FlexTraining Releases Version 3.0:
Features Across-the-Board Upgrades and Improvements

Clearwater, FL - August 31, 1999

Online Development announces the release of an enhanced version of its popular Learning Management System, FlexTraining.  The new release brings usability and utility enhancements in its Student, Administrator, and Instructor modules.

FlexTraining Web Based Training Software has been available since November 1998.  The system runs on the NT Server operating system and Microsoft's popular Internet Information Server.  FlexTraining lets customers build, deliver, and manage custom  Online Training over the Internet or a company's internal Intranet, utilizing a SQL database, server-side code, and common web server and browser technology. 

Leveraging these existing tools means that companies don't have to spend time and money installing special client "plug-in" or other software on the personal computers of all students.

It also means greater ease-of-use for online learners, because they are using the same interface, a web browser, that they use for all their web access.

Online training tools are well past the stage of merely delivering web pages for students to read.  The best WBT systems feature remote signup, online testing, course guides, and web-based setup and administration.

Version 3.0 of FlexTraining expands the versatility and utility of this flexible Online Training package.

1. Item Banking for FlexTraining online tests

When the course designer builds an online test, he or she is offered the option of using Item Banking or "item pooling".  With Item Banking, when a student takes an online test, FlexTraining randomly draws a set of questions from a bank of customer-defined test questions, and assembles them into a test.

For example, the course designer may create 30 questions for a given online test, and specify that 25 questions should be used with each offering of the test.  As each student accesses the test, FlexTraining randomly draws 25 questions from the pool of 30 to create the current instance of that test. 

Tests are still scored automatically and immediately, and the course developer may specify that after a student completes the test, answers and explanations are also displayed.

2. Closed Book and Open Book testing

FlexTraining now allows the course developer to specify whether a student should be able to review content material and the online Course Guide during a test.  This option may be changed on a test-by-test basis.

3. Ad-hoc Announcements for Students

The Course Administrator may now define an free-form announcement which will automatically appear on each students opening menu each time the students logs in to a course.

The announcement may be modified as often as necessary.  Existing features allowing the administrator or instructor to send to an E-mail message to a student or to all students in a class at the same time are still present.

4. Dynamic Notes Display in Student Online Notebook

The FlexTraining student notebook, maintained online for each student and class, now allows notes to be grouped and displayed by Date or by Subject.

Notes have always been automatically time-stamped in the Student Notebook.  Now, as a student enters a note, she can enter a Subject, or choose from a list of previously entered Subjects.  The display screen for Student Notes now changes from date-sequence to subject-sequence at the click of a button.

The new feature allows a student to instantly pull together notes on each subject, even if the notes were taken days or weeks apart.

5. Ad-hoc Report Builder for Course Administrator

The reports included in the FlexTraining Administration Module allow reporting on basic activity like enrollments, testing, course evaluation results, and tuition.  Now an administrator can also use the Report Builder to design and generate custom reports on the fly.

 The administrator selects a database such as Classes, Students, Course Activity, Tests, or Evaluations.  The Report Builder screens then allow ad-hoc definition of record selection, sort sequence, and even fields to be displayed on the report.

The new Report Builder leverages the existing SQL database architecture to provide almost unlimited flexibility in generating custom training reports.

6. Enhanced Instructor Menu

FlexTraining includes an Instructor module, with a secure menu that may be used in cases where a customer defines classes that need mentoring or access to an expert.

The Instructor Menu now includes the ability to monitor and update students' progress on course assignments, and to track how each student is doing in their online tests.

Use of the Instructor Module is defined by the customer's Course Administrator, on a class-by-class basis.