Introduction Timsoft experience in eLearning Project eLearning for Managers :

1. Introduction • Timsoft experience in eLearning • Project eLearning for Managers: • Partners, Aims, Target Groups, Activities • Training the eTrainers • Online Courses Model • VLE eLearnTS • Conclusions Carmen Holotescu - Director Timsoft Ltd, Romania http://www.timsoft.ro

2. What means eLearning • eLearning means the use of multimedia technologies and Internet quality materials, simulations  online resources  collaboration, sharing, communities

3. Current situation • “eLearning: Designing tomorrow’s education” initiative – CE, 24 May 2000 • eLearning Europa • http://www.elearningeuropa.info • Many schools and universities offer online modules for their courses, online courses, or even degrees online; 75% companies use eLearning in their training programs • eLearning Romanian Projects – universities, schools, firms • http://www.timsoft.ro/resurse.shtml • Accreditation: by the Open Distance Learning ( ODL ) Commission of the Ministry of Education, Research and Youth • eLearning Programme 2004-2006: “Promotion of digital literacy, creation of European virtual campuses, e-Twinning of schools in Europe and promotion of teacher training and transversal actions for the promotion of e-learning in Europe”

4. Timsoft experience in eLearning • Timsoft Ltd – http://www.timsoft.ro - is an active actor in eLearning: • developed VLE eLearnTS , with variants in Romanian and English; flexible, secure, based on open technologies: Perl, mySQL, Java, XML, Soap, RSS, RSS-LOM • offers online courses – IT, Training the eTrainers – • for 3 universities, firms, individual learners • hosts Romanian eLearning Community; • eJournal; Weblog; eLearning Resources • organizes international online workshops – partner e-Learning Centre UK – http://www.e-learningcentre.co.uk • Partner in Educational Projects

5. Phare Project: eLearning for Managers – http://www.timsoft.to/phare • in the county of Cluj, 2003-2004 • Partners:Expert Consulting - coordinator, Timsoft , IVS Consulting • Aims: to offer online training in Management/Marketing tailored on the firms specific needs • Target groups:managers and employees in firms, but also students from Management universities

6. Activities: • Assessment of the target groups training needs • Train the trainers for online teaching • Instructional design of the online courses • Online courses delivery • Evaluation of the training impact in organizations, and dissemination • Online collaborative space for parteners • Online courses: Training the eTrainers, General Management, Marketing, Financial, Management, Human Resources Management, Ergonomy, Quality Management, Logistics • Over 120 participants, 15-25 participants/course, 30% - 2-3 courses

7. Training the eTrainers • Training Program for eTrainers • Online Course • Peer Mentoring Activities • The program is aimed at training the participants to carry out: • online courses and • online events, such as online workshops and RT meetings, giving them knowledge and experience in online communication and collaboration. • Skills for eTutors listed by recognized International organizations as Institute of IT Training in UK or International Board of Standards for Training, Performance and Instruction in USA

8. Online Course Model (1): • Blended approach • Learning process = Learner centered process – Constructivist approach • Applied Adult Education Principles: self-directedness and an active learner role, as well as solution-centered activities • Adapted to Learning Styles • eLearning Methodologies: PBL, Study Cases • Involve all interactions: learner-learner, content-learner, learner-facilitator • Conferences: asynchronous discussions – quality: reflection, searching, validation, more active members • Quality Materials: static and dynamic parts • Visiting Experts lectures – in the course for eTrainers: Jane Knight, e-Learning Cen UK, Mihai Jalobeanu, UVVG Arad • Empowerment Evaluation

9. Online Course Model (2): • Trainees and Instructor = Learning Community • clearly stated objectives, a set of guiding principles • subtle, experienced, enthusiastic instructor • motivated, interested participants • integrate content with discussions • informal sharing – tacit knowledge • metaphors for linking the participants • good virtual environment.

10. eLearnTS • Authoring system - An authoring component used by the space administrators in creation and edition of the materials. • Registration system - The database with the participants specific information. • A content delivery function - The content may be in the form of text, images, sounds, animations. • A navigation model - Syllabus, members list, links, search. Learners Portfolios. • Synchronous tools - Chat-room allows the members to communicate in real time between them and with the instructors; Live Chat . • Asynchronous tools - public, private,gated conferences ( web-forums). • Security system - A component for controlling the access to the virtual environment. • VLE was recently extended with RSS feed, RSS-LOM authoring tool

11. Materials

12. Conferences

13. Conclusions • We appreciate that the success of the the "eLearning for Managers project" was due to the training the eTrainers and to the blended approach of the courses. • The project team want to continue to deliver the online courses developed in the project on a regular basis, and to integrate them in a Master online program. • Also we should mention a special interest of the managers trained in the project in implementing online training in their firms. • Thank you!