 The Federal Aviation Administration, along with other government agencies and corporations, is taking a hard look at training. Training needs have increased. Training dollars have decreased. The FAA must train its workforce in the skills and knowledge required now and in the future, but must do so with fewer resources. Managers responsible for the bottom line in the training arena want to avoid non-productive time away from the job. This means less training-related travel. One answer to this training problem is technology. Smart use of new training technologies will ensure that we can continue to provide high-quality instruction and skills training to the FAA workforce. We can be flexible and effective and still keep costs down. How can we do this? One way is by teleconferencing. Training is interactive communication between people at two or more locations through means of a telecommunication system. When used for training, this technology is called tele-training. In this program, we'll look at several kinds of tele-training. We'll talk about how to select the most effective tele-training method to meet any training need. The goal is to provide instruction that is equal to or better than traditional classroom instruction. Training can be done in a number of ways. Audio-only, audio-graphic, or computer conferencing, one-way video broadcast, one-way video with audio interaction, two-way video with audio interaction, and desktop video. First, let's see what these methods have in common. All involve telecommunications. This means that some telecommunications carrier is needed to transmit information. This may be done by terrestrial landline, microwave, or satellite. Any of these modes of transmission can be and often are combined and used together. Most tele-training is in real time. Participants see and hear the training at the time it is broadcast or sent. You'll need to consider and accommodate time differences if you deliver training to different time zones. Training requires more planning and preparation time than traditional classroom instruction. Course materials must be visual. Class activities must be designed for an interactive format. All tele-training methods move information, not people. Studies show that tele-training is 25 to 50 percent more efficient in delivering instruction than traditional methods. In other words, one hour of classroom training can be delivered in 25 to 50 percent less time using tele-training. So our focus should be on how we can best present information and how to share resources as much as possible. Now, let's consider some of the differences between the various tele-training methods. One difference involves the amount and type of interaction that is possible. For example, in a one-way video broadcast, no interaction occurs. Participants can only receive information sent from a central location. Some tele-training methods permit audio interaction only. One example is an audio conference. Participants cannot see each other but can speak over the telephone. This is similar to a conference call which is familiar to most of us. Another example is a one-way video with audio interaction. Participants can see and hear the instructor but can communicate both with the instructor and each other by telephone or audio link. Remember, we said that most telecommunications are in real time? One exception is computer conferencing. Participants interact through their computers which may be linked together in a local area network or by telephone with a modem. Computer conferencing supports the exchange of text and limited graphics. Information is stored, then forwarded to another computer. The receiver can access the data at any time. Computer conferencing is ideal for people on different schedules or in different time zones. Two-way video and audio tele-training is fully interactive. This method provides motion video and audio, enabling the instructor and all participants to see and hear each other. A variation on this method is audiographic conferencing. This technology uses telephone lines to transmit still video images, graphics, and audio to several received sites. Participants can write, type, or draw using computer-based devices such as electronic tablets, boards, pointers, and graphic systems. Tele-training technologies also differ in cost. Once you evaluate them, consider the cost of equipment and facilities, communications links, support staff, and production that is required for each. You will also base your decision about tele-training methods on some quality issues. Think about your training need in terms of the kind of visuals that are best suited for the application, how adults learn most effectively, and what job performance the training should address. Research has shown that adults retain 10 percent of what they hear, 50 percent of what they see, and 90 percent of what they do. Your goal in selecting a tele-training method is to achieve a balance between training effectiveness and cost effectiveness. Consider using two or more of these technologies together to meet your training requirement. Although most of these tele-training methods are visual, we're going to focus on the four video-based methods. Let's look at each one in detail. Let's start with the one-way video broadcast, also known as educational television. Classes are broadcast from a central location to all received locations. Usually, one expert or instructor speaks to one large audience. This is very much like the broadcast TV we get in our homes. This method is well-suited for delivering information to large dispersed audiences. For example, the FAA administrator may need to deliver a new policy message to all FAA employees. With one-way video broadcast, everyone gets the same message at the same time. Programs may originate live or be pre-recorded. You might select one-way video broadcast to deliver technical training or management training, announce policy, news or special events, or deliver a motivational message. One-way broadcast delivers a uniform, time-critical, consistent message. It provides the highest quality video possible. It requires only low-cost receive equipment at received locations. However, keep in mind that tele-training by one-way broadcast is passive. No interaction is possible between the sender and receivers. This method also relies on professional technical support at the originating site. Now let's look at one-way video with audio, also called business television. This type of tele-training is very much like the one-way video broadcast you just saw with one important difference. It has two-way audio. This makes it interactive. Interaction makes this method a good choice for delivering most kinds of training, particularly technical training. It may also be suitable for presentations, meetings and project management applications. One-way video with audio provides a high-broadcast quality video image. Good quality broadcasts may be extremely important if, for example, fine points on equipment or forms need to be shown. Only originating sites require video transmitting equipment and studio production facilities. Received sites need only low-cost receive equipment such as monitors and a telephone-based audio link. And the system is flexible. It can be used to broadcast information to large groups or provide highly interactive training to small groups. You'll need to judge whether audio-only interaction is sufficient for your training application. It may not be if it's important for the instructor to see the student's actions. Keep in mind that a professional technical staff