T&D articles from August 2002

T&D archives from August 2002

Community. (T+D Online).(reimbursement of continuing education expenses)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Neilmac In a recent post to our Performance Improvement forum, Andrea sought feedback regarding tuition reimbursement. Her company has about 2000 employees and is in the midst of enhancing its current reimbursement program. Here's what a...

IRS maximum tax write. (T+D Online).(employer reimbursement of education expenses)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Yevette Many companies will have a maximum reimbursment of US$5250 per year, which I believe is the IRS maximum tax write-off [per employee] for the company. One thing to consider is to be careful not to limit employees to a...

Our company has 1200 employees. (T+D Online).(job training services)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2002... Our company has 1200 employees. We reimburse for tuition, text, and lab fees, based on grades. An A equals 100 percent, a B equals 75 percent, and a C equals 50 percent. In pass-fail courses, employees receive full reimbursement for passing....

Knowledge transfer networks. (Learning Circuits).(e-learning; Madeleine Butschler)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... In the traditional classroom, knowledge transfer is considered a unidirectional activity: Trainers transfer knowledge to learners. As e-learning evolves, developers must reframe communication to be multidirectional between instructors,...

Collaborative learning communities. (Learning Circuits).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... With the convergence of e-learning and knowledge management and the development of work-group collaboration tools, online communities have become increasingly prevalent. Unfortunately, practical application of online communities remains elusive...

Leading with values. (President's Page).(business ethics in training)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... The ASTD global community was alive and well at the ASTD 2002 International Conference and Exposition in New Orleans, in June. Talking to all of you who attended the conference and expo energized me, and I hope you enjoyed your time in New...

Mailbox.
August 1, 2002... Huge in Hong Kong In reading William Powell's article "Above the Bottom Line" (April), we find many insights that will definitely benefit the people in Hong Kong. I work at MDC, a not-for-profit organization set up in 1984 by the Vocational...

Service train-ing, pt. II: here's a sampling of your thoughts on improving customer service. (News You Can Use).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Thanks to all of you who wrote in with your thoughts on improving customer service Here's a sampling of the great suggestions I received. Train the workers beyond service skills. The solution isn't just better customer service training,...

Global 360: education gaps. (News You Can Use).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2002... Reducing disparities in education levels may be more important to boosting poor countries' economic growth than narrowing the income gap between the rich and the poor. So says a new study that analyzed 30 years of data from 108 countries....

Survey says. (News You Can Use).(employee training)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Best-practice companies spend more money on training. That's the finding of a U.K. study conducted by consulting firm Birkby Lancaster. Companies that won the U.K. Excellence awards were asked what percentage of pay they allocated for employee...

VBrick Systems. (E-News).(internet video)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Blurry, jerky streaming video isn't anyone's favorite way to learn. But students at one educational institution had a special need for high-quality video transmissions. Gallaudet University, the world's only liberal arts university for people...

House introduces human capital bill. (Policy News).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... The Good People, Good Government Act (HR 4580) was introduced by Representative Connie A. Morella (R-MD) on April 24, to reform federal employee career development and benefits. The bill would require each agency to appoint or designate a chief...

Welfare reform bill passes house. (Policy News).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Rep. Deborah Pryce (R-OH) introduced the Personal Responsibility, Work and Family Promotion Act of 2002 (HR 4737) on May 15. The bill passed the U.S. House on May 16, and was sent to the U.S. Senate. The legislation would reauthorize and...

Pilot primer: the ABCs of piloting your e-learning program. (Training 101).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... In "The Trainer's Ally" you learned how to start the e-learning discussion in your organization, find user champions, and pick your initial pilot group. Now the real work begins. How do you get a pilot under way? When developing a pilot,...

Manic Mondays. (@ Work).(Internet usage)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2002... It seems the surf's always up on Monday. StatMarket www.statmarket.com indicates that Monday is the most popular day for Internet usage. Though the survey doesn't posit a reason for the increase, it's not likely to be attributable to a flurry...

Tablet PC. (@ Work).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... There was a time, in college, when I refused to write on anything other than a paper tablet and a clipboard. Being confined to a desk just wasn't cool; I had to be outdoors. I needed to sit beneath a tree, shrouded in dappled sunlight, to spill...

Ready to rumble? (@ Work).(Netscape Navigator vs. Internet Explorer)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... If you missed the first browser war between Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Netscape's Navigator, you didn't miss much. Netscape, the early leader, quickly lost its share of the market to a determined Microsoft, whose bundling of IE with...

Those naughty Brits. (@ Work).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... A survey of British employees, conducted by Experian, a global information services company, uncovered some pretty shocking news regarding the way Brits (and likely most of the Western world) use email at work. The least of which was that one...

Built to be great: T+D talks with Jim Collins about what it takes to go from good to great.(Interview)
August 1, 2002... Jim Collins, opening keynote speaker at the 2002 ASTD International Conference and Exposition in June, followed up his 1994 book with Jerry Porras, Built to Last, with the 2001 sequel Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and...

A scorm odyssey: the University of Wisconsin's journey through standards has lessons for anyone about to embark on e-learning.
August 1, 2002... Not too long ago, an e-learning project manager I know jokingly referred to SCORM as "a happy place in the future." In the minds of many e-learning developers, standards are a bitter pill--providing little in return for the effort. But that...

