12.8. IN CLOSING ...
12.8.1. Summary
The technical complexity of getting and keeping WBT systems running prevents many learners from taking WBT. To help learners over technical hurdles:
Limit the amount and sophistication of technology required for your course. Design your course to run on the computers learners already have. Minimize the number of plugins, add-ons, and other special software that learners must download and install. Suggest alternatives. Flag optional items.
Provide clear instructions. Tell learners how to download, install, and configure the browser, add-ons, and any other software.
Require learners to use the system early. Require them to submit assignments, enter into a discussion, participate in chat, and use other features of the system during the first week. Design these first activities so learners can concentrate on the mechanics of the process.
Plan for technical support, especially the kinds of disasters that can disrupt your course.
Set up a "testing gauntlet" and "media petting zoo" where learners can verify their ability to take the course-before they start the course. Likewise, schedule practice sessions with chat, videoconferencing, and other real-time collaboration tools.
Provide complete computer set-up instructions with Links to vendors' Web sites so learners can obtain needed software and technical support.
Support learners with such tools as an FAQ file, Help facility, course tutorial, problem-reporting mechanism, and support discussion group. ...
Get Designing Web-Based Training: How to Teach Anyone Anything Anywhere Anytime now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
