Riding The E-Learning Curve

The Onlive Live hits the sweetest spot. It’s convenient, but at the same time, I get custom. I get my question answered by a live person,’ Albin said.

A word to the wise for those responsible for certification programs: Give the people what they want. Increasingly, that means adding an online training component.

\

\

When it comes to styles of instruction, the CRN Training and Certification Survey showed 30 percent of solution providers prefer the self-paced online training option, which was more than for any other type of training. Another 20 percent gave a nod to a hybrid method: an off-site, instructor-led classroom that includes an online component.

\

\

Maxwell Dodge, manager of the FishNet Inside Response Sales Team at FishNet Security, a security VAR in Kansas City, Kan., said many of his product vendors are moving rapidly to embrace Web-based training options, a development he appreciates because of his team’s ability to stay up to date without relying on visits from vendor field sales teams.

\

\

’Web-based training has given us the avenue to focus on this without it really costing anything,’ Dodge said.

\

\

Indeed, cost and convenience emerge as common themes among solution providers who are fans of e-learning. Sometimes training options can make or break the decision to pick up a product, said Bill Abram, president of Pragmatix, an IBM Business Partner in Elmsford, N.Y.

\

\

’As we’ve looked at new vendor opportunities or vendors have approached us, we’ve very much considered how we’re going to get up to speed,’ Abram said. ’We actually rejected one opportunity recently, where we felt it was going to be too hard for us to come up to speed on their product.’

\

\

Apparently, vendors are getting the message. From a broader industry standpoint, IDC projects compound annual growth for e-learning systems will reach 27 percent over the next four years, leading to $21 billion in sales for e-learning offerings by 2008.

\

\

McAfee, one of FishNet’s vendor partners, is making a big push into the online world through NetExam, an offering of MediaDefined, Dallas.

\

\

Brett Strauss, president of MediaDefined, said solution providers can log onto a virtual server remotely, saving the need for them to have to travel to a classroom. Likewise, the instructor doesn’t have to lug heavy equipment from site to site. NetExam handles all aspects of the certification process for certain products, although Strauss readily acknowledges that more advanced classes often require a more personal, on-site touch.

\

\

David Roberts, senior vice president of North America channels at McAfee, said emphasizing online makes fiscal sense because VARs are simply more focused than ever on improving their profitability across the board. Moreover, the Web allows the Santa Clara, Calif.-based vendor to update instructional content more frequently and to a wider audience, quickly disseminating competitive sales information for a new campaign, for example.

\

\

’What we use e-learning for is to really establish a base level of competency across job roles and functions,’ added Frederick Novak, senior manager for worldwide channel training at McAfee. ’Basic procedures, all of those things, lend themselves to an e-learning delivery system.’

\

\

Karl Liebman, senior director of consulting and education at Citrix Systems, said e-learning represented 10 percent of his division’s business by the end of 2004. Earlier this month, the Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based company adopted two additional online preparatory classes to help students get ready for instructor-led courses. Liebman believes there's a time and place for e-learning, and the company’s course content is adapted accordingly.

\

\

’We use a blended approach. … We pick the one that makes the most sense, and we deliver it in that modality only, in the most efficient way possible,’ Liebman said.

\

\

Increasingly, VARs are opting for live e-learning events, according to executives at New Horizons Computer Learning Centers, the Anaheim, Calif.-based training company. New Horizons reported a 70 percent increase in its Online Live Learning offering during the first quarter of 2005 alone. Like the NetExam offering, Online Live includes a virtual lab component that brings a hands-on feel to the cyberspace learning experience. This offering is especially appropriate for base-level courses that need to be taken by developers or technicians who have time constraints, said Steve Albin, director of Online Live.

\

\

id
unit-1659132512259
type
Sponsored post