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When you visit people across our organization, it isn't hard to see why we continue to lead the industry in our chosen markets. I have worked for some of the largest and most successful companies in the education and information industries and I have never seen an employee population as engaged or as prepared for the future as the people in our businesses. You ask thought-provoking questions about electronic learning in the academic and corporate environments, about customers, the economy, and our future. I hope you find our insight as valuable and as inspiring as I find the questions. It doesn't surprise me to see Jim L'Allier's team at NETg do ground-breaking research like our Job Impact Study or Betsy Mayotte and Christine Frey's team at Prometric help establish pioneering projects like Enterprise Ohio. I'm not surprised that Dreis Van Landuyt and the people at Custom Publishing are leading their market. Take a look at "Exploring the European Past," an incredible combination of resources that make learning really come alive. These stories confirm that we have the most dynamic, forward thinking, and forward moving workforce in the learning market. Thomson employees share a passion for excellence that goes beyond their products and services. I see it again in this issue in the commitment to diversity at Gale. We also have people like Lee Walker from Thomson Learning in Australia who not only took the time to try online learning for herself, but also turned around and shared her lessons learned with her colleagues. Again, I do hope that you find that these stories we pull together from across the organization give you a better sense of what we are doing to build a world class learning business and, more importantly, a closer look at the people behind our success. Enjoy.
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"In today's learning environment, students and instructors search for a way to capture history and what happened 1000 years ago as dynamically as publications like the Wall Street Journal capture history as it unfolds today," said Dreis Van Landuyt, director of marketing for Custom Publishing. With ETEP students get the words of those who shaped history combined with comments of today's historians. When you weave in the images and artifacts of the period, you bring a richness to history education that up until now hasn't been possible. With ETEP, the best of the printed word meets the best of the web to create the best learning experience possible for students. ETEP was written and edited by historians and teachers from The Ohio State University and other respected schools. Each reading follows a proven learning sequence, beginning with an introduction by the author that sets the theme of each module and prepares students for the interpretation of source documents. There are three sources that students use to in learning ETEP course material:
ETEP is a prime example of how Thomson creates blended solutions for
learners and educators. With a mix of just-in-time or print on demand
solutions and a burgeoning Custom product line, "By partnering with other Thomson Learning companies to fulfill customers' needs, our organization has grown to a point where this year we will actually vie for the number one spot in this particular marketplace, an impressive feat given how relatively young our organization is," said Van Landuyt |
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The state of Ohio is experiencing a shifting economic base. Major manufacturers are leaving the area, there's a gap in the supply of and demand for knowledge-based workers, and the unemployment rate is on the rise. The business community, lawmakers and educators alike are seeking ways to keep and attract businesses so that the workforce continues to work and the economy begins to grow.
SkillsMAX uses the latest in computer-based testing, on-line learning, and web-based data management resources to deliver a tailored set of technology-based learning, training, testing and assessment services. The services are provided by Prometric-the lead vendor-and its partners: Chauncey Group International Ltd., Educational Testing Service (ETS), iLearning, Inc., Saba Software, Inc., and Saville and Holdsworth, Ltd, (SHL). The group is comprised of leaders in their respective fields. Together, they've developed a unique, robust, and replicable learning and training solution that they intend to jointly market. The bundle of services will connect people, skills training and jobs and will be delivered through newly established SkillsMAX Centers based on Ohio's 53 public two-year college campuses. The first center is scheduled to open at the end of April on the campus
of Lorain County Community College. Nine additional centers are scheduled
