The course subject may be digital marketing, but good old face to face classroom training scores over virtual sessions according to students as well as industry sources. There are several reasons for this.

The comfort of familiarity  Barring a few instances, students—especially in countries like India where digital-marketing is gaining popularity as a viable vocation— come straight from high school with very little proficiency in the subject or digital space in general.

If understanding topics discussed by teachers and professors in school or college are difficult, consider how much more daunting it appears to students to sit alone in front of the computer, struggling to keep up while the lecturer drones on.

Patchy connectivity even if you do manage to get past any nervousness about interacting with your teacher virtually, you still need to contend with internet connectivity. Except for the metros, connectivity in smaller towns and villages—where the bulk of digital marketing students come from—is jumpy at the best of times. A slow, ever-buffering or lost connection means leads to lost or lowered focus on the subject being discussed. Sure you can always check out the topic from the archives later—but statistics show that almost nobody bothers. The ones that do, consult Google and only when the need to understand the topic in question arises. Which,  of course, is usually too late.

Shared experiences Anyone who has ever crammed before a test knows how invaluable friends can be in helping crack difficult concepts or passages from text books. The same logic wins through in any classroom setting. In addition to impromptu consultations with friends before and after class, students are also more likely to ask for clarifications on any previously discussed topics when in the reassuring presence of their colleagues. Another advantage is that the connections you make during the course often grow stronger in the days that follow as students begin to put their learning’s to work, helping individuals network for better jobs as well as tackle work-related issues.

What was that again? Despite our status as the largest English speaking population in the world, Indians are notoriously inept at understanding ‘English’ accents—be it US, British, or, God forbid, European. Which means, even in the very unlikely case that the lecturer is a world class expert in the topic on hand, it’s all going to waste if students cannot understand what is being said.

Inertia The road to hell is said to be paved with good intentions; intending to start, continue or complete a course is never enough. Too many students begin with great enthusiasm which slowly ebbs as the course progresses and topics start getting more involved. This is when the shared energy of a classroom can make all the difference; just turning up for class knowing your program-mates are counting on your presence can be the motivation you need to win through.