In organizations worldwide, talent development functions—which many companies refer to as learning and development (L&D)—are giving new meaning and flexibility to traditional ideas about instructor-led training. Knowledgeable professionals still lead classes, and those classes still take place in real time. But increasingly, virtual classrooms have made it possible for learners and instructors to be face-to-face through computer monitors, and employees receiving training may attend class in a different country or even on different continents.

Virtual classrooms allow instructors and learners in different locations to interact in real time with the help of technology. “There are many potential areas of positive impact with virtual or digital classrooms,” observes Martha Soehren, chief talent development officer (CTDO) and senior vice president of Comcast. “We can reach geographically dispersed learners by connecting classrooms across the United States, and achieve economies of scale in training when a functional group hires in small numbers. That means virtual and digital learning capabilities drive efficiencies in the business, not just in learning.” Soehren and other talent development leaders also pointed to virtual learning’s ability to “meet learners where they want to learn,” providing information that can be consumed in small bites and helping employees build proficiency faster.

To gauge the roles virtual classrooms are playing in employee learning today, ATD and i4cp collaborated on Virtual Classrooms Now: Using Technology to Reach Today’s Workforces. Of the 670 talent development leaders who responded to the survey fielded in April 2016, more than half represented global or multinational organizations employing 1,000 or more workers and operating in varied industries, including healthcare, education, financial services, business services, aerospace, and banking. Participants held positions spanning the leadership spectrum from manager to board level. Interviews with talent development leaders from top companies in May and June supplemented the survey findings.

For the purpose of the study, ATD Research and i4cp define virtual classrooms (or virtual instructor-led training) as a live, instructor-led classroom environment facilitated with technology that enables learners to participate remotely through video conferencing, internet meeting rooms, or other tools. Survey questions are applied to virtual classrooms that are conducted synchronously, with instructors and learners interacting in real time.

Here’s a look at a few key findings from the report:

Virtual classrooms are well-established and thriving.

Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of organizations (and 70 percent of high-performance companies) use virtual classrooms for employee learning. Almost two-thirds of current users anticipate that usage to increase during the coming year. Further, 22 percent of all participants are not currently using virtual classrooms, but plan to add them within two years’ time.

With virtual classrooms, more is better—greater extent of use and higher performance are connected.

For organizations, when a greater percentage of learning programs are virtual only, there are positive correlations to market performance and learning effectiveness. The same relationships applied when use of virtual classrooms as part of a blended delivery approach increased.

High-performance organizations use virtual classrooms to build workers’ agility.

Only 18 percent of organizations in the Study, and just 23 percent of high-performance companies, reported implementing virtual classrooms to help employees develop agility. However, significant correlations to market performance and learning effectiveness make this driver of virtual classroom use a next practice in organizational learning.

Virtual classrooms are talent development’s answer to the learning demands of globalization and dispersed workplaces.

Delivering learning to scattered audiences and saving training-related travel costs were top reasons for virtual classroom use (cited by more than eight of 10 respondents). Reaching larger audiences and getting training to them faster are two other leading motivators.

Bottom line: Among today’s high-performance companies (and even among mid-range and lower-performers) virtual classrooms are widely used and recognized for their effectiveness in talent development.  “Really engaging virtual learning can be a very cost-effective competitive tool,” observes Amy Rouse, a director at AT&T University. “A good strategy combined with reliable and robust technology requires far fewer instructors to train the same employee population, limits or eliminates travel for instructors and learners, and doesn’t even necessarily require classroom facilities. Most learning organizations are cost centers, so reducing expense while maintaining learner engagement and learning outcomes is a key business driver for adding virtual learning to an organization’s suite of learning programs.”

For more insights into how organizations are using  virtual classrooms to engage learners, check out the new report from ATD Research and i4cp, Virtual Classrooms Now: Using Technology to Reach Today's Workforces.