"This initiative can be described as a sophisticated skills and economic development toolbox," said Michael Brannick, Prometric president and chief executive officer. "It gives individuals and employers alike the information and resources they need to achieve the best possible fit between skill levels, work preferences and job requirements," he said. SkillsMAX will be administered by the Board of Regents' Enterprise Ohio Network, a statewide alliance established to advance Ohio's economic growth by expanding the capability and use of Ohio's public two-year colleges and university regional campuses as economic development partners and resources. "Ohio's success in the 21st century economy requires better informed decisions by companies and individuals about the knowledge they acquire and how they choose to apply it," said Michael Taggart, director of Workforce Development with the Ohio Board of Regents. "Local businesses will be strengthened by SkillsMAX because they will be better equipped to make sound hiring, training and promotion decision-improving in-house skills, productivity and employee retention," said Michael Taggart. This is a particularly important benefit as poor hiring decisions have costly implications. According to the Workplace Learning Center, it costs about $14,000 to replace an employee with a high school diploma and $66,000 to replace an employee with a collage degree. The Saratoga Institute estimates that a professional level vacancy can cost a company more than $1,300 a day. "In Ohio, you have a number of individuals either searching for jobs or looking for help with increasing their current skills," said Christine Frey, the Prometric Business Development Manager who has been coordinating the delivery of the project. "These individuals include the out-placed worker, the incumbent worker who may lack the skills needed for maximum performance in a current job, the adult who is transitioning from public assistance, and the emerging worker who is finishing school or college and is preparing for full-time employment," she concluded. Computer occupations dominate the fastest growing jobs in Ohio according to recent Ohio labor statistics. And while careers in engineering, natural science, and mathematics are expected to increase at a fast rate, professional, paraprofessional and technical workers are expected to grow even faster. These are professions where the demand for workers currently exceed the supply in Ohio. Michael Taggart noted that SkillsMAX will help bridge the gap. The service will help individuals assess their skills, aptitudes, and aspirations. Resources will help them set better career goals, choose appropriate training, and earn credentials that confirm their knowledge and skills -- such as certifications in Information Technology. The end goal is for people to get the training and skills they need to enhance productivity or to pursue new career opportunities. Whether for an individual or an employer, SkillsMAX uses the technology developed and delivered by the vendor partners to:
Prometric and its partners are currently exploring opportunities to duplicate their success with this innovative initiative in other markets. "By working closely with the client, we developed a unique and integrated solution that meets their business goals and objectives and further strengthens the breadth of our products, services and industry alliances," said Michael Brannick. Other Ohio Workforce Facts Other Labor Statistics |
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Thanks to a new Thomson research study recently completed by Jim L'Allier, NETg's chief learning officer, and his team, such questions can now be answered…and the answer is a resounding "YES!" The Research Project Specifically, the study sought to determine whether there were measurable differences in on-the-job performance achieved through a structured, blended learning program as comparedto a straight e-Learning approach. Both methods were compared to a "no learning" environment as a benchmark. This ground-breaking study was conducted cooperatively by Lockheed-Martin, NCR, Utah State University, University of Limerick, Ireland, Anoka-Ramsey Community College, Minnesota, Executive Service Corps of Chicago and KnowledgePool. The goals for the Thomson Job Impact Study were ambitious and represent the industry's first full-scale research into learning's impact on on-the-job results. In order to compare traditional learning approaches with a blended solution, the study focused on learning the fundamental skills of Microsoft Excel. Group One received a blended learning course, Group Two received an online course, and Group Three served as a control group to benchmark performance. All groups received post-assessment and conducted real-world tasks. Here is what Jim and his team ultimately discovered in their final analysis of the research:
