eLearning - December 2008/January 2009 - (Page 32) Government News E-learning Services For 1.8 Million Federal Employees Federal employees now have e-learning services at their fingertips through USALearning.gov, an etraining portal designed to give them one online location to sign up for and take courses, perform skills assessments and receive reports about their progress. USALearning is an effort by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the U.S. Office of Management & Budget (OMB) to simplify and unify e-training services across federal government and is one of 24 e-government initiatives that support President George W. Bush’s Management Agenda. OPM spearheaded the project and awarded a multi-million dollar contract to GeoLearning to host the infrastructure, maintain the site and provide technical support to end-users. The agency considered operating the site in-house but decided instead on GeoLearning’s application service provider model. “There was a lot of discussion about alternatives,” says Norm Enger, the agency’s egovernment program director. “This was the most cost-effective and compatible solution to competitive sourcing.” USALearning operates on GeoLearning’s GeoMaestro LMS and is available to more than 1.8 million federal employees. The site provides one-stop access to e-training services for more than 1.8 million people employed by the federal government, making it the e-learning industry’s largest implementation. The site is also ADA Section 508-compliant to meet the needs of the visually challenged. More information is available at the Website www.usalearning.gov. Getting a Break on Connectivity 10 Ways to Be A Good E-learner While it’s fine to see e-learning as a break from routine, it certainly isn’t a break from thought and effort. Success is dependent on you being well-prepared and fully engaged with the learning. So here are some tips from Epic Thinking, the United Kingdom’s leading e-learning production team, to help make you a good e-learner: 1 Set aside specific time for your learning. 2 Minimize distractions (mobile phone, iPod, etc.). 3 Improve your concentration. Remember: it’s how well you learn, not how fast. 4 Be an active reader. To learn from reading material, you must be a thinking participant in the process, so think about what you are reading, ask yourself questions and have an opinion about what you read. Don’t be passive. 5 Take notes along the way. Write down any major points you have learned. 6 Discuss what you’ve learned with others. Vocalizing and discussing issues helps you make sense of what you have learned. 7 Take advantage of mixed media (audio, video, etc.) and different learning styles. 8 Try learning with a colleague. You can discuss the topics and help each other understand complex points. 9 Do it at a time that suits you best. A major benefit of e-learning is that it can be done whenever you like. If you work best in the wee hours of the morning, then do it then! 10 Give yourself a good incentive for finishing each module or course. More and more government agencies are seeking partnerships with communications providers. A prime example is the Illinois Century Network (ICN), a telecommunications backbone providing high-speed access to data, video and audio communication in schools and libraries, at colleges and universities, to public libraries and museums, and for local government and state agencies. Its new agreement with AT&T will lower Ethernet connectivity pricing in all AT&T service areas state-wide rather than by local service areas. The Illinois Department of Central Management Services (CMS) has the authority to procure this connectivity via the State of Illinois Master Telecommunications contract. Illinois CMS encourages constituents to consult their internal procurement officer to determine their ability to enter into a contract with AT&T and take advantage of the new pricing as outlined in the State of Illinois Master Telecommunications contract. 32 December 2008/January 2009 Elearning! http://www.USALearning.gov http://www.usalearning.gov
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