Uses of the Web in Training

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Take a look at a Web site from a college or university and you'll see that there is much more to Web-based training than just an online course. You'll see such things as catalogs, schedules, and forms. With these, you can begin to see how some of the Web's advantages can come into play.

Consider an online course catalog. Students on campus, remote students, as well as prospective students can view the catalog's contents. Printing and postage costs are reduced and the information is readily available. With the online forms, students can register for a course or order books. Time from travel is saved, less time spent on the phone as a result of fewer calls, and hardcopy forms are reduced, Administration becomes more efficient with the benefits gained.

What else can we use the Web for? Glad you asked. Consider some of these:

• catalogs
• class schedules
• reading lists
• videos and sound clips
• courseware and curriculum materials
• lesson plans
• training manuals
• registration and order forms
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• questionnaires
• instructor and student lists

There are many more possibilities. We'll cover a few of these here to give you an idea or three as to how some of these can be used.

Catalogs
In order to reflect changes in printed catalogs a new batch must be printed. For example, instructor changes may occur and courses canceled. Online catalogs can contain such last-minute changes and at the same time reducing the costs required to print new copies. Catalogs normally contain the course name, course number, the instructor, times, etc. They can also contain graphics and links. Links can be made to related information, instructor home pages, and texts.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
This is one tools that will benefit students, instructors, and the administrative staff. A FAQ is a list of commonly asked questions and their answers. Posting FAQs provide ready answers to the student. FAQs also reduce the amount of time spent in answering questions; students and staff can concentrate on getting down to business.

Some of the items you may want to post are:

• procedures for registering for a class
• procedures for dropping a class and penalties that may be incurred
• any fees that may be required
• dates to be aware of
  • last date to register
  • cutoff dates for adding, dropping or changing a course
  • dates that fees are due
  • class start and stop dates
• information as to whether registration to a class, outside of the student's discipline is allowed
• financial aid policies
• library services
• office hours of administration and instructors

As you can with the catalog, links can be provided to catalogs, regulations, and forms.

Lesson Plans, Courseware, and Curriculum Materials
Keeping courseware, lesson plans, and other curriculum materials online encourages collaboration and simplifies the design and revision of materials. Also, for courses taught at several sites, corrections and additions to material on the server ensures that up-to-date information is always available to all sites. Printing and shipping costs are reduced and time-lag is eliminated. Also, consistency is achieved.

Here's a small list of what can be made available:

• create libraries of video and sound clips for use in courses
• provide links to:
  • subject-related sites
  • research sites
  • newsgroups
  • libraries
  • databases
  • lesson plan repositories
• in-house written plans and texts
• product manuals

Forms
Less expensive than printing hardcopy forms, and certainly more efficient than paper shuffling, online forms are a great way to increase productivity.

Some of the forms to consider using are:

• course registration and withdrawal forms
• questionnaires
• bookstore ordering forms
• library checkout forms
• course review forms

Using online forms eliminates a trip to administration and time on the phone. Also, costs in printing several types of forms are reduced.

Online questionnaires encourage feedback from students and faculty alike. You can ask for feedback on nearly any subject.

USENet News
USENet News discussions as well as other Internet educational resources, that pertain to your subject, can be downloaded and used in a course. Students, as well as staff, while reducing cruising time, will keep up with current trends in their field of interest.

Videos and Soundclips
Presentations and courseware can come alive with the addition of videos and soundclips, enhancing the learning experience. For example, a history class covering World War II could contain a video of MacArthur's beach landing or a speech from General Eisenhower.

Presentations
Well suited for corporate training environments and schools alike, presentations can be easily created, updated, and shared with a considerable savings in time and effort. A presentation can be put to great use as a supplement in lectures and the same material can be used in summary or sales meetings.

This should give you some idea as to how you can make the Web work for you. There is much more than what's listed here; you're limited only by your imagination.

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Last Modified: February, 2005