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Online schools are proving to be one of the biggest success stories on the Web. For companies whose employees need to upgrade their computer skills, commercially available Web-based courses offer several advantages. There is no need to find instructors or classrooms, of course. Nor is it necessary to install and maintain instructional software on an internal network or server. Like computer-based training in general, Web-based courses also offer flexibility. Another plus: curriculum support. The breadth of subject matter accessible via Web-based training is expanding monthly.
UNTIL RECENTLY, MIKE BOYLE WAS A RESEARCH CHEMIST DEVELOPING NEW TYPES OF POLYMERIC MATERIALS THAT INTERACT WITH LIGHT IN NOVEL AND USEFUL WAYS. THEN HE BEGAN USING THE WORLD WIDE WEB TO COMMUNICATE with colleagues and to keep up on the latest advances in materials science. Soon he became involved in developing a Web site aimed at improving technology transfer between his laboratory and the non-research world.
As work on the Web site progressed, Boyle found he needed to learn to program in Perl (a language used by Web-site developers to create "routines," such as allowing visitors to use a password to register). A self-directed learner, he read books on Perl and taught himself some of its capabilities, but he was struggling to understand more about how Perl interacted with a Web server. Then he happened upon O'Reilly Publications' Web-based training course in Perl programming. "It seemed to be exactly what I needed," he says. "I could access the class when I had time, go through the material at my own pace, review material at leisure, and skip over material I already knew."
And that, in a nutshell, is the attraction of online schools for technical skills. Whether employees need to learn Microsoft Access, upgrade their network skills, or get their Novell certification, the Web may be the answer.
Such online schools are proving to be one of the biggest success stories on the Web. 3Com Corp.'s educational marketing group in Santa Clara, CA, and Sun University (the internal training arm of Sun Microsystems Inc. of Mountain View, CA) are now large-scale users of O'Reilly courses, says Marshall Crawford, CEO of O'Reilly Publishing's online partner, Digital Education Systems. US West's 50,ooo employees use DigitalThink's online courses for IT training, as do employees of Cambridge Technology Partners, Motorola and JP Morgan.
Several online schools stand out as bellwethers in the world of Web-based technical training (see box page 37). At these schools, students can learn software applications by interacting with simulations and applying concepts, getting real-time feedback and hands-on preparation for networking certification exams. They can also discuss projects, problems and ideas with other students and instructors in online chat rooms.
For companies whose employees need to upgrade their computer skills, commercially available Web-based courses offer several advantages. There's no need to find instructors or classrooms, of course. Nor is it necessary to install and maintain instructional software on an internal network or server.
Like computer-based training (CBT) in general, Web-based courses also offer flexibility. Except for real-time scheduled chats, employees can access classes on their computers anytime, at work or at home. And, like any kind of CBT, online courses allow employees to concentrate on their individual learning needs-they can skip ahead if they already know the material.
Another plus: curriculum support. The vendor provides the instructors who visit chat rooms, give students feedback on assignments and so on. The human factor-the option to interact with a real live person-is the single greatest advantage of Web-based training over traditional CBT, says Steve Zahm, vice president of marketing at DigitalThink.
If you think online classes are nothing but boring page-turners, check out a couple. Many provide hands-on practice. At O'Reilly, for example, students can log on to a virtual computer lab (housed on a live server), practice writing code, and immediately see the results of their code displayed. At DigitalThink and ZD University, online simulations let students practice new software skills.
The breadth of subject matter accessible via Web-based training is expanding monthly. ZD University currently offers a variety of classes in programming, computer theory and applications. It teaches students how to use business software programs. It provides classes in networking, Website construction, and the use of graphic-design software.
O'Reilly offers courses in Web-site construction, design and application technologies, network administration and programming languages. It also allows corporate users to customize courses-i.e., a company can add its own procedures to a course or have its own special bulletin board. DigitalThink offers training on a broad range of software, as well as courses that prepare students for Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer exams. At UOL Publishing, technically oriented offerings include classes in AutoCAD, telecommunications, data communications, Iso 9ooo, computer applications and programming, as well as less-technical courses in business and academic subjects. Cyberstate University and Scholars.com prepare students to pass Novell, Microsoft and Internet Telephony certification tests with interactive online tutorials followed by hands-on practice in virtual labs.
Pricing for these online courses varies greatly, depending on the subject matter, the provider, and the customer's volume. At ZD University, individuals pay only $69 for a year's subscription to all software tutorials. At Cyberstate University, some certification programs cost nearly $3,000. DigitalThink charges $325 for sixmonths' access to most courses; the fee includes online support from a live instructor. Corporations can negotiate volume discount agreements, in which cost savings depend on the number of students to be enrolled.
One note of caution before you leap to a specific online instructional solution: Courses vary greatly in the amount of learning material delivered online. At DigitalThink and O'Reilly, all you need is on the Web. At University Online, Cyberstate University, Scholars.com, and in some ZD University classes, some materials (from books to videos to CDs) are sent to students by mail; students may even need to install software. Youll want to investigate ease of use before you decide which classes to provide for employees.
JUDY ARMSTRONG is an independent instructional designer and trainer in Tiburon, CA.
Copyright Bill Communications Jan 1999