Post on 01-Feb-2023
Web-Based Training
Myrna D. Washington
INF 103: Computer Literacy
Instructor: Danika Geathers
August 3, 2009
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Web-Based Training
WHAT IS WEB-BASED TRAINING?
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BRIEF HISTORY OF WBT 4
WHO USES WEB-BASED TRAINING? 5
OTHER NAMES FOR WEB-BASED TRAINING 6
ADVANTAGES OF WBT 7
DISADVANTAGES OF WBT 8
HOW IS WBT DELIVERED? 8
APPLICATIONS OF WEB-BASED TRAINING 9
WorldWideLearn.com
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HOW HAS WBT CHANGED THE WORLD? 11
CONCLUSION: TOWARD THE FUTURE 12
REFERENCES 14
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Web-Based Training
When it comes to the attainment of their life goals, most people
who feel that they have not succeeded use a variety of excuses for
failing to secure the knowledge and training necessary to ensure their
successes. They may feel that they are not “college material”, that
they lack the time or finances, that there is no reputable college or
university nearby, or simply that they have not had the opportunities
to do so. In truth, they may truly have fallen prey to those excuses
in the past. However, in the dawning of a new age in communication,
the “information highway” has brought this much-needed knowledge right
to their front doors and into their homes and businesses through the
screens on their microcomputers.
Web-based training has revolutionized how we perceive learning
and training in the dawning of what has been called the ‘information
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Web-Based Training
age’. With this novel approach to learning and communication, we can
connect our microcomputers to the Internet and Web, to universities
and other knowledge bases, to other microcomputers, and to large
“server” computers located anywhere in the world. In short, web-based
training allows anybody to learn anything, anywhere, at any time.
This form of connectivity has placed a marvelous opportunity at our
very fingertips and into our laps (via our laptops), with no need for
elaborate office spaces, lengthy commutes, or professional (and
costly) business attire. Web-based training has brought the
possibility of attaining a degree, occupational certification, or
professional knowledge and training into our kitchens, our bedrooms,
our office cubicles, or even our garages. In this paper, we will
examine web-based training to see how Web-based training has
revolutionized our concepts of education and learning today.
‘Web-based training (WBT) is an innovative approach to distance
learning in which computer-based training (CBT) is transformed by the
technologies and methodologies of the Internet, intranet using a Web
browser’ (WBTIC, 2009). WBT is presented in an engaging self-paced,
intensive format which consists of live content that can be easily
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Brief History of Web-Based
What Is Web-Based
Web-Based Training
modified and up-dated to keep pace with today’s rapidly evolving
knowledge and information bases. It is the perfect format for ‘life-
long learners’ and those individuals who are self-motivated, self-
disciplined, and self-directed. It is the ‘ideal vehicle for
delivering training to anyone, anywhere in the world, at any time’
(WBTIC, 2009). In addition to focusing on learning to use the
available technology and creating well-organized education systems,
Web-based Training is multi-faceted, versatile, ‘media-rich, and
capable of evaluation, adaptation, and remediation, all independent of
computer platform’ (WBTIC, 2009).
When the World Wide Web was introduced in Switzerland in 1992 at
the Center for European Nuclear Research (CERN) (O’Leary and
O’Leary, 2008, p. 30), who would have predicted the explosion of
knowledge that has precipitated from this multimedia interface with
the Internet? Prior to the introduction of the Web (the multimedia
interface to the resources available on the Internet [p. 30]), the
Internet was the physical network that consisted solely of text.
However, with the development and implementation of the Web, the use
of graphics, animation, sound, and video were added, enabling the
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Brief History of
Web-Based Training
collaboration of these two forms of communication to become “the most
powerful tools of the 21st century” (p. 30).
According to Tim Kilby (2001), Web-based training was first
introduced in the early 1990’s as “distance learning” and was limited
to expensive electronic classrooms (para. 4). When the Web-based
Training Information Center (WBTIC) was established in 1994, it was
the first site of its kind on the Internet. In those early years,
‘the World Wide Web was relatively unknown to technology-based
trainers and was under-appreciated for its potential and available to
only a few lucky users’ (para. 3 - 5). However, “forward thinking
designers began to consider the opportunities presented by the
technology and to work these judiciously and intelligently into online
instruction” (para. 5). With the advent of ‘faster computers, better
browsers, faster connections for the masses, high-speed backbones,
dramatically faster multimedia codecs, and standardized programming
languages’ (para. 6), vendors began to seize the opportunity to create
proprietary products for developing online learning applications and
delivery systems. The results are the mainstream online learning
systems available today.