The performance of all three groups on real-world tasks revealed that the blended approach yielded far superior performance. The Thomson Job Impact Study demonstrates that that a structured, blended learning model does result in greater workforce productivity. The Thomson Job Impact Study demonstrates that that a structured, blended learning model does result in greater workforce productivity."Many vendors talk about the value of blended learning and the results it brings, but few actually provide a comprehensive approach to learning," said Joe Dougherty, president of Thomson Learning's NETg, Wave and Course Technology organization. "It's not just a matter of fitting together different formats or assembling off-the-shelf exercises from various vendors. It must be designed with great thoughtfulness. The key here is to get actual hands-on activity. Get a definition and apply it right away...bring the learning experience closer to the actual application. And combine that with live mentors." Many of the organizations participating in this study agree and are actively supporting blended learning in their organizations. Candice Phelan, Ph.D., director of Lockheed Martin's Learning Services, commented: "We have been experimenting with blended learning, intuitively thinking it would support increased workplace performance. Having the results of the Thomson Job Impact Study will now enable us to move out confidently, basing our actions on stringent empirical results." Full details on the study can be obtained by request from the NETg Research & Development web site at info@netg.com |
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"When my competitive days as an Olympian were over in 1996, I felt a sense of loss," says two-time Olympian Roger Mar. "Suddenly, my 20-year career as a Rapid-Fire Pistol Shooter was over and my life had completely changed. It was very disorienting." But Roger didn't feel that way for long. He stopped searching for direction in newspaper help wanted ads and Internet job postings when DBM's career transition program put him on target. He learned how to network, interview, and negotiate effectively. Then, taking his athletic drive and knowledge about transitioning from sports to business, Roger landed a role with DBM helping athletes in the program. He now is a DBM Account Executive. Alex Shaffer, a member of the 2002 U.S. Olympic Alpine Ski Team, took advantage of the services DBM provides U.S. top athletes while they are training and competing. "Before the 2002 Winter Games, I had major surgery and needed to be in a positive, productive atmosphere until I could resume training," says Alex. "DBM gave me the tools I needed to find the perfect part-time job." Three-time Olympic Rowing Team member Bob Kaehler decided to retire after his wife had a baby, making the 2000 Olympics his last. He opened Pinnacle Therapy Services in 2001 and fulfilled his dream of running his own physical therapy practice. When Bob decided to expand his business to three branches, he sought DBM's consulting expertise and attended DBM's Entrepreneurial Roundtable sessions to exchange ideas and obtain feedback on strategies and plans from other business owners. "DBM provided a great learning experience that I'll use for the rest of my career," says Bob. "Based on the guidance I received from DBM, I changed my expansion plans. After completing DBM's business planning process, I realized the best next step for Pinnacle was to grow the three branches we have by adding additional services instead of opening new branches." In Atlanta in 1996, and in Salt Lake City in 2002, DBM provided career consulting services to USOC temporary staff before, during, and after the Games. Says Terri Mills, an Architectural Project Coordinator for the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for three years, "As my Olympic projects were coming to an end, DBM added direction to my job search. When I went home for Christmas, I got my new job with an architectural firm. Managing the firm's projects and offices in my home town was the perfect next step in my career. It would be wonderful if more people had access to that kind of help!" DBM has been the official supplier of career transition services to the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) since 1996. Services are provided nationwide and without charge to the Olympic and top athletes DBM assists through the USOC's Athlete Services Division. As part of the DBM/USOC relationship, DBM will present career transition seminars to Olympians retiring from sport at the Post Olympic Summit in June, 2002. |
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Return to top Living the Brand Thomson Learning customers want to do business with a learning company that is caring, responsive, knowledgeable, insightful, creative, proactive, and collaborative. Thomson Learning employees deliver on those attributes. Here's proof...
