Free for the learning

Rough Notes, Apr 2001 by Shumaker, Wanda

Web-based training can lead to improved employment skills

When I was searching for Web-based training resources, a friend of mine guided me to a site address FREESKILLS.COM. While browsing this site, I noticed a scrolling ad for another site referred to as BRAINBENCH.COM. In this column, we will review both and discuss some suggestions for utilizing this type of resource for technology training.

As the name indicates, Freeskills.com is a no-cost, Webbased learning solution. After a participant enters a user code and password, there are a number of sessions to select. Basic, intermediate and advanced courses are offered in the Office Suite products in addition to other course offerings. The screens are presented in document format with simple navigation from one page to the next, along with an easy-to-follow menu system.

Much of the material in the Microsoft Word fundamentals was reminiscent of the Microsoft online manuals. My experience was via a home modem dial up, and the screens loaded quickly enough to keep a user's interest from waning. Although the course description indicates a "hands on" environment, there is little in the way of actual "wizard" approaches or self-driven tasks (other than moving through the Acrobat Reader pages) within the courseware to let you try on your own the steps you learned.

Having said that, the natural course of action would be to "multitask" a document window in the actual program on your computer and follow along the steps. This requires a basic understanding of Windows and how to maximize and size your panels, one on each side of the screen, so you can operate a "dual" learning session. If this skill were not familiar to the user, the basic Windows courses would be a good first effort before attacking the others.

After completing one of the basic Word courses, I entered the FAQ chat area to learn what participants were saying about their experience. Most commonly visited or discussed questions appeared with flames. The "burning topic" of the day asked whether or not there was any proof available for completing a certain course. One woman commented, "Why do all of this if no one is going to know about it?"

The responses served back were candidly equivalent to verbal "pies in the face." One retort was, "Well if your interest isn't in gaining skill for your own benefit, don't waste your time with any training." Another reminded, "There are people with all kinds of certification who still can't get the work done." Still another, "It's free, what do you want, the Congressional Medal of Honor?"

Certification possibilities

Seriously speaking, a desire for written certification is a good idea. In today's employment market, finding proof of good, bad, or any skills in the Office Suite arena can be a challenge. We often settle for a "yes" answer to the question, "Do you know how to use Word?" for lack of a better method of validation.

In the Office Suite product realm, it is only recently that the notion of certification has begun to become popular. Microsoft testing facilities have several program designations, including MOUS (Microsoft Office User Specialist).

If you are looking for "free" certification, consider Brainbench.com. I should add the caveat that the certificate itself is $7 plus shipping, but the assessment for most of the products on their site is free. In this site, a user can enter an assessment area, take a multiple-choice exam and receive a ranking-type grade.

Each of the 40 questions in the Word exam was a multiple-choice with five possible solutions. Each question was timed to allow no more than three minutes per question. The tallied results are immediate. The results sheet tells the user whether he/she passed and at what level (Master level is the highest). There is also a section that indicates strengths and weaknesses.

In order to preserve the integrity of the testing process, the only down side to the participant is in not knowing exactly what questions were missed. The strengths and weakness analysis does help. You can also review your transcript online and place your score into a matrix that tells you how you ranked with those who took the test in your state, your country, or the world. It is also possible to post your results on Brainbench.com for others to view.

What is not evident is whether Brainbench certifications are widely recognized in the workforce. From the review of the test number demographics, the use of this resource seems more widespread outside the United States at this point. However, it is a good start for those who are "just wondering" how their skills measure up.

Someone commented that there was no way to know if the participant "cheated" by opening the program in the background to take the test. True, there is a certain honor system in play; however, there is also some validity to an "open resource" test-- there is learning going on in both environments. In many cases, it is just as important to know how to look for the answers as it is to know the answers. The fact that the questions are timed does lend some challenge to attempt the "learn while you test" approach.