A Unique Opportunity To Collaborate
with Other Distance/e-Learning Professionals

Penn State Great Valley in Malvern, PA
   Thursday September 9, 2004 from 6:30p to 9:00p

Challenge Description

What do you do when you have to develop e-Learning for dull topics like compliance training? e-Learning gurus tell us to aim for user engagement; to build interactivity into every 5th screen; to only use visual elements when they contribute to the learning experience; to change user activities/ events more frequently than in classroom training. But what can you do if your budget, turn around time, development tools, and in-house talent don't seem to add up to turning out anything more than a page turner, rather than learning?

Let's look at creative ways to tackle this training issue. Can it be done with just a course? What possibilities open up if we add performance support, collaboration, e-Mentoring? What's the value of synchronous vs. asynchronous solutions? Let's brainstorm creative ways of tackling this all too familiar challenge.

Shared by Marian Caroselli: Training Manager, e-Learning at AstraZeneca

Challenge Description

One of the most difficult issues facing corporations today is keeping up with the ever increasing pace of business. This presents significant challenges for e-learning as content producers struggle to create accurate, instructionally sound materials within shorter deadlines.

Whether your content is generated by Subject Matter Experts or you have a fully staffed department of designers and developers, you must address the question of how to meet unrealistic, but unmovable, deadlines for delivering your education while, at the same time, meeting your quality standards and satisfying your clients, whether they are internal or external.

Our challenge focuses on rapid e-learning development. What is the key to achieving rapid development? How should your e-learning team be structured? What tools should you select? Do you re-engineer your processes? Are there best practices to facilitate rapid e-learning development?

Shared by Independence Blue Cross

Challenge Description

eResearchTechnology, Inc. (eRT) is a world leader in ECG processing for the pharmaceutical research industry. Recent changes in FDA guidelines in the past few years, pertaining to cardiac safety monitoring during clinical trials, have led to a significant increase in the number of ECGs that are typically performed and processed during the development of a drug. As a result, the past two years have been a period of rapid growth for eRT, as we have expanded the number of internal employees and services in order to handle this tremendous business opportunity and service our rapidly growing client base. eRT is a mid-sized company of about 300+ employees, with offices in Philadelphia, Bridgewater, NJ and Peterborough, UK.

As part of our services, eRT provides ECG equipment to the research facilities (investigator sites) that are involved in dosing patients and performing ECGs for clinical trials. One of eRT’s biggest training challenges is to provide ECG equipment training in a timely manner to the vast number of site personnel worldwide who will be performing ECGs. Currently, the eRT Academy uses a number of different methods to deliver this training, including quick reference materials, web-based training, telephone training and instructor-led training (either at large group ‘investigator’ meetings or in small groups at the site location). Other methods are currently being explored which include video conferencing via Webex. How can this all be done effectively and efficiently?

Shared by Ann Dillon: Academy Trainer at eResearchTechnology, Inc.