The AGENDA for this presentation comprehensive, but focuses on delivery models. Later on UOL Publishing and ILINC, will give a demonstration of synchronous and asynchronous models. I will also take you to Eloquent's Gallery to show you a demonstration of their solution.

Customers invest in training to provide their employees the skills to better perform in their jobs. As Elliot Masie puts it, "It is not human resource development, it is a business process and productivity investment."

There is a shift from "use" of software to workplace competencies, (which is really what matters). Many companies are either eliminating or thinning out their internal training staff. It is more fiscally responsible to spend their budget on realistic, as-you-need-it training instead of supporting a staff of trainers.

Human capital is becoming more important to the business competitive advantage. A company can spend considerable funds retraining employees because of lack of skilled employees in the marketplace.

Environment

Relentless Competition

Geographically dispersed

Expensive and Difficult Training Logistics

Because of the frequency of job and role changes, the shortage of skilled workers and the importance of workplace competencies learning is now part of the job, it is merged with the job where you learn continuously.

And the challenge is that technology is constantly changing and the product development cycles are getting shorter and shorter.

In technology, any incremental update, introduction of new features and bug fixes require some updating of skills. It is a phenomenal challenge to keep up. This is well known as the Technology Assimilation Gap. As illustrated in these following slides.

Companies are buying technology to gain a competitive advantage, and the ability to use the technology is business critical!

The introduction of the web in the learning and performance support arena is a promising breakthrough because it reduces capital barriers for distributing learning.

One should take market research data and analysis with a grain of salt. The important thing to notice is the trend in regards to the

1. general internet usage,
2. web-delivered learning projections,
3. as well as technology-mediated education in general.

The art of estimating how many are online throughout the world is an inexact one at best. Surveys abound, using all sorts of measurement parameters. However, from observing many of the published surveys over the last two years, here is an ‘educated guess’ as to how many are online worldwide as of June 1998.

We picked strong reliable market research organizations to show what the perceived trends are from several data sources.

As the slide indicates:

• Phenomenal growth in on-line population
• Total world usage is 122.75 million

In the US, one in three workplace PCs and one in two home PCs access the internet. 45 million PCs accessed the internet in the first q of 98 a rise of 43% from the same period last year. Source: NUA June 1998

There are many companies cropping up that offer online learning to the general public over the "internet", and are gaining popularity. WBT like ZD Education's, ZDU, UOL Publishing and Digital Think (as examples) have reported successes. It is still difficult, however, to judge overall learning effectiveness as there is still no hard data to support.

Although WBT is still young, an IDC report, "distance learning via the web will be the fastest growing segment of technology-based training this year," with the number of business units using internet-based training jumping from 3.2 percent in 1996 to 7 percent in 1997. At an annual compound growth rate of 147 percent, analysts predict that the market for online training will reach $1.7 billion by the year 2000.

I would even be more specific that FOCUS on TRAINING means FOCUS INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN and on the LEARNER

PROBLEM: FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY NOT LEARNING!

The telephone is still the most widely used communications tool. Alexander Graham Bell, however, had different intentions. The purpose of the telephone was to broadcast news and symphonies. It took a lot of convincing and presentation of undeniable evidence before Mr. Bell accepted that the strength of the telephone is as a communication tool.

Similarly, we need to look at the web's strengths to determine the best way to use it in a learning application.

Figuring out which flavor of web-based learning is more effective for a given group of users is only one of the many issues confronted by companies evaluating this method of delivery. A fast growing set of tools even makes it ever more difficult to decide. There's the cutting edge ultra-interactive model, aiming to incorporate sophisticated streaming media and desktop-video-conferencing and live web broadcasts.

There are two primary models used today: synchronous, or (instructor facilitated) and asynchronous, (self directed, self-paced).

There is also "static" vs. "interactive", or "dynamic"

Many static models exist today since simple hyperlinking (electronic page turning) is the most primary form of online delivery and easiest over a 28.8 modem.

There are also other hybrid models helping to link static CD-ROM-based training content to dynamic web content.

As previously mentioned, there are hybrid models. Hybrid models may use both Asynchronous and Synchronous models, or could use a combination of delivery media such as audio and video, the telephone, or have hooks to a CD-ROM-based multimedia CBT.

• Service Oriented - Providing a service to authors and learners.
• UOL Publishing
• Digital Think
• OLA/Oracle
• CertificationNET
• Envoy Global
• Eloquent
• Education Servers - Purchase software agreements or licence.
• Symposium
• Cyberwise
• TopClass
• Kaleidoscope

Autodesk does not distinguish between learning or technical support content. We are primarily concerned with how our users will need the information. They need the information to solve and learn.

Besides the infrastructure itself, there are many enabling technologies, tools, environments and services available today as you have already gotten a glimpse of from the examples previously shown.

No doubt the technology is there to deliver sound instructional design over the web. At Autodesk, we are conducting several pilots to determine which model and instructional design model is most appropriate for our diverse content and audience.

Developing an online course can require the assembly of many types of data forms: text, graphics, animations, video, applets, etc. It also requires an environment or architecture in which it will reside in. Finally, it requires the glue or properties that will facilitate assembling these together.  

Luckily, there are initiatives to develop industry standards.

DOD/ADL Advanced Distributed Learning, www.ADLnet.org

the development of a common technical framework for computer and net-based learning that will foster the creation of re-usable learning content as "instructional objects."

IEEE

Our global challenge is to know how to determine what instructional design model(s) are most appropriate for specific applications. At Autodesk, we have numerous audiences and various purposes we need to address in order to provide online learning. For example we provide technical training on the use and application of complex software for our customers and partners. In addition, sales and marketing training which is technical in nature is important to Autodesk for internal as well as partner use, we also provide internal soft skills for employees and technical skills for engineers.

Margaret Driscoll has been working on determining which flavor of web-based learning is more effective for a given group of users or subject matter. Ms. Driscoll is an Instructional Designer working currently on her dissertation. An excerpt of her study can be found at www.gracespace.com/weblearn/state.htm

2. Media & Location Neutral
Common User Interface

Although the web has presented us with innovative ways to deliver learning, web-based learning delivery is not the be-all-end-all. Instructor-led training will not go away, and in many cases still the most effective and appropriate way of delivering training. Again, I will repeat that it is important to determine the appropriate method of education delivery based on the audience and the content. FOCUS ON THE LEARNER!

Certainly having learning at your fingertips anytime, any day and anywhere -just when you want it, just when you need it, is an attractive proposition. Learning online should not just be taking the traditional instructor-centered paradigm and broadcast it over the Internet. The Internet will do an excellent job in extending the access of courses to millions who would not have been able to otherwise. And I will dispute what some say "the only kind of learning in a virtual environment is virtual learning." Although as I mentioned there is yet no hard data specific to WBT learner effectiveness, there is approximately 50 years of research showing that individuals learn as well or better via distance education as they do in an ILT setting.

Online learning should be an enriched learning environment that integrates the networked delivery of multimedia learning materials with asynchronous and synchronous conversations within learning communities of students, content and mentors.

The best way of learning is invisible. Some of the skills and knowledge we have has been gained by experience, by doing without even realizing it as a learning experience.