Global Knowledge Introduces New Generation of E-Learning Courseware
Global Knowledge leverages experience and feedback of over one million students to deploy powerful new format that provides corporations unparalleled flexibility in the design of worldwide IT training programs.
Introduction of 18 new courses and 66 new titles serves as cornerstone for company's new Blended Learning Solutions™ supported with $40 million re-branding campaign
Global Knowledge, Inc., the world's largest independent provider of integrated IT education solutions, today unveiled a new generation of IT training courseware designed to provide corporations with unparalleled flexibility and customization in the design and execution of their worldwide IT training programs.
Global Knowledge's new Blended Learning Solutions™ draw from the experience of more than one million students to provide corporations with the ability to execute highly integrated IT training programs that deliver consistent, high-quality content among multiple delivery methods, including virtual classroom learning and new e-learning technologies.
The new initiative is powered by the introduction of this first wave of courseware that includes 18 new courses and 66 new titles, all of which have been re-designed from the ground up to enable companies to fully capitalize on the power of e-learning. The use of new design methodologies by Global Knowledge allows the development and deployment of content to be delivered through both traditional classroom and new e-learning formats. Additionally, this allows Global Knowledge's customers to effortlessly blend training delivery methodologies between e-learning, virtual classroom or traditional classroom venues with full consistency and no sacrifice to the depth of the content. By year-end 2001, Global Knowledge will have introduced 33 new courses and 120 new titles. The program and courseware are being promoted through a $40 million corporate re-branding campaign (announced today) that includes the introduction of a new corporate identity platform, corporate messaging, logo and branding.
"Learners should not be limited to any one training delivery medium - the choice should be based upon individual preferences, access to the medium, and type of content," says Michael Brennan, senior analyst with IDC. "By developing content that is not tied to a single training modality, Global Knowledge is opening its doors to a larger audience. This initiative is a reflection of where the IT education industry is headed."
"This new courseware represents the first wave in the re-engineering of our entire catalog for the e-learning market," begins Duncan Anderson, CEO of Global Knowledge. "At the same time, however, our customers are asking for Global Knowledge content to be delivered through a range of formats-a blending of training solutions that meets their employees' work and lifestyle needs. To meet that need, Global Knowledge has invested more than a year of development to optimize the new courseware so that it simultaneously meets the unique protocols of online learning while still serving as the backbone of instructor-led courses."
For companies, Blended Learning Solutions affords a first-of-a-kind opportunity to provide consistent learning regardless of the delivery method. Employees, for instance, can choose between e-learning and instructor-led programs-toggling between the two formats while receiving a continuity of content designed to advance their understanding and competency in either environment.
The Power of Reusable Learning Objects (RLOs)
Allowing for such consistency is Global Knowledge's development of more than 650 Reusable Learning Objects (RLOs) and 3,385 Reusable Information Objects (RIOs). Long considered the Holy Grails of online learning, RLOs and RIOs provide corporations with the means to identify discrete learning challenges, train and assess specifically to them and provide supplemental training. Plans call for Global Knowledge to develop 1,155 RLOs and 6,200 RIOs by year-end 2001. Working with RLOs and RIOs, content can be easily re-purposed and deployed between delivery formats to assure a consistent learning experience, regardless of whether the user is online or in a more traditional instructor-led classroom setting.
"The real power of RLOs and RIOs is derived from their ability to assess a learner's precise needs and prescribe only the necessary training, allowing corporations to save costs," says Anderson.
To deliver this new courseware, Global Knowledge is relying on its newly enhanced version of Knowledge Pathways™ 3.0, a comprehensive online Content Management System (CMS). Knowledge Pathways offers corporations a highly flexible Web-based e-learning solution that allows for the quick development and deployment of training material and serves as an all-in-one tool for designing, delivering, monitoring, tracking and reporting and assessing online training.
In re-engineering its courseware, Global Knowledge leveraged Macromedia Flash™ technology, streaming audio and video, fully searchable databases and modular design to create a consistent learning environment designed to advance students' familiarity. An array of easy-to-access icons, embedded throughout the content, allow learners to augment their understanding by clicking a mouse to see and hear from Global Knowledge's internationally-acclaimed Subject Matter Experts, discover the real-world application of a technology or even understand the international implications of a topic or issue.
Technology Is Not Enough
Yet, technology alone is not the defining essence of Global Knowledge's new courseware and its commitment to Blended Learning Solutions. "The winning advantage of our new courseware is that it represents the first wave in how content must be consistently delivered and applied if e-learning is to realize its promise of becoming quicker, less expensive and more effective," says Anderson. "In this respect, no other company stands as well positioned as Global Knowledge. Our deep and worldwide experience in content development, coupled with our ability to offer it over a range of formats in a way that optimizes and integrates each, meets the precise needs of our global customer base. They demand choice and safety - choice as seen through a variety of delivery formats, all of which are available through a single provider, and safety through consistent, time-tested content. This is content not simply adapted to e-learning; rather, it is content optimized for each learning environment and synchronized so that learners can receive the exact training they need, anytime and anywhere."
Global Knowledge's new courseware includes:
§ Introduction to TCP/IP
§ Troubleshooting TCP/IP
§ Networking Fundamentals
§ Telecom Fundamentals I
§ Telecom Fundamentals II
§ OSPF Design and Configuration
§ Converging Voice & Data Networks
§ ATM Essentials
§ ATM Internetworking
§ Network Security
§ Voice over IP
§ Understanding DSL
§ Secure Communications and VPNs
§ IP over Wireless Broadband
§ Building a Website
§ MS Frontpage 2000
§ Web Graphics Construction
§ Network Management Essentials
About Global Knowledge, Inc.
Global Knowledge, Inc., the world's largest independent provider of integrated IT education solutions, is dedicated to improving the way companies and individuals learn, use, and master technology. The company's educational solutions empower customers with choice, allowing them to determine when, where, and how they want their IT education programs to be designed and delivered. Global Knowledge's blended IT education solutions combine vender-authorized content with Global Knowledge developed curricula and deliver this through the right mix of intensive hands-on classroom training and interactive e-learning. Global Knowledge has a large, growing portfolio of e-learning content, products, and services. For large businesses, the company offers complete program management including enrollment, assessment, progress tracking and certification.
Global Knowledge is the world's largest provider of IT certification programs and offers more than 700 courses in 70 international locations and in 15 languages every day for leading IT companies such as: Cisco, Microsoft, Nortel, Oracle, Enterasys, and Red Hat. Additionally, the company's software products division offers an extensive portfolio of education products, including OnDemand Personal Navigator™ for SAP, Siebel, and PeopleSoft; and Knowledge Pathways, a leading content management system that delivers custom enterprise solutions.
Global Knowledge has corporate headquarters in Cary, NC, and international headquarters in London, Tokyo, and Singapore. For more information, visit Global Knowledge at http://am.globalknowledge.com/wire.
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