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Who Uses Web-Based
Web-Based Training
With its ability to train anyone, anywhere, anytime, Web-based
training has the potential to meet the diverse training needs of
today’s increasingly multi-cultural global population. Of course,
anyone with a computer, access to the Internet, intranet, and World
Wide Web (via a Web browser ), and an unquenchable thirst to learn,
grow, and evolve, is a potential user of the training and education
available through WBT. Individuals who perceive themselves as
lifelong learners independently seek out these services within the
comfort of their own homes or office spaces. These include busy
housewives, senior citizens seeking second careers, working students,
and busy employees looking for the opportunity to expand their working
knowledge bases and occupational skills. To accommodate the
individuals, top universities have implemented online courses and
degree programs that can be used in combination with or in lieu of
traditional instructor-led (‘brick-and-mortar’) classroom
presentations.
Large corporations, organizations, and businesses use Web-based
training to orient, educate, train, and evaluate their new and
existing employees with instruction that can easily be paced by a
trainer or self-paced by a self-directed employee. By ‘integrating
WBT, information systems, and job aids into unified systems available
on demand (i.e., Web-based performance support systems [WBPSS])’ (WBTIC,
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Web-Based Training
2009), these busy employees have the opportunities to enhance their
on-the-job performances and increase their wages.
Federal, state, and local governments, as well as, public utility
companies use WBT as ethics training courses, diversity training
courses, to develop online teaching materials, documents and exhibits,
and to bring “timely, interactive audio and video webcasts on
contemporary topics to the regulatory policy community” (Bronner
Group, LLC, 2009). For a more complete list of the top users of Web-
based training, see Figure. 1.
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Top Users of WBT
Training Companies, Employers, and EmployeesTop Accredited Universities and CollegesPublic School Systems (free for grades K through 12)Technical and Vocational SchoolsIndependent Trainers, and InstructorsFederal, State, and Local GovernmentsPublic Utilities CompaniesStudents, Housewives, Retirees, and ImmigrantsCisco, IBM, and Mind Leaders
Other Names for Web-Based
Web-Based Training
Web-based training is also known as: 1) distance learning, 2)
computer-based training (CBT), 3) Internet-based training (IBT), 4)
Web-based learning (WBL), 5) e-learning, 6) online learning, 7) Web-
based instruction (WBI), and 8) Interactive media instruction (IMI).
Although these names may sound similar, there are subtle differences
that separate them. For instance, distance learning also uses other
computer-based methodologies that may be delivered synchronously (in
real time) or asynchronously (delayed). These include e-mail,
electronic forums, videoconferencing, chat rooms, bulletin boards,
instant messaging. While Web-based training and distance learning
both use the Internet and the World Wide Web as their foundation,
“most distance learning programs include a computer-based training
(CBT) system and communications tools to produce a virtual classroom”
(Webopedia, 2009).
Computer-based training (CBT, also called computer-assisted instruction
[CAI]), on the other hand, a form of education used by both individuals
and corporations in which ‘student learns by executing special
training programs on a computer, is especially effective for training
people to use computer applications because the program can be
integrated with the applications so that students can practice using
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Web-Based Training
the application as they learn’ (Webopedia, 2009). Webopedia (2009)
describes the differences in these delivery systems as:
Web-based training (WBT) is training delivered using TCP/IP and
HTTP protocols, the protocols that define the World Wide Web.
Internet-based training (IBT) is training delivered using TCP/IP
protocol, but not necessarily HTTP; thus IBT might use
proprietary protocols and applications. Training, in this sense,
means instruction to improve skills, change attitudes, or enhance
knowledge, principally in the workplace. Web-based learning
(WBL), Web-based instruction (WBI) and Internet-based instruction
(IBI) use the same respective technologies; however, these terms
most often are used to reference academic instruction.
Interactive multimedia instruction (IMI) generally means any
highly participatory, media rich computer-based instruction,
whether networked or not. Online learning and e-learning are
general terms that are synonymous with WBT and WBI.
‘Web-based training has the potential to offer many advantages
over traditional instructor-led training; if done well, training is
available to a larger audience - the same WBT course can be
distributed to desktops around the world’ (Boyle, 2009, para. 2).