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to Living the Brand Diversity As a Way of Doing Business
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Return to Living the Brand A New Way to Bring Your Work Home Edited from an article written by Mari Masalin-Cooper, Gale My training and work with Gale's diversity initiative convinced me that embracing our differences is good for business, good for our company and good for us as individuals, but I did not expect to apply these principles in my own hometown. This hit home for me, literally, in June of last year. At a local city commission meeting, I listened to a non-resident explain why our city should not have a human rights ordinance. Our city commission had already passed a human rights ordinance. However, a national group paid for petitions to be circulated to have the ordinance rescinded. Instead of rescinding, our commissioners put it on the ballot. My diversity training taught me if I wanted a better community, I had
to participate in building the future. So, from June to November, I coordinated
the battle with friends and neighbors for the right to have a human rights
ordinance on our city's books. We fought against a well-funded, nationally
organized group with a track record of defeating these laws 80 percent
of the time. If we lost this battle, we would lose something very important:
our sense of community, pride in our diversity and our right to self-government. It is hard to believe that in this day and age there are still political organizations that actively work to restrict or remove the most basic protections for human rights, but it is true. In the United States in 2002, there will be at least a dozen cities battling for the right to keep their human rights laws. Gale's diversity training provokes thoughtful introspection with many of its employees. In my case, I could not walk away from my city's struggle against discrimination. The result, for me, was a rich reward of new friendships and the deep satisfaction that my small town grew together instead of being torn apart as had happened in our neighboring communities when they were faced with this fight and lost. Please do not underestimate the importance of a company diversity initiative. If the diversity work is successful, the company will grow. If you are successful in understanding the process and participate in the program, you will grow, too. |
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Return to Living the Brand Ongoing Excellence: Jackie McEwan at Nelson in Canada Thirty-five years ago, Jackie McEwan's colleagues at Nelson in Canada were amazed at her ability to handle 200 invoices per day using a typewriter and calculator. It was easily double the amount handled by the average employee. When Nelson computerized, she punched cards for the system. Jackie then went on to hold a number of administrative positions within the school division. For the past four years, she has supervised the customer support division. Jackie's value to Nelson and to Thomson is as legendary as her running shoes. From taking the time to council her staff to generating revenue, her enthusiasm has come to signify the guiding principles of the organization - an unerring belief that the customers matter and that we are only as good as the relationships we forge with them. She continues to be an inspiration and an encouragement to all who have the pleasure of working with her. Jackie McEwan celebrated her 35th anniversary with the company in November. She has been with Nelson longer than any other current employee, and there are few who have had such a profound impact on so many areas of the organization. |
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Return to Living the Brand Twelve Employees Mark 35 Years Joining Jackie McEwan on the list of employees who have 35 years or more with Thomson Learning and its businesses: Wanda Boaz, Jack Carey, Verb Clark, Beverly Cuzick, Jerry Holloway, Wayne Lowe, Robert Pfeffer, John Richardson Jr., Fred Sharer, Phyllis Smith, and Robert Williams. Employees who have celebrated their 20th, 25th, and 30th anniversaries at Thomson Learning. |
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Brooks/Cole Corporate Course Technology Delmar Distribution Center Finance Operations / Global Production & Mfg. Gale |
Gale HEG Sales Force Heinle Higher Ed & International International Thomson Publishing Services
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Management Services Nelson Nelson Thomson Learning Peterson's
South-Western SW Education
Wadsworth |
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Return to Living the Brand "Go Outside and Play" Starting with just $2,500 and no business experience or contacts, author Mark Csordos built a successful company. Upon selling his business at the age of 28, he began to write down all the lessons he learned about growing a start-up from scratch… things he wished he'd had known when he was starting out. "No one knows it all." "Let's face it, people lie to you." These are just some of the chapter titles that make the new South-Western book, Business Lessons for Entrepreneurs: 35 Things I Learned before the Age of Thirty, a little more interesting than the average business book aimed at teaching entrepreneurs how to successfully grow their own business. It also includes ten tips that are guaranteed to get a company publicity, seven leadership traits that all successful entrepreneurs need, and how to keep your mind sharp for the long road ahead. The print version of the book will be available in late April. According to Carolyn Stendahl, South-Western marketers are already busy planning a campaign that reaches the broader business and trade audience this book will attract. |
