| Kevin Duffy |
Dispatch Training
on the World Wide Web
| Training Tactics is a guest column about public safety dispatch training issues. |
| Kevin Duffy is the Managing Director of the APCO Institute and the author of Training on the Web: A Guide for Instructors and Designers [see the review on this web site]. Visit the Virtual Institute. |
This article can be found on
page 62 of the Jan/Feb 1998
issue of 9-1-1 Magazine.
Colleges and universities have been experimenting with web-based training for several years now. Early research has shown that retention of material in web-based courses is actually higher than in classroom-based courses - as much as 25% higher. There are some very good reasons for this.
Traditional stand-up training classes are conducted in a matter of days. Students study a topic for a few hours, then move on to another topic. On the web, topics are introduced and studied for as long as a week at a time. Students log in early in the week, get their assignments, then work on the topic for days at a time. They return to the web site several times, posting assignments on the Discussion Board and getting involved in discussions with other students and the instructor. Questions and problems are posted and answered, and the student has the opportunity to master a topic before moving on to another. Therefore, retention and practical application of topic information is much higher.
In the classroom, students are led by an instructor. The instructor provides information, asks probing questions, assigns work to students, and facilitates interactions. On the web, the same information is provided, but another interesting thing happens - when the instructor asks a question, there are replies from every student, not just one or two. The web instructor provides work assignments to the students, and every student completes the assignments in writing. Discussions are facilitated, and students not only converse with the instructor, but with each other.
Student-instructor and student-student relationships are built, just as they are in classroom-based classes. In short, web training is everything that classroom training can provide - and more.
The APCO Institute began offering some of its training programs through the APCO International web site a year ago. Students register for a class in the traditional way - by fax or mail. Each student is provided with an instructional letter, including the user name and the password for his or her "virtual classroom," and a textbook for the course.
The Virtual Classroom includes a "Unit Introduction," which provides any special information about the unit, including goals and objectives. The student can then choose "Unit Assignments" to find out what needs to be done to successfully complete the unit. Once the assignments are digested, the student can then choose "Instructor Notes" that outline important information or discuss information that is not found in the textbook. Finally, the student can choose "Discussion Board," where he or she can post assignments, messages to the instructor or other students, and also post responses to others' posts. A chat room is also available so that students can engage in real-time chat over the web.
Another feature of the Virtual Classroom is the Break Room. This area has a Discussion Board that allows students from all active classes to post questions, ask for help with problems, and post solutions. With 70 or more students in classes at one time, there are many opportunities for technical and social interactions between many students.
Each week, the lesson is changed. Students progress through the class in a sequential manner, just like the live classroom experience. However, students do not have to be together at the same moment - they work independently and communicate by using email and the Discussion Board. This allows students from all over the world to participate in class activities, even though they are in different time zones and geographical areas.
As technology and software improves, so will the capabilities of the Virtual Institute. We will provide Discussion Boards and Chat Rooms for graduates of APCO Institute courses, where you can gather with others of like interests and discuss problems and solutions - or just talk. By subscribing to the APCO Institute listserver (accessed via the web page), interested parties can receive APCO Institute information by email.
