Building Online Training - Start Here

A flexible, all-in-one Learning Management System can empower the staff and external partners at a company or organization, with significant knowledge transfer, and low costs

Build your online training with our LMS - FlexTraining. It provides a proven strategic advantage in a competitive marketplace. It gives you immediate feedback, a proven path to project success, and the ability to quickly accomplish knowledge transfer.

Technical / Software Support

FlexTraining software is very easy to install and configure, relative to traditional mainframe and LAN-based applications. FlexTraining also includes 30 days of Phone and E-mail based support, in case there are installation questions or issues with the construction of your first few courses. (We suggest using e-mail as a primary communication vehicle for support questions, since details are automatically documented). Unlike many software companies, we do not “contract out” our technical support function to a third party, domestic or overseas. Instead, we use our own development team for technical support. When you write or call with a software issue, you’ll be talking to someone who works with FlexTraining every day. We will normally respond to any issues you e-mail or call us with, within one working day, and often within an hour. We intend to support you at a level sufficient to insure that your training project is a success. FlexTraining software is so well designed and reliable that we average less than one call every six months per customer!

Management Center Module

The Management Center Module lets you define and schedule courses, control and monitor training activity, and manage your operating environment, without programming or performing complex setup tasks on the server. Through its simple, secure, web-based menu you can:

Activate and de-activate advanced FlexTraining software features
Configure system behaviors and policies through the user friendly System Configuration Wizard
Utilize the Diagnostics menu to proactively verify system integrity and perform other maintenance functions
Author training content with text, images, video, Flash, etc.
Create and copy courses and templates
Create Course Sections, Course Guides, and Assignments
Build online tests and set testing policies
Schedule, edit, and configure online classes
Manage the deletion of classes, courses, students and time logs through the web-based Utilities menu
Define individual or group training plans and competencies
Assign competencies to users through a simple point-and-click interface
View learner progress vs. planned curriculum and goals
Automatically notify students of upcoming/pending curriculum deadlines
Maintain and assign instructors, if desired
Approve online student enrollments
View, import, and edit Student Data
Track classroom (non-web) training as needed
Prepare and post course/instructor evaluations to gain valuable student feedback
Generate a summary report or response detail from evaluation data
Activate the system time-logging capability to allow for tracking time spent from point of login and while viewing course content and taking assessments
Run up-to-the-minute Activity and Progress Reports
Create, view, download, and e-mail dynamic activity and analysis reports
Generate instant graphs with test results vs. planned benchmarks

Instructor Capabilities

Assigning an instructor, usually a subject matter expert, is done at your discretion. You decide, on a class-by-class basis, whether an instructor will be used.

If you assign an instructor, he or she will use the Instructor Module to:

Interact with the class
Evaluate/update student progress (record completed assignments)
Review or print class-related information
Access an external online collaboration/meeting facility or discussion forum if desired.

Instructors may also access a “Teacher’s Lounge” facility designed to promote knowledge sharing and collaboration amongst faculty. In the lounge, instructors can:

Upload or download best practices, tips, white papers, photos or other learning materials for/from other faculty members
E-mail other faculty
Enter the teacher chat room, or post and answer communication on the faculty message board

Student Module

This web-based module lets your online learners:

View a catalog of scheduled classes
Enroll over the web with an optional approval step
Access a secure student menu
View a Course Syllabus and detailed outline
Navigate Course Content as FlexTraining tracks their progress
Access course material in any web-deliverable format
Navigate through Course Guide chapters online
Search and view documents and images in built-in course libraries
View/download assignments given by Instructor
Download an optional version of a Course Guide
Review, update and download a personal online student notebook
Access and take online tests which are automatically graded
View progress vs. defined skill group, competency or curriculum
Send one-click E-mail messages to the Administrator and/or Instructor
Utilize a one-screen Control Panel for easy access to the full functionality available within the student module
Communicate with the instructor and/or other students via a message board or a chat room facility
View/print a class completion certificate
Access one-click Help information

Installation and Management Guide

FlexTraining comes with an Installation and Management Guide, which covers the initial setup, and ongoing operation, of the system. It includes instructions on how to assemble and schedule each course, and how to manage and monitor ongoing training.

In addition, Help demos are always available from the Student Menu home page.

System Security

FlexTraining provides the proper level of security for each of the software modules. For the Management Center module, you will utilize native Windows security, which means that your internal Authorization Lists are used to permit or deny access to the FlexTraining menu.

Since each FlexTraining module is defined as a separate application, access to each may be easily limited to different users and User Groups.

For example, you may decide to limit access to the Management Center Module to one or two Course Designers and Administrators.

The FlexTraining Student Module and Instructor Module provide more detailed security, with database-resident user lists and passwords for Students and Instructors. Each student can only sign on to the courses in which they are registered, and each Instructor may only sign on to the course for which he or she is the designated Instructor.

How online training really works

A company may decide they desire to have their employees accomplish certain online training objectives. They may send a low-level manager or evan a training manager onto the web to find a vendor who provides online classes covering a certain topic. The manager may find a training site offerring classes that are available, and that cover the general subject that is targeted.

However, what she may eventually discover is that there are really no pre-built courses that exactly cover the material that the employees need to be trained on. As a result, the company will realize that it actually needs to acquire an authoring and delivery framework so that it can create and manage the courses exactly as needed. This framework, called a Learning Management System, is acquired as either a server-based software product or an annual subscription.

Using the FlexTraining LMS

Developing online training, once a Learning Management System is in place, proceeds in three general steps:

System options, also called behaviors, are determined and set within the LMS, including system-wide options and many options that apply to individual courses and tests. Options may be revised as time goes on and training policies and best practices evolve.
Courses are authored, using the general framework of lessons with each courses, and learning objects within each lesson.
Online learners are entered or imported, training and testing commences, course completions and overall progress are tracked, and management monitors training activity using online analysis and progress reports.

Choosing the right web based training solution provides a complete framework and delivery system to develop, assemble and manage an online training program. E-Learning will transform or augment your traditional classroom training program and provide access to learners throughout your organization and/or customer base.

Be sure your online training system is cost-effective and compatible with your technical environment, and that it meets the scale of your learning initiatives. For administrators, instructors and students, all the components of your E-Learning software should be the right fit.

Building Online Training with FlexTraining