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Return to Living the Brand Thomson Creates Enterprise Solutions Team Thomson Learning's Corporate and Professional Development Group underwent a transformation in early 2002 as it pulled together our corporate market businesses - Prometric, DBM, and the new NETg/Wave/Course Technology. First, the Group was re-named "Enterprise Learning." Next, they formed a special team - Thomson Enterprise Solutions - to create and deliver mission-critical, large-scale learning solutions to major corporate and government clients. Thomson Enterprise Solutions provides single point access to the largest global information business in the world and the capabilities to meet the large scale learning needs unique to Global 1000 clients. "Savvy organizations realize that gaps in learning mean gaps in achieving their objectives," said Alex Brnilovich, president and CEO of Enterprise Learning. "Thomson is uniquely able to serve global 1000 clients as a preferred partner by providing comprehensive learning solutions to all levels of the organization," he added. With a combination of existing and recently acquired businesses, Thomson now has a full range of learning content, delivery, measurement and management from brands that lead their core markets. The company now has thousands of courses and certifications to serve its global customer base. Thomson also provides high school and associate degrees and has partnered to offer MBA degrees. The Enterprise Solutions team will support global organizations at all phases of their employee training and development program - from services that identify business needs and deliver a plan of action to the creation of learning experiences using the right mix of content and delivery methods, effective program management and measurement. To ensure it has the depth of product businesses need, Thomson also has many strategic partnerships that integrate additional products and services for Thomson customers. This includes UNext's extensive libraries for IT and business skills and MBA degree programs. |
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Return to Living the Brand This Is Not your Father's Learning Solution: Thomson Wins GM Business General Motors and Thomson announced in March that they had reached a multi-year agreement to provide innovative online learning programs to 88,000 salaried GM employees through General Motors University (GMU). This was a major new contract for Thomson Learning - and a sign of good things to come from the Thomson Enterprise Solutions team. Thomson is the exclusive provider of Cardean University's award-winning courses and programs to large Global 1000 clients, and GM is already using Cardean's on-line executive and management development courses. GM will kick-off their M.B.A. program this month. GM will additionally partner with Thomson to create existing courses for GM's automotive business. GM estimates that the new e-MBA and on-line executive education will save the company millions of dollars while offering employees more flexibility. "GM strives to deliver high quality, enterprise-wide learning programs. We also know it's critical to our success to take advantage of leading-edge technology in online learning," said Donnee Ramelli, president of General Motors University (GMU). "Our new alliance with Thomson enables GM continued access to courses and programs that transcend the time and distance limitations that once put world-class business school education out of the reach of our highly mobile executives and employees seeking to sharpen their skills." |
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Return to Living the Brand Creating Controversy You could say that Gale has been at the forefront of blending solutions since it introduced its first resource center in 1998. Its seventh center promises to be its most controversial - by design. The "Opposing Viewpoints" resource center provides content and context for students to research 170 of the hottest and most important social issues in a safe, online environment. Based on Greenhaven's acclaimed "At Issue" and "Current Controversy" series, the new center culls from several Gale product lines. Dan Leone calls the result "a dynamic online library of current event topics - the facts as well as the arguments of each topic's proponents and detractors." Visit www.gale.com for more information. |
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Return to Living the Brand Where Community Service Meets Customer Service In the current economic climate, quality customer service is rapidly becoming the benchmark by which companies differentiate themselves from their competitors. With Thomson's involvement and leadership, Kentucky community colleges hope to provide a leg up to area businesses and their employees through continuing education and certification.In November 2001, director of customer service Renee Sparks was contacted by Dr. Angie Taylor, dean of Community & Economic Development at Northern Kentucky Technical College (NKTC) in Covington to discuss a local customer service training consortium. The goal of the consortium would be to work with local companies for whom customer service is an integral part of business to develop a certification program through NKTC and the Kentucky Community & Technical College System (KCTCS). "We were interested from the very beginning," said Renee Sparks. "Customer Service is only as good as the people who deliver it. To attract and retain the kind of quality employees that make our customer service teams world-class, we must provide ongoing training to increase and update skills." Adam Diamond, trainer for Thomson Distribution Center Customer Service, represented Thomson Learning as the community colleges and companies worked on a program. They developed a sample curriculum for Customer Service Associates. It included computer skills, communication skills, and leadership skills for current and potential supervisors. While a few companies dropped out of the consortium, Thomson saw an opportunity to form the sort of partnership that would benefit everyone involved. In the end, Northern Kentucky Technical College decided to create a customized curriculum to develop and refine customer service skills for the entire Thomson Learning Customer Service department. With input from Renee Sparks and Adam Diamond, the college put together
