Reviews ASTD Members Only

DigitalThink Does It Again
By Harris Grossman

DigitalThink is well established as an online content provider. Its desktop training courses have received high marks from Training Media Review writers. The course covering the XP upgrade of Microsoft Word is no exception.

Microsoft Office XP: Word 2002 first covers improvements to existing features and then delves into new and advanced features. Some functions explained are task panes, smart tags, voice recognition, and translation and new formatting options. Course content is written clearly and arranged logically. But be aware, it assumes knowledge of Word 97 or higher. This isn’t a course for Word novices.

When first logging into the course, first-time users should access the tutorial. The standard course interface includes a sidebar offering a variety of selections: syllabus, scores, glossary, resources, help, orientation, tutor, discussion, classmates, chat, and messages.

DigitalThink is a pioneer in combining self-paced content with collaborative tools. Users can communicate with other people taking the course through DigitalThink’s internal email system. Email access to a tutor is provided, as well, should users have a problem understanding a topic or an exercise.

Course navigation is simple--click the forward or backward arrow at the bottom of each screen. Each lesson explains a Word 2002 XP feature, often through the use of mouseovers. The technique is used in combination with screen shots of the Word interface: You move the mouse over parts of a toolbar, pane, or other element and an explanation pops up. Click "Transcript," and you receive a printable, detailed explanation.

After studying the explanations, learners perform hands-on exercises, or simulations that show all of the necessary steps. Once the exercise is completed, the user clicks "Done" and receives an explanation of each step, including any completed incorrectly or missed altogether. Quizzes require you to perform all of the steps correctly on your own.

The last module of the course is a real-world exercise in which the user works in a company and has to perform tasks that draw on all of the skills taught in the module. Once again, simulations are used.

Also, the user can print out the whole course by downloading it as an Adobe .zip file. This is a nice feature enabling users to consult the document as a reference and refresher.

Recommendation

DigitalThink’s Word 2000 XP upgrade course is every bit as worthy as the other desktop courses we’ve reviewed from this provider. The course content is taught through well-written text, a carefully thought-out suite of techniques, and a clean interface, allowing peer and tutor contacts. That’s a lot of value for the price.

Published: March 2002