Is Online training effective?
You bet it is. In fact, a 2006 study by Carnegie Mellon showed that students who took an online statistics course learned as well or better than students who learned the same material in a classroom. Check out this excerpt from an April 2007 article by Tamar Snyder titled "College Degrees in the Fast Lane":

Last fall, Carnegie Mellon took students enrolled in an introductory statistics course and divided them into two groups. The first group served as the control, attending the traditional three lecture hours per week in person and completing hundreds of homework problems. The second group took the course online. They didn't buy a textbook, and only met with an instructor once a week. Students in both groups took three midterms and a final. In the end, the online group performed as well as or better than the traditional group.

This semester, Carnegie Mellon is studying whether online learning could be just as effective as traditional classroom-based instruction, but finish the material in less time. The university chose 23 students to take an accelerated statistics course, which lasts only eight weeks--half the normal semester length.

"We wanted to make OLI better, faster," explains Candace Thille, director of the Open Learning Initiative at Carnegie Mellon. "Now we're testing to see whether we can get the same outcome with less work and less time."

At press time, the class was still under way, but OLI statistics professor Oded Meyer says it's clear that the students are much more focused. "Right now it seems like it's succeeding," he says, noting that the online test scores have been as good as if not better than typical classes.

A more efficient way of teaching
"It's not just that they learn quicker, but they maintain the same depth of learning and they do it faster," says Marsha Lovett, the associate director of CMU's Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence. "The best word for it is 'efficient.'"

Other professors familiar with OLI courses agree with Lovett. "It's a much more efficient way of teaching," says Anna Dollar, an engineering professor at Miami University in Ohio, who teaches a statics course (a sophomore-level engineering class) using the OLI system.

How can my organization benefit from locator training
from Hance?
The Hance Companies have been training locators for nearly twenty years. That experience has helped us identify how to train for maximum impact. Most employers find that training from Hance addresses locating and locating theory in a way that’s superior to what they’ve been doing. Additionally by adhering to a deliberately linear format, locator training from Hance is designed to fill gaps in the knowledge base of even your experienced technicians. Our participants often thank us for covering items no one else had ever bothered to.

How does your training program work?
The Utility Locator Training Program consists of four modules of training material. Each module has a review quiz in the middle of the module and another at the end, followed by an exam on the entire module.

Learners review the course material at their own pace, and must pass each quiz and exam to move forward to the next section.

How does the testing work?
Each module contains two quizzes and an exam. To decrease the likelihood of two users taking the same tests, questions are randomly selected from an available pool each time a quiz or test is activated by the user.

Quizzes are 10 questions each and require a 100% score to pass, but typically offer the user an immediate explanation for any incorrect answers thereby enhancing the learning process.

Exams come at the end of each module and are 20 questions in length. They require an 80% score to pass.

To ensure understanding of the course material, quizzes and tests are both limited to three attempts per user. Multiple failures will require the user to contact the web administrator.

Can I share my account with my friends or co-workers?
No. Your purchase is limited to single user access. For security reasons, your exam purchase includes a question limit to protect us from password sharing. If you reach this limit, additional questions may be added providing your account does not show an abusive pattern.

After I make my purchase, do you send me a CD?
No, all of our content and exam taking process is online. Once you purchase your training online, you can access the training material and exams from any computer that has internet access.

Does your site keep track of my score?
Yes. Our site keeps track of every exam you take, the answers that you select, and the scores for each exam. It also gives you performance benchmarks and lets you know how you are doing in all areas.

Can I review the exams that I take?
Yes, if you receive 70% of the questions correct, you will have the option to review the questions you missed.

Also, before you complete your exam, you will have a chance to go back to any question and modify the answer you have entered.

How do I get help?
You can obtain help by using the support link on the menu, and sending a support request to us.

What happens if I forget my username or password?
If you cannot remember your login information, you can easily Retrieve Your Password. We will send that information to you using the email address you signed up with.