a grant application for the state of Kentucky, and in mid-February, a
grant was approved from the Workplace Essentials program to pay for 100%
of the tuition costs of the course. In taking advantage of opportunities such as these, Thomson Learning is establishing a < firm position as a valuable member of the local community and asserting its presence as the industry standard in highly skilled, quality customer service. |
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Return to Living the Brand While We Are On the Subject of Accounting The math department at Edison Community College is thanking Brooks/Cole (Wadsworth) for helping them find the eFinancial Accounting by Yale professors Rick Antle and Stanley Garstka has been nominated for the American Accounting Associations "Innovation in Accounting Award." The award recognizes a significant activity, concept, or set of materials for educational benefits and adaptability by other educational institutions or to other situations. Editor Ken Martin says South-Western is thrilled to have a first edition in contention for the award. |
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Return to Living the Brand No Parent Left Behind… Parents trying to help their child or their child's guidance counselor will most certainly welcome the new eGuidance Center created by Peterson's and Bridges.com Inc. It offers single-source access to effective college selection, test preparation, financial aid, educational planning, career exploration, career planning, and self-assessment. Moreover, it allows parents, students, and counselors to participate in the planning process - connecting all three in a self-contained, shared, easy-to-use community. Already, 100 "Leader Schools" in 43 U.S. states have been selected to pioneer the program. Mary Gatsch, recently named president of Peterson's, praises the new collaboration for "helping families spend less time on searching and more time on learning." |
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Return to Living the Brand 1.2 Million Online Exams Can't Be Wrong says Education Direct Education Direct is taking another step in fulfilling its promise to help customers learn at their own pace by putting study materials for seventeen of its most popular at-home training programs and exams for all programs online. According to Paul Warner, online editor for Product Development, "The main benefit of online study is convenience. The electronic versions take up no space on your bookshelf, are easy to navigate when you need answers fast, and can be saved to your hard drive as a quick reference." An attractive alternative to their print-based counterparts, the user-friendly electronic texts are more colorful and easily searched. To access them, students go to the Education Direct web site and choose a link that takes them to a free download of Adobe Acrobat Reader. Students are then able to open and use portable document format (PDF) files regardless of their computers' operating systems. Colored hyperlinks throughout the text transport the reader to pertinent Web sites or related sections of the text. Students who choose online learning still receive all printed program materials delivered to their homes, so they can alternate between traditional and online study and reference the material even after graduation. The online study guides serve as a wonderful educational medium for Education Direct's handicapped students. The visually impaired can zoom in to enlarge the text and graphics. Screen readers - programs that interpret information on the screen and output that information through a computer's speakers - can even allow blind students to hear the text, empowering them with a new method of learning. After more than a hundred years of mailing in their exam responses, and more recently testing by telephone, Education Direct students can now test online - a method that many find quicker, more convenient and more economical. A to Z online education. Jeff Orr, director of product development, sees online learning as a new medium for popularizing Education Direct's brand of distance education. "Our goal is to have all of our programs available for online study by the end of the year," Jeff says, "from there our efforts will focus on launching new applications from the PDF files-we plan to introduce instructional animation and video down the road." Jeff also sees the initiative as a way to monitor the methods in which Education Direct students are choosing to learn. "Last year we administered over 1.2 million exams, this year we expect our annual total to exceed 1.5 million." Education Direct will continue to offer options that make learning convenient and comfortable for all of their students. |
