South African dealers can now offer self-paced, electronic, in-house learning and training solutions that address SA's need to improve the computing skills of end users, software developers and IT professionals.
Microsoft's new series of interactive learning and reference titles, the Enterprise Learning Library, are designed to deliver, across a company network, intranet or the Internet, the same, consistent, high quality training and reference resources that are found in its approved in-classroom curriculum and self-paced training books.
"Microsoft has had on-line, computer-based training solutions for a couple of years, but these could not meet an organisation's diverse training needs. They had to be supported by external training courses or self-paced training books," says Deryn Barker, MS Press Product Manager at Siltek Distribution Dynamics.
"With the Enterprise Learning Library Microsoft is providing self-paced, CD-ROM -based solutions that include everything from hands-on, interactive training titles for end users of popular desktop software, to detailed technical references and training and certification kits for software developers and IT professionals."
The new on-line series incorporates simulation technology from LearnIT. This enables hands-on simulation synchronised with the audio instructions, so that when a user is lost or makes mistakes, the system knows and reacts accordingly.
"Simulation works just like the real application. It takes training beyond the static content or the basic animation found in many standard training products. What's more simulation has been proven to generate the highest retention levels for information technology training," she adds.
The Library includes Step by Step Interactive multimedia tutorials that give end users everything they need to gain real-world experience of Microsoft products such as Office 2000, Outlook and Excel. These are supported by a range of Running Electronic Books, which are designed to be a one-stop reference resource, packed with clear instructions for both new and power users.
"There's still a big IT knowledge gap in South Africa and getting new users trained or upgrading existing users to new software versions has become very expensive in terms of both IT help desk support and off-site training. These training solutions ensure users get up to productive speed quickly and at minimum cost," says Barker.
"Interactive programs also feature an Administrator Console so that training managers can retain complete control over the learning environment by being able to assess progress, and tailor the syllabus, exams and content to meet specific needs."
For IT professionals seeking MCSE certification as well as general skills development, Microsoft now has a series of self-paced, interactive, on-line training kits that deliver conceptual and task-based instruction, pre- and post-training assessment quizzes and helpful reference information. These can be deployed across a network or at an individual's desktop.
Microsoft Enterprise Learning Library is available through a user's Select or Open Licensing agreement, as separate Libraries covering the Windows operating system family or the Office suite of desktop applications.
"To make it even more affordable and attractive to larger enterprises, Microsoft is offering Microsoft Enterprise Learning Library, Desktop Edition as an option to be added to any Enterprise Agreement. The option includes the distribution of 15 popular Microsoft Press electronic titles for every desktop in the organisation for one low price per desktop," concludes Barker.
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