is needed. Also, be sure to plan enough lead time to design or adapt course materials and instructional methods to an interactive visual format. We'll move on now to two-way video and audio. Here, compression of a video signal results in a near-full-motion video image at send and receive sites. This is accomplished by means of a codec at each site. With audio added, all participants can see and hear each other, making this method fully interactive. These two-way systems also support information transfer by facsimile, print, and videotape. You might select this tele-training method to deliver performance-based technical training or to conduct personnel interviews and negotiations or to perform project management activities. It's well suited for any application requiring or benefiting from face-to-face interaction. Because the instructor can see students performing tasks or operations, two-way video with audio has the highest level of interaction possible. It's most effective with a few sites and small groups of students. Smaller members make it easier for the instructor to provide guidance and feedback to everyone. Existing classrooms can usually be used, since the only requirement is a communications link. One result is that you do not need additional production staff. Another is lower production costs. You may decide not to use two-way video with audio if you need to deliver training to many sites or to a large number of students. It's difficult for one instructor to handle audio and video feedback to more than four or five places or to more than 20 people in any training session. You'll need to evaluate whether a lower quality video image will affect your training application. If several sites will be sending information, you may need an additional instructor or assistant at each one to help with the production. Also, some classrooms may be too small to accommodate your student group. Now, let's look at desktop video conferencing. Basically, this is teleconferencing in the computer workstation. Participants can see and hear each other and can exchange applications and information through their computers. This teletraining method can provide individual training or support at the desktop. It's often used for computer software training or refresher courses. It's also well-suited for collaborative work such as analysis, briefings, spreadsheets, decision-making, or troubleshooting. In desktop video conferencing, the computers can be set up in several ways. One way to connect students together is on a local area network or LAN. This may be done in a campus environment such as at the FAA Academy for individual training. Four students may be connected together on a wide area network or LAN. As in two-way video and audio conferencing, Codex provide a two-way video and audio connection for the exchange of text, graphics, video, and audio at the desktop. The person who is speaking is always the person seen. New digital telephone technology allows coast-to-coast information transfer at inexpensive rates. Because it's computer-based, desktop video conferencing allows participants to control, display, and transmit various applications and types of information. Computer users are already familiar with basic operations such as pull-down menus and input by mouse or keyboard. You might choose this method of teletraining for live presentations or for video email. When evaluating desktop video conferencing, keep in mind that during training, computer workstations are tied up and unavailable for other work. Remember that supporting classroom resources are not available at the desktop, and the small computer screen may make visuals difficult to read. This type of teletraining may not support the training of large teams or groups, while the cost of desktop video equipment is relatively high today, costs are expected to decrease. When evaluating teletraining systems and options, your goal is to select the right ones to meet your training needs. Do this, must ask the right questions. What is the expected training outcome? What skills must the students be able to demonstrate? Who is the student population? What are their training needs? Are they engineers, technicians, inspectors, air traffic controllers, managers, administrative personnel? Is two-way interaction required or only desirable? How will the instructor determine mastery of required skills and course objectives? Is video required or is audio enough? What is the class size? Are there 50 people at one site or one person at 50 sites? Is a total class size 100, 1000 or more? What is the course length? What is the course content? Who will deliver the instruction? What are the on-site requirements for equipment, mock-ups, props and administrative and technical personnel support? You should also identify specific costs associated with the systems you are considering. These include costs of the system itself, including the facility, the network, and required equipment, personnel, and pre-production, production and operations. As we discussed earlier, a one-way video with audio system uses a studio with a technical production staff. This results in a higher quality program, but at a higher cost. A two-way video and audio system has lower production costs, but greatly increases the responsibilities and duties of the instructor. Use the size of your student population to determine the cost trade-off between a one and two-way video capability. Finally, calculate how much you will save on travel with teletraining. This will lead you to your return on investment and your net annual savings. Your decision to use technology for training will result in higher quality instruction at lower cost. Remember that these teletraining methods can be combined in various ways. Audio-only, computer and audio graphics conferencing are the most affordable ways to connect people together. You can use any of these methods as a supplement to one of the broadcast modes. Let's look at an example. In the event of an air accident, the FAA might require a fully interactive capability to analyze the incident. A two-way system can be used for incident reporting, planning and technical analysis. These sessions can be recorded on videotape and used for training. A one-way broadcast video system, supplemented by computer conferencing, may provide sufficient capability for educational, administrative and project management activities. The point is that you can mix and combine teletraining methods on a selected basis depending on your particular requirements. As your needs change over time, different options may be implemented. We've seen the four major video-based methods of teletraining and we've discussed some guidelines for choosing the right system for a given training requirement. Technology provides a way to meet training needs by delivering low-cost, high-quality instruction. Avoid the tendency to apply more technology than you need for your training application. Your goal is to provide high-quality training while keeping costs down. Don't cut corners on your upfront preparation of your teletraining program. Allotting sufficient time and money for planning, design, materials preparation and pre-production will pay off many times over in training quality. These processes are not luxuries. Solid preparation, added to the right technology, will result in training that is both instructionally sound and cost-effective. Remember, no technology by itself will solve a problem or meet a training need. Without good instructional design, training will not be effective no matter what technology you use.