Classroom or Online?

Another question that I get asked quite often is whether or not a teen should be signed up for traditional classroom driver’s ed training or online training.  Teen drivers can now complete their classroom driver’s education training online, so for the busy teen and their family the online training might be a good fit.  Whether or not the online training is a good fit for your teenager can depend on several different factors.

Personally I feel better about having teens go through the actual classroom training because then they can actually be involved with a class, ask questions to a real live instructor, have active discussions with other students. etc.  But, having said that, if your teen is a good student and has had good experiences learning things online, it might be a good fit.  Some students just don’t do real well with online training of any type, and others do just fine.  The online training is very similar in content to the classroom training.  The DOT (Department of Transportation) requires everyone to cover the same basic topics in their classroom, and the DOT reviews all classroom outlines, so whether they take the training online or they take it in person it should be similar,  I would be more concerned about the integrity of the company offering the training than I would about the difference between online and classroom training.  I think a good quality company that keeps it’s materials and instructors up to date. has high standards a strong ethical position and has ties to the local community will always do a better job of training your teen than some of the less ethical organizations that are more concerned with making a buck than they are with providing high quality training.

There are some procedural differences between taking the traditional classroom and taking the online classroom.  With the traditional classroom, the students may have the opportunity to take the signs and knowledge test in the classroom if they choose the right driver’s education school.  With the online classroom, the student will be tested online to be sure that they are learning what they are being taught, but they still need to take the signs and knowledge test at the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles).  Again, whether or not this matters probably depends on the student.  If they are good students and good test takers, it probably won’t make a difference.  If they are nervous about the test and unsure of the material covered it might be a big deal.  Another difference is that the online schools and the school that your teen will take their behind the wheel lessons with will be two different driving schools in the eyes of the DOT.  This means that your online school can’t provide you with the signed MV3001 form that your teen needs to get their temps.  With the online school you will get a classroom completion certificate with an authorization code on it.  You must then register and pay for behind the wheel lessons at a brick and mortar driver’s education school, provide them the classroom completion certificate and get them to sign an MV3001 form so that you can go to the DMV to get their temps.  With the traditional classroom, many of these steps are taken care of for you, but the student does need to be present in the classroom.

If you do decide to do the classroom training online, be sure to check to make sure that the online school is licensed in Wisconsin.  There are a lot of different options on the internet and I don’t want to see you get ripped off.