This benefit tops the list of WBT advantages, whose components far
outweigh the disadvantages. As stated above, “WBT is media-rich
training fully capable of evaluation, adaptation, and remediation, all
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Advantages of WBT
Web-Based Training
independent of computer platform” (WBTIC, 2009). By erasing the
geographical limitations and time constraints of traditional ‘brick-
and-mortar’ education, WBT provides training that:
Is easily access and controllable
Is learning-centered, accommodating individual learning styles,
temperaments and schedules
Offers a full range of courses that are engaging and user-
friendly
Provides a high level of interactivity that suggests learner
control and encourages active participation
Provides timely and expedient reflected appraisals of both
instructors and students
Has multi-platform and multitasking capabilities
Has a superior interface design that facilitates mental comfort
and increases cognitive awareness
Promotes continuous learning, high self-efficacy, productivity,
and modification of content
Is accurate, relevant, and easily modified or updated
Encourages both administrative and learner control
Can be accessed 24/7 by any one, at any time, from anywhere in
the world
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Web-Based Training
Can be customized to meet the medium of the organization or
institution
Although the initial concerns with Web-based training involved
‘the over-use and, in many cases, entirely inappropriate use of this
technology’ (Kilby, 2001, para. 6), the current concerns focus on
interface design, programming, and availability. For instance,
according to the WBTIC (2009), ‘training designers are still
struggling with issues of user interface design and programming for
high levels of interaction and there are few examples of good WBT
design visible on the public Internet.’ In addition, limited
bandwidth and browsers restrict instructional methodologies by
retarding the performance for intense graphics, sound, and video. Of
course, since people are the most important part of information
systems, end-user problems will always plague the well-being of this
revolutionary delivery system. Moreover, someone must undertake the
tedious responsibilities of billing, maintenance, server access, and
usage control.
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Disadvantages of WBT
How Is WBT Delivered?
Web-Based Training
According to the Bronner Group, LLC (2009), one of the leading
groups in WBT, and Webopedia (2009), Web-based training is delivered
by either static methods or interactive methods. Static methods include: 1)
streaming audio and video, 2) hyperlinked Web pages, 3) live Web
broadcasts, and 4) portals of information. Interactive methods
include: 1) bulletin boards, 2) chat rooms, 3) instant messaging, 4)
videoconferencing, 5) ‘cafes’, and 6) discussion boards.
Although delivery can be synchronous or asynchronous, in most
cases, the possibilities for scheduling, personality, and/or lifestyle
conflicts ensure that most of the interactions will be asynchronous.
Still, there are instances when training is done in real-time, via
live Web-based training (See Fig. 2).
Live Web-Based Training:
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Web-Based Training
Fig. 2
Examples of WBT include (Bronner Group, LLC, 2009):
Broadcast Video: Live, streaming video, audio, and slides;
Video on Demand: On-demand, prerecorded video and/or audio with
accompanying graphics that can be accessed by the learner; and
Virtual Classrooms: a combination of a browser-based Web
conferencing tools and audio conferencing
The applications of Web-based training include: 1) academic
instruction, 2) on-going professional, occupational, and vocational
training, certification, and re-certification; 3) standardized new
Instructor teaching from anywhere at
anytime
Student using Web browser to attend from anywhere at
anytime
Student using Web browser to attend from anywhere at
anytime
Student using Web browser to attend from anywhere at
anytime
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Applications of Web-Based
Web-Based Training
student and employee orientation and training; 4) pre- and post skills
assessment and evaluation; 5) prerequisite, enhancement, evaluation,
and follow-up for Instructor-led training (ILT); 6) software design,
introductions, and upgrades; and 7) organizational learning and
personnel needs, such as ethics, diversity, and multicultural
training.
One of the most visible examples of Web-based training on the
Internet and the World Wide Web is WorldWideLearn.com, a ‘gateway for
anyone seeking adult education or training programs online’ (TechTrends,
2002). Launched in May 1999, WorldWideLearn.com offers an abundance of
diverse courses and degree programs (see Fig. 3) ranging from
astronomy, cryptography, painting, doctorial programs, and public
speaking, to gardening, dream interpretation, medical education,
professional and career development, and undergraduate and graduate
degree programs (para. 1). WorldWideLearn.com currently receives
over 115,000 visitors and 1200,000 page views every month, and has
established relationships with training companies and top universities
including Penn State, University of Texas at Austin, Oxford University
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WorldWideLearn.com
Web-Based Training
Open Learning (U. K.), Colorado State University, Texas A & M, Capella
and the University of Phoenix (TechTrends, 2002, para. 2).
