Online Learning Goes Synchronous
By Tom Barron

A surge of technologies that allow trainers to conduct "virtual classes" over the Web--at a fraction of the cost of previous systems--is expanding WBT in bold new directions.

Just when you were getting used to the idea of Web-based training (WBT), with its easy content distribution, electronic bulletin boards, and self-paced learning model, the Web's technological juggernaut has thrown the workplace learning field a new curve: synchronicity.

The ability to join instructor and remote learners together in a virtual classroom, which called for custom hardware and pricey satellite network services scarcely two years ago, has become the training field's equivalent of the iMac. An explosion of synchronous developers, some with satellite-based videoconferencing credentials, others tracing their roots to collaborative computing technology, and still others attacking the market with freshly minted streaming-media technologies, are converging on the learning arena with unprecedented ardor. The swelling number of products, combined with steady Web technology advances leveraged over standard PCs and Web browsers, are pushing costs of synchronous WBT within reach of mainstream training organizations.

Another driver: the standard learning-software business model, in which training organizations purchase software licenses and product support, is being joined by a new approach in which developers or third parties provide WBT hosting services, extending the technology's reach to less sophisticated users (see Hosting article).

The pace at which these developments are occurring has astounded WBT enthusiasts and industry analysts alike.

"It's huge, absolutely huge," says Cushing Anderson, a senior market analyst who tracks development of learning technologies for technology research firm International Data Corporation (IDC). He's referring not to the current size of the synchronous market, but its potential to become a major form of online learning over the next few years.

"It's gone from 'unmeasured' to a large blip on the radar screen practically overnight," says Anderson, adding that IDC has only just begun to focus on the synchronous segment.

"We don't have numbers yet, but we expect it to be the hottest growth area for Web-based training," he says.

David Collins, who heads a consulting practice specializing in synchronous WBT, says his years working for one synchronous developer, LearnLinc, gave him an inkling of the technology's potential. But even he admits surprise at the swift growth of the synchronous market. "It's moved from potential to reality with incredible speed," he says. Bandwidth issues that seemed a significant hindrance to the technology are evaporating both from growing availability of broadband networks and advances in using streaming media for slow Internet connections, he notes (see Demo'ing Synchronous article).

Growing, too, is the sophistication of trainers researching synchronous technologies, says Collins. "The technology has such a huge 'wow factor' that people used to want to buy the first product they saw. Now when they approach me, they say they've got specific return-on-investment goals and want help narrowing down the choices," he says.

But the technology's appeal has thrown many training organizations into a tizzy. "What I see happening all too often is that the sales function will jump all over it--they can see the ROI and they have the money to spend. So they buy a [synchronous] product without even inviting training to the party--then ask training to help implement it," says Lillian Swider, a training technology consultant based in Cranford, New Jersey.

Like all technologies that are being harnessed for learning, synchronous WBT products typically call for a healthy dose of collaboration with in-house information technology (IT) expertise. "Unless you're talking about having it hosted for you, you need to approach these tools strategically, with IT's support," says Swider.

A bewildering array of products that span every niche from full-on videoconferencing to simple text-based chat make wading into synchronous WBT especially daunting. What used to be a fairly simple analysis--Can we afford two-way videoconferencing or not?--has turned into a game of matching the right technology to current and forecasted training needs.

Technology underpinnings

Most synchronous products are also designed to run over a standard Web browser and make use of its Java capabilities for various functions. And the majority are written to function on either of the two dominant browser platforms. A small handful continue to use a proprietary software application.

Beyond those platform standards, four core Web technologies are behind the growth of synchronous WBT tools. They include the following:

Voice-Over-IP (VOIP), which allows audio to run over the same pipelines as Internet data, enabling one-way or two-way voice interaction among users. While some synchronous products continue to use a separate phone line for two-way audio (known as an audio bridge), more are taking advantage of the cost savings of VOIP. Labeled a "pivotal technology" for the growth of the Web by IDC, several versions of the technology are being employed by synchronous vendors. The speed with which standards are minted for VOIP will be a key factor in the technology's growth, according to IDC.

Streaming Media, which allows audio, video, and other data to be delivered in a continuous flow to an end-user's PC. The technology allows large data files to be streamed to end users on lower-bandwidth connections, a key requirement in making synchronous WBT available to target audiences in the field. A handful of competing technologies led by RealNetworks' RealPlayer and Microsoft's Windows Streaming Media provide the ability to stream synchronous data to multiple users.

Document Sharing, which allows multiple users to view and/or edit the same documents in real time. The contribution of collaborative software or "groupware," these tools provide the platform for content used in synchronous training.

Text-Based Chat, which allows users to share their thoughts during a session, or in some implementations, send private messages to the instructor.

In various combinations, these technologies form the basis for new synchronous WBT systems. And the degree of emphasis on one or more of these tools often forms the paradigm that synchronous products use to distinguish themselves. For instance, NetPodium, described by its developers as a Webcasting product, makes use of one-way streaming audio and video together with document viewing to provide a presentation to participants; their link back to the instructor is limited to text-based chat. The product follows a talk-show paradigm, allowing polling of participants--with lightning--fast results displayed in the application's document window.