How to build an online learning center: online learning centers may be the new construct for training and development.
August 1, 2002... For technological breakthroughs to change our daily lives, they must not only bring something new, but also must enable us to make better use of what we already have. The automotive age, for example, didn't begin with the internal combustion...

Preventing e-learning failure: ten common pitfalls and how to avoid them.
August 1, 2002... A growing number of organizations are embracing e-learning as an advantageous, if nor altogether superior, approach to delivering training. In fact, some observers estimate that by 2005 as much as 90 percent of all training will be delivered...

Trainer, educate thyself! Who better? (Your Career).
August 1, 2002... This article is the second in a two-part series on trainers' self-development. See "Trainer, Assess Thyself!" (Your Career, July). Given the ongoing economic uncertainty, rapidly changing workplace, and continual flux of the training and...

E-learning @ Belgacom: here's how one European firm makes e-learning work. (Pass Port).
August 1, 2002... If technology wasn't an issue, what type of learning environment would you create? Belgacom SA, the leading supplier of global telecommunications solutions on the Belgian market--offering local, intercity and international voice and data...

Supplier savvy: to build or buy--that is the question.
August 1, 2002... The question addressed in this column is the long-existing dilemma of whether companies should buy learning and development programs from outside suppliers, or whether they should build such programs. Let me begin by explaining why I...

Speaking of ethics: legal or right?
August 1, 2002... If the recent debacle of Enron and Andersen Consulting has taught us anything, its that doing the right thing isn't always easy. Yet, most of us try to do the right thing most of the time. When we can't for whatever reasons or don't know what...

E-finance: corporate knowledge services recovery is delayed.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Recent channel checks and industry barometers (earnings, research studies, and so forth) indicate that the difficult environment has persisted and, in some cases, worsened. Based on our research, we're adjusting our estimate for the timing of a...

Train For Results. (Books).(Train For Results: Maximize the Impact of Training Through Review)
August 1, 2002... By Catherine Mattiske Catherine Mattiske distinguishes the review process as a critical training component in her new book, Train For Results: Maximize the Impact of Training Through Review. In an easy-to-read, conversational, albeit...

On the night stand.(what Jay Cross is reading)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... I'm a book junkie. Six-foot-high bookcases line the walls of my house in Berkeley. When the big quake hits, you don't want to be here. I usually read about a dozen books simultaneously. I'm halfway through Andrew Weil's Eating Well for...

Wee laptop. (In Gear).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... With laptop computers, a cut in scale typically means a cut in performance. Not so with the 2.2-pound Sony PCG-C1MVPM/C. Sporting a 733MHz TM5800 Crusoe processor, this subnote-book runs Windows XP with ease. Additional features include an...

Lock 'em up. (In Gear).(advertisment)
August 1, 2002... Someone might try to run off with your laptop, but the culprit won't get far with the ARC Kryptonite lock. This 5mm, vinyl-coated, braided-steel cable is of the same stuff used in Kryptonite's bicycle products. The additional quick-mount...

Set-top Tandberg. (In Gear).
August 1, 2002... Conduct presentations on the fly with Tandberg's 880 set-top videoconferencing unit. Feature rich, the unit incorporates a slot for a wireless LAN card, enabling wireless operation, and the company's embedded MultiSite feature, which allows the...

Give 'Em the Pickle! (Media Reviews).
August 1, 2002... Ice cream magnate and customer service guru Bob Farrell wants "Give 'Em the Pickle!" to become the battle cry at your organization. He explains: "Pickles are those special or extra things you do to make people happy. The trick is figuring out...

I am engaged! (Media Review).(Review)
August 1, 2002... Finally, an exciting e-learning experience. I was engaged in the learning mode from the moment I began Preventing Workplace Harassment. The modules load quickly. The program addresses various learning styles by making good use of text,...

Online evaluations for distance learning with Classroom Manager.NET. (Products).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Online Evaluations for distance learning with Classroom Man ager.NET. Create and send your custom surveys and evaluations to anyone anywhere in the world. Evaluations are consolidated with a click. View consolidated reports on your browser or...

Story Theater -- making content come alive. (Products).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Story Theater -- Making Content Come Alive Stimulate your audience with stories that make a point. Tell your own stories to gain credibility. Learn how to develop keynote stories. FREE NEWSLETTER and audio products. Doug Stevenson,...

Inscape publishing. (Products).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Inscape Publishing training products. Purchase products securely from our web site: http://www.trainingsolutions.com/inscape.asp. Immediate orders our specialty! TRAINING SOLUTIONS, INC. 703.818.8662. MC/VISA/AMEX/DISCOVER/DINERS.

Training calendars and online student registration using Classroom Manager.NET. (Products).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Training Calendars and Online Student Registration using Classroom Manager.NET. Generate dynamic calendars with links to your course descriptions and enable online registration for your classes. From advertising your courses, registering...

Can we just say, lck? Eyuuuuuuuuuu. (Working Life).(includes related articles on women's income)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2002... The average office desk has 4000 times the number of bacteria as the average toilet seat, according to researchers at the University of Arizona. It Ain't Over Till It's Over A 91-year-old woman, Grace Claiborne Johnson, just received...

Quick tips. (@ Work).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... From time to time, you're swamped with the number of email messages you intend to reply to. If you receive a lot of email daily, an important message can be lost in the depths of your inbox. One trick I've tried with Microsoft Outlook is...