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Return to Living the Brand Tailored Computing Meets Tailored Learning By now, everyone is familiar with the Dell Computer Corporation success story. The concept of letting a customer design and order a computer quickly and easily using the Internet made Dell an overnight success. They are now a $31 billion company. They spend $50 million annually just on training, spreading that money among 400+ vendors. Thomson sees wonderful ways for Dell to consolidate that spend, beginning with computer-based testing services. Ed Zepeda, Prometric business development manager, began developing the Dell relationship in January 2001 through his own contacts within the organization. Thanks to Ed, prometric has signed Dell Computer Corporation to a two year, worldwide computer-based testing agreement. Prometric will deliver their MCSE Certification and Dell Delivery Exams. However, the signing of the Prometric agreement is only one small piece of the relationship potential for Thomson. When determining how Prometric could assist Dell, Prometric's sales team also discovered the company had additional needs besides computer-based assessment. Dell currently trains and tests more than 1500 of its employees a year, and anticipates both international expansion and expansion outside of employee-only testing. With 34,600 team members around the world, Dell could potentially conduct hundreds of thousands of training sessions annually. Within 48 hours, Ed engaged representatives from NetG, Course Technology, WAVE, and Dell to discuss using Thomson training vendors, potentially reducing Dell's vendors and placing the relationship under the Thomson umbrella. The total solutions approach, bringing the full capabilities of Thomson to the table, helped Prometric establish additional value as a business partner. Prometric will begin delivering six Dell exams in late June, 2002. The exams will be delivered in a handful of APTCs around the United States, including the Dell APTC at its corporate headquarters in Austin, TX |
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Return
to Living the Brand Get into a study routine. When I first enrolled in online study, I said to myself, 'Great! I can study where I want and when I want'. But I quickly realized that, without a study routine, I was studying where I wanted: at work, at home, while travelling for business, when I was overseas. And I was also studying when I wanted: hardly ever. Like traditional modes of study, online study is a very autonomous process. Most online courses offer study guides to help schedule research and development time and complete assessment tasks. Unless you have 'cramming' down to a fine art, I recommend that all learners devise a realistic study schedule. Know your mentor. Online learners need to develop and maintain a good relationship with their mentor. They are an invaluable support for the learner and the online learning process. Half-way through an online course, I was having an informal chat with a fellow online learner, who was feeling extremely isolated and finding it increasingly difficult to be motivated enough to attend tutorials and complete assessment tasks. 'How often do you make contact with your mentor?' they asked. 'At least once a week,' I replied. 'Oh,' they said. 'That often?' And I replied, 'Absolutely. It's what keeps me going.' Form a group identity. Create a group identity with your fellow online learners. A group identity can only be created and then maintained through constant online communication. This continued interaction will ultimately provide you (and the other learners) with invaluable peer support. Be a proactive online learner and help direct learning. By choosing to study online, you have indicated that you want be a proactive learner. Online delivery has created a fluidity of roles for tutors and learners, and it is expected that you will take an active role and direct learning processes and outcomes. So initiate communication. Rather than wait for somebody else to invite you to chat online, e-mail a message, or devise an online activity that everyone can be involved in. Be seen… be heard… and be involved… and you can't go wrong. |
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Looking Forward: Thomson Learning Events For more information regarding these events and to view other events Thomson Learning is participating in, please visit the Thomson Learning event's calendar at www.calmerge.com/thomson/thomsonlearning |
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By the time you read this, I will have connected
with the people at five Thomson Learning locations through an ongoing
series of "Town Halls." At these meetings, I have mentioned
that Thomson, unlike many corporations, has one and only one overriding
core value - its people. I am dedicating this issue of Connected to the
people that are developing Thomson's reputation for leadership and innovation
in learning.
This
new project, entitled Exploring the European Past: Texts and Images (ETEP),
is a custom reader with source readings and images organized around a
central theme in the history of Western Civilization. ETEP is designed
to captivate the imaginations and enhance the classroom experiences of
students in Western Civilization/European History survey courses. It not
only introduces students to primary source documents and historians' interpretations,
but also uses visual sources (maps, charts, works of art, archaeological
artifacts, photographs, and animated maps) in innovative ways that teach
students to view visual evidence as additional sources.
The
Ohio Board of Regents turned to Prometric to help define, develop and
deliver what is being viewed as a breakthrough workforce development service
that Ohio refers to as "SkillsMAX."
Critics
and advocates alike still ask whether a blended or participatory learning
model really increases employee performance. Is it more effective in achieving
on-the-job performance than other approaches to learning? 
