Tim Kilby, M.F.A. - What Constitutes Quality in Web-Based Training?

It is all too easy to be captivated by technology and loose sight of the goals of online learning. Most would agree that ultimately the quality of training is more important than server specs, codecs, and plug-ins. Of course, we cannot ignore the technical realities of the medium, but technical perfection is worthless if learning objectives are not met. This session will focus on measures of quality for web-based training from the perspectives of users, designers/developers, and managers. What makes some WBT superior to all the rest? That's what we will explore in this session.

Following a presentation of some quality measure issues, participants will help develop a definition of quality as it applies to their domain. Participants will look at a few online learning examples requiring different evaluation criteria and develop a checklist that can be useful in their own projects. Expect a lively discussion.

Kord Kutchins, M.A. - Case Study: Building a Case for Continued Investment in Corporate Online Learning

As one of the world's leaders in enterprise storage technologies, this company sells highly sophisticated computer storage systems and software. With revenues from under $200 million eight years ago to over $4 billion today, this company was facing its greatest challenge in educating an enterprise-wide audience of thousands of individual customers, partners and employees on their hardware and software products. With this kind of rapid growth and increased demand for information on their products, leveraging online learning for strategically delivered training and education became a business-critical mission. The purpose of this session will be to examine the strategic implementation of an enterprise-wide approach to delivering both corporate and product knowledge using online learning. Some of the highlights of this session will include:

• developing a business case for the value of a learning technologies approach to enterprise-wide, product training that was in alignment with corporate strategy.
• securing initial funding to build and populate an online infrastructure.
• creating a framework for buy-in and "value-add" perception from cross-functional, upper management.
• creating a consistent methodology and a game plan for leveraging cross-functional expertise from mid-level management stakeholders.
• launching a company-wide, new hire program leveraging online learning.
• delivering product training using a Partner’s Extranet.
• building a case for continued investment using online tracking and basic ROI calculations.

This session will focus on several areas of this strategic implementation including executive and mid-level management positioning, "value-add" messaging and selling and overall corporate benefits and returns. Within the first seven months of launching the online learning environment, there were over 11,500 users accessing over 30 web-based training modules in content areas supporting HR, product marketing, sales, engineering, professional services, IS and partner’s training.

Maggie Martinez, Ph.D. - Design Perspectives for Successful Learning on the Web

It is not enough today to simply create instructional solutions with a "one-size-fits-all approach. Designers and developers must build instuctional solutions that encourage learners and performers to stay competitive with successful lifelong learning skills. Successful learners have a special learning orientation and skills that help them continually adapt to the challenges in today's business environment and transform knowledge and skills into greater expertise. They deliberately and proactively set goals, meet schedules, refine strategies, sequence tasks, take risks, enjoy challenges, solve problems, and then regularly monitor progress to improve performance.

Research shows that if you can match environments to an individual's passions, intentions, and ability to learn, you can help them be more successful. This presentation offers explanations about individual learning differences, mass customization, and ISD guidelines for matching environments for more successful learning. By focusing on key learner-difference variables, these insights offer simple ways to enhance instructional designs and presentations so that they instill the right habits for continuous, enjoyable learning and performance improvement.

Robin Mason, Ph.D. - Appropriate Forms of Assessment for Online Courses

In this session, I will focus on the growing awareness that traditional forms of assessment (examinations, written essays, multiple choice questions) are not appropriate for the online environment. The reasons for this are varied but include the following: the even greater ease with which students can 'cheat' by obtaining essay answers online, the problem of identifying the distance-taught student and assuring it is their work and finally the total inadequacy of multiple choice questions as a way of testing the outcomes of online learning.

The constructivist environment which is typical of most online courses cries out for a complete re-think of the nature and the content of assessment. Group assignments, peer marking, credit for online participation, use of online messages in assignments will all be discussed as indications of the direction in which current practice is moving.

Patti Shank, MA Ed. - Strategies for Facilitating Asynchronous Instructor-led Online Courses

The nay-sayers say that online courses can't be as good as in-person courses. Their rationale: It's not possible to have the type of interaction online that is possible in person. Agree or disagree? I'll tell you up front that I disagree... but only if the course is designed for interaction and collaboration and is facilitated well.

In this session, we'll talk about types of interaction, tools for interaction, and facilitation behaviors that make an asynchronous online course come alive. And...We'll work our way towards discussing how online courses can often be even better even than in-person courses!

Harvi Singh - Implementing Enterprise Learning Management Systems

As organizations begin to migrate from Web Based Training (WBT) pilot projects to more established technology based learning programs the need for well-defined and systemic enterprise learning systems becomes more apparent.