Selecting Distance Learning Technologies

Example 3: Asynchronous Training

In an effort to improve the safety record of this manufacturing company, I would as the ID recommend a CMS be developed with prerecorded media. This media could be over laid with course objectives and goals. I would set the modules with embedded quizzes to re-enforce the learning process. Step by step procedures could be illustrated within media so the trainees could see the correct steps as they need to be completed. The important facts of the process could be highlighted before proceeding to the next step. After each goal is completed the trainees are quizzed, at the completion of the course the trainees are tested by the system. The results are provided to them and recorded for the supervisor to view. A notice of completion could appear on the screen for all the trainees that completed the process without failure. A note would also appear advising the trainee to contact their supervisor for the final step. The supervisor could present a certificate after reviewing the results and observing the trainee complete the procedures as required.

There are several examples of safety training being completed in this manner. I have highlighted two of these for review. The first is Safety Skill (http://www.safetyskills.com/) a CMS that provides safety training in 300 plus safety courses. In reviewing these courses, I found them to be informative and easy to follow. Safety Skills is produced by noodleStream.com. This company has designed training for the for the US military for over 18 years. It has worked with over 2,000 companies many of them fortune 500. I would call that success. The second company that I reviewed was Vocam (http://www.safety-tv.com/). Vocam is a safety training company that has a 20 year history in developing training. They are the producer of Safety-TV online training library, which has produced over 600 hundred video e-learning courses. Their materials were easy to follow and well supported. Some of the media could be hard on the eyes but I understood the message within the media, it was to the point. These programs are good examples to support the idea of prerecorded media and the skills that can be obtained when used in distance education. Prerecorded media has proven to be a reliable source of training over the years. In our text there is a brief history on the use of it over the years and the improvements it has taken on. The development of training online has taken it to an even higher use over the years. Its flexibility makes it easy to incorporate into the education process.

References:

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson