"Live" classroom training over the Web claims a convert.



I admit I've been a holdout. Until recently, I wasn't convinced of the benefits of live , that is, synchronous or real-time , Web-based training. While the anywhere, anytime advantages of self-paced online training seemed clear, the idea of asking students to go online at the same time for live training seemed of more questionable benefit.



But there is a buzz in the training industry about live Web instruction, and more companies are trying it. So, I checked out an example: Honeywell Inc. in Minneapolis, Minn., which employs some 57,000 people and which has already begun moving from classroom to live online training.



Honeywell's need for technical training of sales staff and engineers has increased in recent years as its products have become more complicated. In particular, Honeywell's engineering organization has sped up introductions of its plant-automation products. These days, the company releases new functions every two to three months. Gail Shepard, manager of Internet Education Services at Honeywell's Automation College, had to meet the challenge of training people around the world on this fast and continuous rollout of new products.



Shepard needed a way to provide technical training in a cost-effective, flexible way to a geographically dispersed audience. She decided to take the training for Honeywell's Industrial Automation and Control Division online, and keep Honeywell's technicians and customers from traveling to a training center for instruction.



A Smooth Transition



Shepard says that live Web-based training most closely simulates the classroom experience employees were used to, yet benefits from the technology of computer-based training, and at a low cost.



The live version of online training can indeed be an easier transition for students who are used to an instructor or intimidated by technology. Honeywell found that a simulated classroom with an online instructor allows enough human contact and hand-holding to ensure that students have a successful experience. Some training managers like it because they believe it provides more assurance that the audience is learning. "You know that they are there and they are actually listening," says David Metcalf, a developer with Merrimac Interactive Media who is working on the Honeywell program.



Because the live Web training is a scheduled event, people make time for it, whereas they often make empty promises to get around to self-paced instruction. Shepard had earlier discovered that she couldn't just ship self-study materials to users. "People are incredibly busy , things that need to be done are screaming at you. Training becomes the lowest item on the totem pole." Shepard uses the live Web training to gain commitment from students. "Once you've met the instructor, there is some personal accountability to get through that class. There's also the accountability to the other students."



The downside of live Web training is that people need to coordinate schedules and go through the program together. For some students, the ability to take classes on their own is important, either because of scheduling conflicts, or because they want to spend more time on certain sections.



Combining Methods



Shepard addressed this limitation by combining live and self-paced Web training. Students start with an orientation session with the online instructor , a live teacher who walks them through a course demonstration and the training objectives. Then, to complete the class, students can log on anytime they wish. Upon completion, users submit a file to the instructor for grading. Then, the instructor grades and sends it back to them , all over the Internet.



Honeywell's students can connect from anywhere , home, office, conference room, or wherever they lug their laptops. Last December, 24 Honeywell students logged on from Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, Phoenix, California and Washington, D.C. Instructors located in Florida and Phoenix taught the course. "Not only does it not matter where the student is, but it doesn't matter where the instructor is. So we can now utilize experts worldwide," Shepard says.



Honeywell's live Web courses are available only in North America so far, but will go worldwide after a little more testing. And while larger classes are possible, Shepard recommends 10 to 12 participants per class as the most manageable, given the topics and number of questions anticipated in her courses.



Saving Money and Time



If these courses weren't offered on the Web, students and instructors would need to travel to a learning center. "We have found incredible cost savings in terms of time away from the job and for travel and living expenses," says Shepard.



The Web-based training also takes less administrative time than classroom training, since some logistical problems, including classroom scheduling and travel planning, are eliminated. This allows flexibility not only in how the course is provided, but also in how often. Developing live Web-based training takes about as much time as creating a lecture with PowerPoint slides, and much less than developing a full self-instructional Web-based training program.



Live Web training combines instruction and communication. Software to deliver the training includes features for text and graphics presentations, hand-raising for students to flag the instructor when they have a question, a whiteboard for drawing that can be seen by all participants, and polling: the ability to ask students yes/no questions with answers instantly tabulated for the instructor. Honeywell uses audio, delivered either over the Internet or via teleconference for students without audio capability on their computers. The course uses graphics converted from PowerPoint slides, as well as a small display of each instructor at the top of the screen.



To minimize interruptions and facilitate the flow of instruction, students can communicate in small groups or receive permission to address the entire group. Participants communicate either by typing or by speaking through the computer's microphone. With full duplex, students can interrupt each other and argue, just as in a real classroom! I have sampled various programs, and I've found that the audio can be quite good, even on a 28.8 modem.



By moving training on product features and functions to an online environment, Shepard can better manage Honeywell's training resources. Students use learning center time more wisely, leaving them more time to use other training resources to learn advanced skills and problem solving.



Heed These Caveats



Since live Web training is new to everyone, everyone who tries it learns some lessons. Vicky Passion Graff, an instructional designer for systems integrator MCI Systemhouse in Atlanta, GA, offers two warnings based on her experience with a recent course for 300 technicians. "If you're not properly prepared in terms of the Web-based training tool and your content, you're going to stumble. And if you don't build any interaction you're just not going to keep the students engaged." Interaction can include discussion or polling, or application sharing, where students use a software program as if it were on their own workstations. "I can say to the students, "OK, now you go ahead and enter some figures into the spreadsheet." It's a really neat feature," says Passion Graff.



Brandon Hall, in Sunnyvale, Calif., is the author of Web-Based Training Cookbook. Hall's column will appear regularly in Inside Training Technology.



Enterprise



Honeywell Goes Live on the Web - sidebar



You Might Need Live WBT If?



Live Web-based training might be a match for your training needs if more than one of the following apply:



1) Your audience is spread around the country;



2) Your audience needs hand-holding, either with the content or to use the computer for learning;



3) Your audience can benefit from the structure of a scheduled session;



4) Limits on time or money preclude developing a full-blown self-paced interactive program.



- B.H.



Full Text COPYRIGHT Lakewood Publications Inc. 1998