming;
• Accounting;
• Education; and
• Healthcare diplomas.