Other products emphasize the two-way audio capabilities provided by VOIP or a separate audio-conferencing line, which allows the instructor to ask questions and engage in dialogue with individual participants in a traditional classroom paradigm. Systems from Centra Software and Interwise, neither of which provide video capabilities, are examples of the approach.

High-end systems provide the full suite of capabilities, including two-way video that allows participants to see the instructor or other participants. Such high-bandwidth implementations call for broadband connections among all participants, although some products allow those on slower connections to participate without bandwidth-gobbling video (see Guide to Synchronous WBT Products).

Other features offered include the ability to record, edit, and repackage synchronous sessions for asynchronous playback (so much for skipping class); a button that allows participants to notify the instructor when they must step away without interrupting the class; and breakout rooms where participants can share information--or gossip--as the class progresses.

In all synchronous products, the instructor and/or assistants use an enabled version of the tool that gives them the control needed to conduct the session. Their end, also PC-based, may call for a PC or two and multiple monitors to keep things flowing.

Of course, a hefty serving of back-office requirements--enough to mesmerize many an IT manager--are needed to cast a synchronous spell. Consultants agree that putting those items in place is not for IT rookies. "Let's just say they're getting a little easier to configure," quips Collins.

Bandwidth solutions

At the same time, broadband services, including digital subscriber line (DSL), cable-modem services, and home satellite connections are allowing more users to connect to high-speed Internet services.

Both developments are seen as critical for synchronous WBT, because a dominant audience for WBT are sales staff and field personnel that often use dial-up connections.

"One of our criteria was that if we couldn't do it through a regular phone line, it wasn't a solution," says Rick Huber, manager of learning technologies for GE Medical Systems, Waukesha, Wisconsin. Huber has tested a variety of systems over the past four years as capabilities have evolved; the organization currently uses a DataBeam system and an audio bridge to conduct synchronous training of its 5,000 field workers.

Though most of its field force is able to connect to GE's intranet at speeds of 56 Kbps, Huber says actual transmission speeds often hover "in the mid-30s."

"We have to design our materials to be very low in bandwidth," he says of documents that are shared over the system. "We're looking forward to the day when everyone has access to higher speed connections."

"As high-bandwidth networks continue to grow and are linked with intranets that already have high-bandwidth capabilities, we'll be able to take advantage of enhanced services such as video," says Eric Newman, former product manager for DataBeam who now represents Lotus collaboration products. "There's a tremendous amount of movement toward that goal," he adds.

Synchronous WBT products differ widely in the size of the software application required by end-users. The more complex products that feature two-way VOIP audio, video, or document sharing are typically large, "thick-client" applications of 10 MB or more. On the other end of the spectrum are thin-client applications that rely on one-way (instructor-to-student) audio, two-way text-based chat, and Java-based controls. Many of these sleeker client-side applications can be downloaded over a dial-up connection in minutes.

Sorting synchronous options

Software developers from other arenas, including collaboration software maker Lotus Development Corporation, which last year acquired DataBeam, have also entered the synchronous learning field. And rumors continually swirl over an expected move by Microsoft into the synchronous arena.

The crowded field has analysts predicting consolidation in the long-term, though how large the synchronous market will grow before then is anybody's guess. "At this point, it seems that the sky's the limit," says Collins.

One likely scenario is the folding of synchronous capabilities into larger learning-management systems (LMS) that allow electronic management of online and classroom training. That's the tack being taken by Lotus, which acquired Macromedia's Pathware LMS division last year and is expected to release an integrated synchronous/asynchronous/LMS system early this year. The latest version of LearnLinc's synchronous product, released late last year, also includes LMS features. Other products currently lack the assessment and reporting features that are among the chief benefits of asynchronous WBT.

"That's the logical next step--the addition of these feedback tools that indicate more than simply whether someone has taken a class," notes IDC's Anderson.

In the meantime, consultants suggest that organizations study how they might want to incorporate synchronous WBT into their repertoire of delivery options.

"Identify the key players--which of course includes IT--and bring them together to find out what major obstacles need to be overcome," says Swider, principal of LLS Associates. "You want an integrated strategy--not different departments going off on their own," a situation she says she encounters far too often.

How quickly the training community adopts synchronous tools remains to be seen, but vendors and consultants say interest is skyrocketing. Large organizations with distributed workforces have begun incorporating synchronous delivery; firms from Ernst & Young to Aetna U.S. Healthcare to Raytheon are reporting good results.

And training providers are also harnessing synchronous delivery to offer training to corporate clients and free agent learners. IT training provider Global Knowledge Network recently launched a synchronous IT training program that uses Centra's product, and UNext.com, which provides Web-based financial training, is using Lotus LearningSpace in a similar manner. FlightSafety Boeing Training International recently piloted a system by Liveware5 for its aircraft-maintenance training services.

"ROI data and anecdotal accounts are beginning to come in on these tools, and that's going to fuel investigation by more organizations," predicts Anderson. "It's going to be a big year for synchronous."

Published: Janaury 2000