Why e-Learning?

The times, they are a'changin' -Bob Dylan

Traditionally, people have learned in one of two ways, either through formal classroom training or on the job (OJT).

Corporate America has been using a great deal of classroom training. But this approach is extremely expensive and inefficient. A company's sales force, for example, may be spread across continents and time zones. It is often impractical or impossible to get everyone in the same classroom at the same time. The learning is also limited by the knowledge of the instructor and the receptiveness of the audience during the session.

"OJT" is the most common form of training used in corporate America; however, this 'bootleg' training is not standardized, and there is no way to know how qualified your staff is to teach someone else. Look in the cubicle next to you, right now. Is that person really qualified to teach?

The times are changing, though. Due to economic conditions and the strides in internet technology, corporations are exploring the use of web-based alternatives.

What is e-Learning and a Learning Management System (LMS)?

Knowledge Direct™ WEB -- an LMS for the real world.

Is Knowledge Direct WEB right for me?

What is e-Learning?

e-Learning a very effective alternative or companion to other training approaches. e-Learning uses text, graphics, audio, video and/or interactivity to deliver training over the internet to a desktop or a mobile device. Since more users have access to increased bandwidth, this delivery method is becoming increasingly popular. Just as e-commerce has made shopping more convenient, e-Learning is making learning more convenient.

What is a Learning Management System (LMS)?

A PowerPoint presentation on "How to Sell," for example, could serve as a learning module. But that module isn't very effective without the following functions:
* student registration and enrollment
* user-specific access to the appropriate modules
* student completion status and tracking
* student testing

These functions are provided by a Learning Management System, or LMS.

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Knowledge Direct WEB -- an LMS for the real world.

Knowledge Direct WEB is a Learning Management System for the real world. It enables you or your in-house, non-technical staff to easily create, administer and monitor web-based training programs.

--- Content Creation ----

Knowledge Direct WEB is so simple that within minutes, your staff can set up a new course and enable online registration, so that students can start learning right away.

Knowledge Direct includes "Direct-to-WEB" -- PowerPoint integration that enables you to create your e-Learning using Microsoft PowerPoint. Either create new presentations or update existing ones, then enhance the learning by inserting "Knowledge Direct WEB games" and "Knowledge Direct WEB questions." Direct-to-WEB automatically converts the content into a learning object for upload into Knowledge Direct WEB.

--- Content Management ----

Created using role-based security, Knowledge Direct WEB separates the content from sensitive student data. Administrators can create Content Manager roles, who have the ability to create the instruction and assessments, but do not have access to student records. The Administrator login allows access to student records and pre-built reports.

--- Student Features --

The built-in assessment features enable content developers to add or edit tests, capture student surveys and view completion reports. The 'Discuss' functionality enables students or Content Managers to create an online "blog" or discussion group related to the instruction. Knowledge Direct WEB is also fully searchable.

-- Administrative Features --

Most LMS systems are extremely expensive, complicated to use, and require a full-time staff to administer.

Knowledge Direct WEB is affordable, offering multiple pricing options. It's extremely easy to use, even for non-technical users, and includes all the components needed to create modules, enable online student registration and track completions using detailed web-based reports. The application includes built-in templates to make administration simple and automatic.

Knowledge Direct WEB uses "push" technology to serve up the specific training modules a student needs. As a turnkey system, it takes the complexity out of administering and creating e-Learning courses. The application enables training, sales & marketing, and HR personnel to build and manage their own modules.

The 'private label' feature allows administrators to offer 'company' specific training courses. This gives companies who want to create and market training to other departments or companies an easy e-Learning production platform.

The built-in assessment tool enables non-technical content developers to create assessments using standard question types or interactive Flash-based activities. These activities include matching, drag-and-drop and identification style games. The Flash is created automatically by entering form fields. No coding is required!

Find out more about Knowledge Direct WEB.

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Is Knowledge Direct WEB right for me?

For the Executive, Knowledge Direct WEB means lowering your total cost of ownership, by greatly reducing the administration time and allowing you to easily share content in a variety of formats in other courses. This also means that you can speed up deployments and use an in-house, non-technical staff to create courseware.

For the Administrator, Knowledge Direct WEB provides the flexibility of providing enrollment and registration online, leveraging an eCommerce model, or pre-populating student registrations from existing client databases, including Student Information Systems or a corporate LDAP server. Hands-free administration means that once the training templates are set up, the administrative work is done, and all new students who register are instantly set up in the system with the required courses. Administrators have access to pre-built web reports. Or, they can download database extracts for import into Excel or other reporting software. Instantly send broadcast e-mail messages to specific student types or set automatic triggers to e-mail students alerting them to new modules.

For Content Managers, Knowledge Direct WEB reduces the learning curve, allowing them to import content from just about any file type. The Direct-to-WEB feature enables Content Managers to create modules in Microsoft PowerPoint, then convert them to SCORM-conformant learning objects. The output files are assembled for upload into Knowledge Direct WEB. The utility compiles all of the bookmarking and SCORM data. Content Managers can then create standard assessments or Flash activities, such as drag-and-drop and matching. Built-in editing controls enable Content Managers to edit module content, assessments or the interactive games, by simply editing form fields on a web page.

For the IT Manager, Knowledge Direct WEB is built using a JAVA-based application scalable to a large enterprise environment. The application uses a Microsoft SQL 2000 database and can support external media servers. The Knowledge Direct WEB application can be mirrored based on load balancing to support multiple simultaneous users and an unlimited number of students, courses, and instances of the application.

For the Learner, Knowledge Direct WEB provides a learner-based environment with special features to ensure student success. It includes many student features that enhance the learning process. These include the ability to add course tools and references, FAQs, establish online discussions and create games-based learning activities. Because Knowledge Direct WEB is highly flexible, these course enhancements can be added by your staff over time, after the go-live date.

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