I went to an Excel seminar from a national company yesterday- one without any computers to practice on. They all give the same reasons for not using computers- “Computers will just slow the class down”, “More material will be covered” and “You already know how to turn the computer on and hit enter.” And don’t forget to buy a book or cd from the back of the room.
My response? As someone who has taught both hands-on and hands-off Excel classes, I do not believe students will learn how to do nearly as much without a computer to practice on. What good is it to see a quick review of features if you can’t practice them to lock them into memory? In my opinion, the two real reasons companies don’t use computers are to keep costs low (for the company) and to sell books and training CDs that attendees wouldn’t necessarily need if the classes were more effective.
Jared Hawk is a professional Excel Seminar Trainer and Consultant in Boise, ID. He is also a contributing author to www.masterthebusiness.com and IdahoCLE.com