FAQ
Select a Question:
What are the benefits of having an LMS and online training?
- Lower development and delivery costs
- Learning gains
- Consistency of presentation
- Faster completion of training
- Course retention
- Better use of instructors
Cost
The cost of development and delivery of CBT (Computer Based Training) programs is less than classroom training. While it may be
expensive to develop CBT courses, delivery of the course is significantly less expensive. An E-Training course developed by TheAcademy.com
is normally even less expensive to develop than a CBT course.
Learning Gains
Studies have shown that interactive versions of training programs increase the learner's understanding of the course material
by as much as 56% over classroom versions. Instantaneous review opportunities in TheAcademy.com productions can increase that
figure even more.
Consistency of Presentation
Course material is presented exactly the same way every time. Classroom programs depend upon the consistency,
mood, and interests of the instructor. Consistency of material presentation is no longer a concern for instructional designers.
E-training programs are an extension of this benefit.
Faster Completion of Training
Learners complete training faster with CBT because the course is self-paced. A classroom program is tied to the pace of the
instructor and the slowest student in the class. Studies have shown a training compression of 38% to 70% of CBT delivered
courses. Because of the convenience of access to the Internet, E-training courses can be compressed even more.
Course Content Retention
Because of the interactive nature of the presentation, a student's retention of the course material is higher than with
classroom versions. Studies have shown a 25% to 50% higher retention factor for CBT programs. Review opportunities after
course completion provided in TheAcademy.com productions increase the retention factor even more.
Better Utilization of Instructors
If you are like most organizations, your best people are often used to conduct training. With E-training, those people
can be reassigned to more productive jobs or they can be used to update a course at any time, keeping the material
constantly up-to-date.
Additional advantages to partnering with TheAcademy.com:
- Control Over Course Content
- No Run-Time Licenses
- Integration with Existing Web Sites
- Less Expensive Delivery of Course Material
- Total Control Over Enrollment
- Training Taken at Student's Convenience
Control Over Course Content
Your organization will have total control over course content, even if it resides on
TheAcademy.com servers. Your staff can change and update material instantly.
No Run-Time Licenses
Courses published by TheAcademy.com can be delivered without cumbersome licenses or other requirements of authoring program providers.
Integration with Existing Web Sites
If you already have an existing Web Site, TheAcademy.com courses can be easily integrated. You can now include training for
employees, agents, dealers or other authorized parties within your existing site. TheAcademy.com uses normal HTML and asp
commands and protocol to produce training productions.
Less Expensive Delivery of Course Material
With TheAcademy.com's E-training courses, your course content is entirely online. All your learner needs is a computer with a browser
and access to the Internet. You'll be able to save on costs from printing course materials, distribution of the materials, and the
cost of lost time from an inefficient learning delivery system.
Total Control Over Enrollment
You may limit or extend training opportunities to any small or large group of individuals. TheAcademy.com courses allow
as many security codes and authorization codes as necessary to ensure that you have absolute control over the access to
the program. Limit a course to very few employees, or extend a course to as many individuals as you want.
Training Taken at Student's Convenience
No classroom schedules. No instructor assignments. No travel, hotels and out-of-town expenses. No having an employee
away from the job for hours or days. Just schedule a few hours (or minutes) a day for the employee to take the course.
What are the differences between a Hosted LMS solutions verses an Installed solution?
An installed LMS solution is like purchasing a piece of software and you will install the LMS on your own computers.
Some vendors just sell their LMS software and you are responsible for installation, set-up, and maintenance. Other
installed LMS solution vendors will come to your offices to install and set-up the system for you. Once they are
finished, you will be responsible for the maintenance. Some organizations have strict security regulations where the
LMS must be hosted within the organization and behind their own firewall. In this case, you would need an
Installed LMS solution.
Hosted LMS solutions are where the vendor will host the LMS on their own servers for you. The vendor is usually
responsible for the installation, set-up, and maintenance. The benefits of hosted solutions are that you don’t
need to have the technical expertise to set-up the LMS and you don’t need a team to keep up with the LMS maintenance.
