Selecting Distance Learning Technologies

Example 1: Collaborative Training Environment

This week we are selecting a real life example of a scenario where technology is needed.For this week’s blog I am considering the example listed below:

A new automated staff information system was recently purchased by a major corporation and needs to be implemented in six regional offices. Unfortunately, the staff is located throughout all the different offices and cannot meet at the same time or in the same location. As an instructional designer for the corporation, you have been charged with implementing a training workshop for these offices. As part of the training, you were advised how imperative it is that the staff members share information, in the form of screen captures and documents, and participate in ongoing collaboration.

Considering there are six regional offices that need training and that geography and time are training problems in this business.  I decided that using the Cisco WebEx meeting application would be a good technology to meet business needs for this scenario. WebEx let people meet online share information and collaborate (Cisco, 2011). Even though this technology is costly for a business that requires training and they have offices in different locations, it is worth the investment.

WebEx offers many features for communicating that benefit everyone. One of them is that everyone can meet via the web application at any time. Web conferencing offers three main features; a web meeting area, web training and support services.  The Cisco serve allows you to train up to 1000 people at a time. The training center has tool to evaluate the training and it runs reports. The training center offers high quality video integrated audio and multimedia sharing (Cisco, 2011). The training center offers assessments which are always an important tool for an instructional designer, in order to measure the effectiveness of training.

One of the interesting things that I found that the training center offers is break out session in where the trainer can divide people in to groups for brain storming.  Instructors can share power points, videos or any type of documents. Students can join the conferences via a phone bridge or VOIP.

One of the companies that use WebEx successfully is TalktoCanada.com. The company’s core business is offering English language training to individual clients or businesses. They use to train their instructors and also to interact with their clients. Since they decided to use WebEx they have been able to establish relationship ships all over the world. Instructors and students find that WebEx is an easy and highly functional tool to use.

Glen Raven manufactures fabrics globally. They realized that they need to offer new hire training for the new employees and that it was not cost effective to travel every time training was needed.  Cisco was a good match for them because they supported the Glen Raven’s current router and all existing networks (Cisco, 2011). The company saved a lot of money and gained more customers after using WebEx.

Please click on the link below to view an example of an instructor using WebEx.
http://youtu.be/N8ZiT3hL5kw

Another choice that maybe a small company would prefer because the cost is less than WebEx could be Skytap. In the Skytap environment the trainings would occur in a cloud. With Skytap you can set up virtual classrooms and you can also create a library with all the training material the student will need for the training. One of the great benefits is that remote access is through the internet and the students or employees can log in from anywhere as long as they have internet connectivity. 

Skytap also offers labs in the classroom area where students can complete activities that relate to the training. With Skytap it is easy for the trainer to help out the student. If the student needs help the instructor and the student can view class room at the same time and see exactly what the student is seeing without having to share. Instructors can always reuse a classroom and easily change the content of the class area without having to go through tech  support. A company that used Skytap successfully is VDIworks. VDI works core business is to create and manage virtual desktops  (Skytap.com, 2011). Since they acquired the training tool, they lowered their travel cost, the time it took them to set up a classroom reduced.  They were also able to collaborate with clients across the world.

Click on the link below to see an example of the Skytap technology
http://www.skytap.com/solutions/virtual-training/

Both distance learning technologies that I selected provide the core benefits a distance learning program should provide; 24 access, the student can participate from anywhere and they both can save money and time (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2009).


References:
Cisco. (2011, November 16). Web conferencing. Retrieved November 16, 2011, from Cisco:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/hmpgs/index.html

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance:

Foundations of distance education (4 ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.


Skytap.com. (2011, August 1). Customers. Retrieved November 18, 2011, from Skytap.com:

http://www.skytap.com/customers