Chemical Processing - June 2008 - (Page 39)

In-person versus Internet courses professional societies, media companies, product manufacturers, universities, etc. offer courses. But industry’s focus on the short-term has greatly reduced the demand. in the 1970s, the continuing education catalog of the american institute of chemical engineers (aiche) listed over 100 courses, with its houston sessions routinely attracting more than 1,000 registrants. The aiche catalog is no more; what’s left of the continuing education program (about a dozen courses) has been outsourced to the american society of mechanical engineers. To some, live presentations such as offered by the aiche are “old school.” The “new school” is distance learning via the internet. Web-based courses do have some advantages over live presentations: When you need it (just-in-time). if you have a problem, you’re after a solution now. You can take internet courses when you want instead of waiting weeks or months for a live presentation. Where you need it. You can access Webbased courses from your office or home, avoiding the inconvenience and expense of travel. What you need. Unlike a live presentation where the lecturer determines the sequence in which topics are presented, many online courses allow the user to select the sequence, skipping those topics of little or no interest. however, interacting with a computer doesn’t compare with interacting with other individuals. a major advantage of a live presentation is the opportunity to talk with lecturers who are knowledgeable in the field. You also can learn from the fellow attendees. They likely face the same problem you have or a similar one. While you must be careful to protect proprietary technology, discussions with other participants can be very informative. providers of internet offerings compensate with e-mail, electronic bulletin boards, etc., but it’s just not the same. The fixed schedule of a live presentation can be a big plus — you can reserve the time to actually attend it! Today, every engineer in industry has more than enough to do. What actually gets done depends on the priorities. if you pursue professional development over the Web, can you keep its priority sufficiently high? perhaps you can, but most engineers find this very difficult to do. The difference between education and training definitely pertains to internet offerings. To date, most online courses fall into the realm of training. “Talking heads” (presenters who basically read from a script) can deliver training; similarly, developers who know nothing about the subject can convert traditional training materials into Webbased offerings. however, education requires the intimate involvement of someone knowledgeable on the subject in developing the internet offering. That individual also should understand web presentation technology and be sufficiently creative to devise ways to use that technology to teach someone to think. merely repackaging a traditional course for Web-based delivery falls far short. The advantages of the medium should be used to enhance the presentation. We must get away from an either/or mindset — either a live presentation or an online offering. What about a live presentation that utilizes Webbased materials in lieu of traditional course notes? The live presentation retains the personal interaction while the materials on the internet ideally suit subsequent study and reference (especially if a good search engine is available). The usual standard for course notes is to support the lecture; let’s raise the standard so that the notes are designed for independent study later. This will result in truly a quality offering. Unfortunately, corporate-level policies that encourage professional development don’t count for much. When times are bad, companies have no money for courses. But when times are good, they can’t spare the time for their people. So, too often professional development never gets done. It’s one expense that’s easy to defer because the short-term impact is minimal. There’s one exception: when you have a specific problem to solve. This creates an opportunity — use such problems 39 chemicalprocessing.com JUne 2008 http://chemicalprocessing.com

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Chemical Processing - June 2008 Contents From the Editor ChemicalProcessing.com Field Notes In Process Energy Saver Compliance Advisor Achieve Model Operations Bolster Your Condition Monitoring Toolbox Particle Analysis Makes Solid Progress Improve Batch Reactor Temperature Control Improve Your Job Security Plant InSites Process Puzzler Equipment & Services Product Spotlight/Classifieds Ad Index End Point

Chemical Processing - June 2008

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