In a recent conversation with Dr. Glasgow he was asked, "Is on-line training the wave of the future, is it where training is going?"

Computer based training (good and bad) has been around for years.  On-line or WEB training is just the latest venture into the arena.  Over the last decade WEB based training has taken hold and like computer based training has good and bad products.  Training material whether in a live classroom, offered through a personal computer on a CD or over the internet is more than just presenting the material.  The facts and just the facts are boring, concise, but often boring none the less.  Knowing a shark exists somewhere in the world is one thing, knowing it exists in the water ten feet from us gets our attention. 

Television shows and commercials are just two examples of taking a topic and creating an interesting story-line that holds the participants attention.  The humor, anxiety or sorrow we feel in a story-line is due to many things including the director, writer, lighting, actors and the set or effects.  In a book we find the author needs to create the story, props, backdrop and characters in our head; yet their stories can be just as exciting.

The WEB based on-line platform is a tool that can provide enormous advantages in when and how often courses are offered along with the variety of courses offered or the technology used.  I will be the first to say not all topics are conducive to on-line learning, but those that are can derive real pop and appeal from this environment.  WEB based courses have a wide array of assets from which they can develop activities, animation, audio and video.  Students can be pulled into stories, simulations and roll playing.  They can take a course in a quiet corner of their home in solitude, be involved in a course collaborating with others from across the nation or around the globe, or watching live presentations from experts thousands of miles away. 

The future certainly includes computer based and WEB based training as valued components of the learning environment, options that can be chosen when appropriate.  Many adult learners are visual learners and WEB based training done right takes advantage of the visual tools to demonstrate and reiterate topics that once seemed too complex to grasp.  The student can play videos and animations as often as needed without boring the rest of the class or appearing to annoy the faculty.  The fact is, we all do not learn at the same rate and some topics are more difficult than others, each of us having our learning Achilles heel.