2-01 (July 2001) Education and Training by Lisa Moretto

Is it possible? Can a writing course be delivered effectively from a distance, without interaction from an instructor? It’s not easy, but we think it can. In fact we are well into developing an online course which is entirely self-evaluated.

In eight separate courses we present approximately 90% of the concepts from our popular textbook Technically- Write!, including writing letters, requests, reports, proposals and email. The first three courses are mandatory and present the concepts of audience analysis, informative versus persuasive writing, document structure, and language skills.

Once a participant completes the foundation courses they can choose additional courses that are specific to their needs:

• Writing Effective E-mail,
• Writing Business Letters,
• Writing Short Reports,
• Writing Long Reports, and
• Writing Proposals.

So how does the participant learn without the feedback of a professional? The lessons are carefully designed to lead the person through the skill sets. A concept is presented in one or two screens and then there is a test. Because there is some type of interaction on every third or fourth screen, the course keeps the participant engaged and attentive. The tests vary. Some are multiple choice, some are selecting items from a list, and others provide areas for the user to actually input text.

The self-evaluation occurs when the participant is asked questions about a piece of writing, which may be an example or it may be their own writing. The programming behind the course is constantly keeping track of the responses and sends them forward to the appropriate screens based on their learning progress.

Some may feel this is a step backwards, compared to the distance learning applications that use chat rooms and other forms of communication to keep participants in contact. And for some learner they have a good point. But this program is designed for the reluctant writer or the engineer who needs a course now and doesn’t have the time to wait until the next semester begins or can’t be online at a specific time. The major benefit of self-evaluation is that the course can be completed at the participant’s pace.

Will it achieve the desired result for its participants? We certainly think so. There are too many technical people who must write and communicate in simple terms who have not had the proper writing training they need. Some may feel intimidated to attend a traditional in-person course. Some don’t have the time to enroll in a three month course organized through a university.

The first three courses roll out this summer and will be offered free for a limited time. To check them out yourself go to www.rgilearning.com. rgilearning.com is an affiliate of RGI International, a consulting firm specializing in oral and written communication skills. They have been writing textbooks and presenting in-house courses for nearly 30 years.  

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