Most instruction in traditional learning institutions, such as colleges, emphasizes instructors teaching from in front of a classroom of students (ILT), with eLearning supplementing at times. In corporate training, eLearning is more prevalent, but the greatest investment of resources remains in ILT curriculum.

Workers tend to prefer ILT to eLearning. ILT is considered a perk, because it provides a break from the monotony of the standard work week, and allows for valuable opportunities to interact with peers. When learners spend time together in a classroom, they have opportunities to share "war stories" from the front lines, and in doing so disseminate valuable lessons learned. Experienced instructors may use a variety of techniques to enhance the experience, including skills at drawing out the knowledge and experience of the students.

One downside of ILT is the cost. One week of ILT in the corporate world, including typical travel arrangements, costs approximately $4000 per student -- and that doesn't include the employee’s salary and lost productivity.

Best practices for the development and delivery of instructor-led training include the following:

• The best mix of presentation and hands on is approximately 45 minutes of presentation followed by 30 minutes of hands on. One or two brief instructor-led demonstrations can be incorporated into the presentation session. A short break should be included between the presentation and the exercise.

• Recognize that a professional trainer can add to the overall experience of the students in a variety of ways. Often, the same person who develops training will deliver the training. In such cases, that person may have weaknesses as either a developer or a presenter. People who are good at presenting often do not have the patience to develop thorough materials. So in general, a best practice is to have Instructional Designers develop materials and Instructors present the materials.

• For highly technical training, a trainer with a good breadth of technical expertise will often be able to provide a more satisfying experience.

• Consideration of the entry skills of students is best done, in practice, by making reasonable assumptions about the skills of the mid-performing student, and assuming that each class will include high, mid, and low skill sets among learners.  Construct the exercises so they are challenging (but doable) by mid performing students. High performing students will typically complete these activities easily, while low performing students will require some assistance from the instructor. When feasible, all information needed to complete an activity should be in the presentation materials.

• If a learning objective requires many precise steps, include instructions that walk the students through the steps. Clearly, this is not an ideal solution in the sense that students can learn more deeply when they are required to solve problems rather than follow steps, but in practice it may be necessary to ensure that students complete the exercise.

• Introduction of a simulation scenario can be effective, but this approach is not always feasible. Training for computer hardware and software should usually emphasize objectives that demonstrate that the students can complete specific tasks on their own, and therefore interactive scenarios involving multiple students may not be the best approach. Exercises that involve multiple students can result in low-performing students holding back the faster learners.