chrispete:Actually, I'm about to take my private pilot checkride and most of the ground training nowadays is done via multimedia CD's or DVD's, even for more advanced certificates such as instrument or commercial. Basically you do the lesson at home, meet with the instructor, ask any questions and then fly the lesson.
I took the FAA written exam 15 years ago and had two days actual classroom time before taking it. I did self-study from the book for a year. I ended up leaving for college before getting to the oral so I'll have to retake the written if I want a license. I purchased the DVD self study materials to do so. I didnt see PADI on the cover so it must not be an exclusive belief that people can learn from a book without having it read to them.
In college there were many students who learned better by self-study. Personally I liked lectures but they were usually much less informative than the self-study. The purpose of lecture is to validate the self-study and to query an expert. I also tested out of some college courses. I guess that I shouldnt have been allowed to learn on my own.
As long as PADI validates the essential materials have been learned, I have no problem with not requiring a classroom lecture. On the dives Id like to see some changes but Im fine with self-study instead of classroom.