W orldW ideLearn.com
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2812
Subject Areas
Online courses
Online DegreeCategoriesOnline TrainingCourses
Figure 3
Web-based training has changed learning perspectives and
perceptions forever! It has changed the way we look at education and
information brokering by providing unparalleled learning on demand. It
allows anyone to access self-directed, self-paced instruction on any
topic, anywhere in the world, any time of the day. It meets the
training needs of an increasingly diverse population and addresses the
ethical and cultural concerns of a global population. With multi-
platform capabilities (i.e., Windows, Mac, UNIX, PDA’s, phones, and
other wireless devices) and multitasking capabilities, it requires
little technical support and is suitable for electronic performance
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How Has WBT Changed The
Web-Based Training
support systems (EPSS) that integrate information systems and job
aids.
Although WBT is experiencing an increase in its level of
acceptance, traditional instructor-led classroom training (ILT) is
still the most dominant delivery method for education, knowledge and
information. According to Don Clark (2004), ILT is “used for 65% of
all formal training, while self-study e-learning now accounts for 20%
of student hours” (para. 13). However, that is rapidly changing as
instructor-led training incorporates online training into its
curriculums, resulting in a powerful and effective blend of classroom
and online learning. For example, Podcasting training leapt from 5%
in 2004 (See year 7 on Figure 4) to 15% in 2005!
Learning M ethodologies
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 91998 - 2006
OtherW BTILT
Figure 4
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Conclusion: Toward the
Web-Based Training
As we have seen, Web-based Training has definitely changed the
way we humans look at learning. Gone are the days when the only
option for off-campus students is to drive thirty or forty miles to
attend classes at traditional ‘brick-and-mortar’ institutions. Gone
are the days when students must rely solely on the presentations made
by their classroom instructions. As WBT is incorporated into
traditional formats, we will also see dramatic changes in how these
institutions view this delivery system because WBT also has the
potential to become a valuable and profitable asset.
Future trends in Web-based training include dramatic changes in
online learning design and development that will make Web services,
wireless devices and XML commonplace (Kilby, 2001, para. 18). In the
very near future we will see an increase in the availability of
streaming media and advances in computer network technology, and
improvements in bandwidth that will expedite capabilities for
unlimited multimedia access. “Web browsers that support 3-D virtual
reality, animation, interactions, chat and conferencing, and real-time
audio and video will offer unparalleled training opportunities”
(WBTIC, 2009). ‘As instructional designers and training analysts
learn how to write and produce WBT, and as training vendors come to
realize the overwhelming advantages of this delivery method, we can
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Web-Based Training
expect an explosion in training offerings available over the public
Internet and private intranets’ (WBTIC, 2009).
In his forecast on the future of WBT, Tim Kilby (2001, para. 24)
writes:
Based on what we have seen so far and the speed of technological
growth, I foresee dramatic changes in adult learning across all
venues. Wireless technologies will spawn new Internet-connected
devices that will incorporate embedded training. Your “smart”
refrigerator will not only know its contents and create a
shopping list, but it might also teach you how to make a perfect
cheesecake. Your personal learning appliance (PLA), portable, or
course – connects you to the best courseware from around the
world. Perhaps the most poignant changes will come in academic
courseware delivery as we see the gradual dissolution of the
traditional campus environment. I see a time when universities
prescribe personalized learning plans and aggregate knowledge
content, wherever it may originate, thus becoming knowledge
brokers.
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Web-Based Training
Boyle, K. J. (2009). Web-based training overview. Retrieved July 15, 2009, from http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/articles/webbtraining/start.htm
Bronner Group, LLC. (2009). Web-based training: An overview. Retrieved July 27, 3009, from http://www.narucmeetings.org/Presentations/bronner1104.pdf
Clark, D. R. (2004). Learning and training: Statistics and myths. Retrieved September 30, 2007 from http://nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/ahold/isd.html
Kilby, T. (2001). The direction of web-based training: A practitioner's view. The Learning Organization, 8(5), 194-199. Retrieved July 15, 2009, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 265987401).
O’Leary, T. J. & O’Leary, L. I. (2008). Computing essentials (Introductory 2008). Boston: The McGraw Hill Companies.
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References
Web-Based Training
Web-based Training Information Center (WBTIC). (2009). What is web-based training? Retrieved Wednesday, July 1, 2009, from http://www.webbasedtraining.com/home.aspx
Webopedia. (2009). What is WBT? Retrieved July 15, 2009, from http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/W/WBT.html
WorldwideLearn.com. (2009). Master’s degrees online. Retrieved July 21,2009, from http://www.worldwidelearn.com/online-master/index.html
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