February 28, 2000

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Tool Simplifies Development Of Training Programs
ReadyGo's Web Course Builder is easy enough for nontechnical personnel to use

By Diane Rezendes Khirallah

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he availability of online training services for employees has increased substantially in recent months. However, analysts say, most online training programs still are developed in-house.

Last week, ReadyGo Inc. began offering Web Course Builder, a Web-authoring tool designed to simplify in-house development of online training programs. Anita Rosen, the founder and CEO, says the tool is easy enough for nontechnical human-resources and training professionals to use.

The person creating the course enters training content text, links, and graphics developed in-house-including streaming video and audio-using dialog boxes. The boxes are then automatically translated into HTML or JavaScript.

Karen Sender, E-commerce manager at Sulzer Metco (US) Inc., a Westbury, N.Y., provider of industrial thermal spray technologies, has tested the product and likes its simplicity. "It's not a big, burgeoning application," she says. Sulzer Metco plans to use Web Course Builder for employee orientation and customer training.

Web Course Builder may be most useful to companies with fairly modest training requirements. While standard text formats and simple graphics make development possible by nontechnical users, the product can't be used to develop very specialized programs.

But Jim Ayube, a senior analyst at Aberdeen Group, says the product is suitable for most online training needs. "If you need something that's the ultimate in being flexible and scalable, you'll probably want something more powerful," he says.

Pricing is set at $495 per desktop, with site licenses starting at $5,000. The tool is designed for Windows 95, 98, and NT.

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