Even though the LMS is hosted by a third party, you will still have full control and access to the system.
How much will an LMS cost me?
The cost of Learning Management Systems varies. Regardless of what your budget is, you should be able to
find a solution that will work for you.
Can the Athena LMS support my existing courses?
If those courses are SCORM 1.2, or SCORM 2004 2nd or 3rd edition, we can support them. However, there are different
levels of SCORM compliances and so some courses that claim to be SCORM conformant are not really SCORM conformant.
If your courses fall into this category, tweaking to the course may be necessary to get them to work. If your courses
are not SCORM compliant, the Athena LMS can not support them. The courses will have to be re-built to use
with the Athena LMS.
Should I build my own course content or outsource it to a third party vendor?
The first question to ask is, do you have the technical staff and knowledge to build your own courses? If you
don’t, outsourcing the building of your courseware is an excellent option.
Why should I offer my E-training course via TheAcademy.com instead of just putting it up on a proprietary web site?
TheAcademy.com has been producing and delivering training courses for over ten years. We use instructional design,
interactivity, cognitive strategies, reinforcement techniques and other time-honored and proven computer based
teaching techniques that ensure that your students actually learn the instructional material. We are proud of the
professionalism with which we produce courses. In short, we're both highly experienced and very good at creating
online training programs. The effectiveness of our programs plus the financial advantages you gain are a
powerful incentive to use us.
What are the financial advantages for me to use TheAcademy.com services?
Our customers' training costs typically go down when they use our services. Classroom costs, personnel costs and
training material costs are all reduced. Some of our customers continue classroom training in addition to online
training, but some have eliminated their classroom program altogether because of the lower costs and
effectiveness of our programs.
Why will students take courses through TheAcademy.com via the Internet rather than go to a classroom environment?
Time. Convenience. Enjoy the experience.
Time is precious. Our courses take less time to complete than the typical classroom courses. Our techniques also
result in better comprehension and longer retention of the course material.
Online training also allows students to set their own time to take the course. Plus, our proven training techniques
provide an enjoyable and instructive experience for your students. They really enjoy their learning experience!
Why should I worry about certifying my students’ accomplishments?
Online E-Training programs are your first step in preparing a workforce to do a job. To conclude the process, you must
verify that they have the knowledge and skills to do the job. Here's what we do to help you certify that your agents,
members, franchisees or employees are capable of doing the job.
First, our online testing and assessment systems give a thorough and fair evaluation of the knowledge gained in
the course. They monitor your student's progress, test their knowledge, and record their test scores in our
Athena Learning Management System. This powerful and flexible learning management system maintains records of all your
students' accomplishments. It can be tailored to your exact needs.
Secondly, using your own standards, we issue attractive and professional Certificates of Achievement when your
students accomplish the specific requirements. You set the rules. We monitor and reward your students. You
can be confident that your students have learned the skills or knowledge required.
Thirdly, the system maintains accomplishments, such as total CEU's earned over a certain period of time. These
accomplishments are available to you online, and are sent to you in a report each month. You have total
information about who's doing what and when.
Earning a certificate of accomplishment, especially for academic achievement, can be a strong motivation for
people. Official recognition is generally very self-satisfying, and careers are usually enhanced with this
type of recognition.
Here's a quote from a student to whom we awarded Cruise Lines International Association's prestigious
"Elite Cruise Counsellor Scholar" award:
"It feels good to have the ECC designation on your business card. People have much more confidence in a
professional travel agent who specializes in cruises and has taken the time to become certified in their
specialty." -- P. J., Palos Verdes Estates, CA.
And remember: Certification of academic achievements issued by a third party such as TheAcademy.com will
eliminate the possibility of questions by students about any improper or preferential awards.
If you expect your students to have the skills to do a given job, we will ensure that they learn
and maintain those skills.
There is no saturation point in education.