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IU partners with NETg to provide 'on demand' training for students, faculty and staff
Nov. 19, 1999
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- NETg (National Education Training Group Inc.), a provider of technology-based training, has signed a four-year, $800,000 agreement to provide "on demand" technology training resources to students, faculty and staff at Indiana University.
Thousands of IU students, faculty and staff will soon have "on demand" access to hundreds of NETg online courses. Computer users at IU will be able to use NETg courseware to troubleshoot questions on such tasks as creating a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation or editing an Excel spreadsheet. Users also will be able to use NETg courses to complement classroom training, to acquire new professional skills in information technology, or to pursue certification in Microsoft, Novell, Oracle and other applications.
The agreement with NETg is part of IU's commitment to providing the IU community with the best technology resources available.
"At Indiana University, we know that better-trained users make better use of technology," said Michael McRobbie, vice president for information technology and chief information officer at IU. "Technology-based training enables us to give all campus users -- students, faculty and IT staff -- the ability to take advantage of IU's technology training resources whenever they want, wherever they want. NETg's product architecture will allow us to provide any IU computer user with training on demand."
Said Gary Lopez, president and CEO of NETg, "Like IU, NETg is committed to advancing the latest technologies by making training readily accessible so that anyone, not just IT professionals, has the ability to develop the skills needed to integrate technology into their daily lives, in classrooms, offices, labs or dorm rooms."
NETg's courses are designed around learning objects that teach and assess specific skills. Pre-assessments allow learners to chart an individualized path through a topic, bypassing those topics in which they are already proficient. This modular structure encourages "just-in-time" learning, where learners can spend as little as five minutes to learn a skill just when they need it. Guided simulations, audio-enabled instruction and post-assessment combine to create an effective and convenient learning environment.
In addition to offering on-the-spot answers to students' computing questions and skills training needs, courses can assist faculty who want to learn more about integrating technology into their classrooms and lessons. Courses also can make a contribution to IU's efforts to provide IT staff with training and certification in the latest technology.
IU will be making a major effort to ensure that the university community derives maximum value from the agreement. Beginning Monday (Nov. 22) and continuing through Dec. 17, a special CD titled "Information Technology Lessons" will be available at no charge from the usual software distribution outlets on participating IU campuses. One CD per person will be available to those with valid IU identification. The CD contains courses on various aspects of such applications as FrontPage 2000, PowerPoint 2000, HTML 4 and Words 2000. After Dec. 17, CDs will be available for $5 each plus tax.
Courseware not included on the CD may be specially ordered for $5 per CD.
Students, faculty and staff at IU who use the Knowledge Base at http://kb.indiana.edu/ for answers to computing questions will soon be able to access NETg tutorial courses via the Knowledge Base to augment their learning. It is anticipated that NETg courseware will be available for downloading from the Web by the end of the spring 2000 semester.
For more information about NETg, including a complete listing of courseware, see http://www.indiana.edu/~netg
(Julie A. Wernert, 812-856-5517, jwernert@indiana.edu)