REDMOND, Wash., Aug. 26, 1999 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the availability of an expanded selection of Web-based training through its independent training providers. Web-based courses are now available for the Microsoft® Certified Solution Developer (MCSD) certification for the Microsoft Visual Studio® 6.0 development system and Microsoft Office 2000. In addition, Web-based training for Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) certification is available for the Microsoft Windows NT® 4.0 Workstation and Server operating systems.
Web-Based Training Provides Value to Developers and IT Professionals
Web-based training is meeting the diverse and ever-changing needs of developers and IT professionals. Students who use the Web for technical training get the benefits of instructor-led classroom training, while benefiting from the following:
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Reduced cost. Typical Web classes cost roughly $120 per day, vs. $400 per day for classroom study.
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Ease of use. The only requirements to study on the Web are an Internet connection, a Web browser and a CD-ROM drive (optional).
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Flexibility. Just-in-time training allows students to train from anywhere at any time.
“We’ve built our online training business on a foundation of Microsoft Official Curriculum (MOC) for developers and IT professionals,”
said Richard Knudson, president of The Information Management Group (IMG), a Chicago-based Microsoft Certified Solution Provider (MCSP) and Microsoft CTEC.
“The anywhere, any-time capabilities that Microsoft’s Web-based courseware gives us have been really popular both with our corporate clients and with individual students studying for their certifications,”
Knudson added.
Microsoft’s Web-based training is also pushing the technical envelope to deliver the best student experience anywhere on the Web.
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We are helping ensure that students receive the richest training experience possible by fully utilizing all the rich multimedia capabilities of the Windows Media TM Player technologies,”
said Craig Lokken, program manager and technical visionary behind Microsoft’s Web-based training development.
“In addition to delivering standard HTML, we are streaming audio and video software demonstrations and animations at near network-quality frame rates over a 56K Internet connection.”
Microsoft Delivers the Value of Web-Based Training Through Microsoft CTECs
The success of Microsoft’s Web-based training efforts depends on the Microsoft CTEC channel. To meet the full spectrum of Web-based training needs, Microsoft CTECs are wrapping a variety of online training features around the content provided by Microsoft. A key example is the provision of a certified instructor to lead the online training experience. Other Web-based training features include, but are not limited to, the following:
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Technical content
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Instructor e-mail
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Moderated chats
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Newsgroups
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Online assessment tests
Microsoft’s support of its training channel continues in the Web-based training arena.
“We were one of the first Microsoft-approved training providers authorized to deliver Microsoft Official Curriculum via the Internet,”
said Dave Perkovich, vice president of Training Associates Inc., an Arizona-based MCSP and Microsoft CTEC.
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Our relationship with the MSDN TM Training group and Microsoft Press provides our clients with access to curriculum that is ready for immediate use in our edCenter learning system.”
“The Web-based Training Pilot gives Netdesk an exciting new way to serve our corporate customers with Microsoft’s award-winning developer curriculum,”
said Todd Shelton, president of Netdesk Corp., a Washington state-based MCSP and Microsoft CTEC.
“The problem our customers have is that in-class study is a large time investment away from work, which limits who can go. At the same time, self-study has a low and unpredictable completion rate. The Web-based Training Pilot has given us the ability to deliver the reach of online study with the structure of in-class study. We can get more employees learning to use Microsoft developer tools and still ensure good learning completion deadlines.”
Newly Available Web-Based Courses and Participating Microsoft CTECs
For Software Developers
Microsoft Mastering Series courses (from the MSDN Training team at Microsoft), previously available for classroom study and computer-based self-study, are now available online for developers who need in-depth training on the latest Microsoft development tools and technologies:
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“Mastering Microsoft Visual Basic® 6.0 Development”
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“Mastering Distributed Application Design and Development Using Microsoft Visual Studio 6.0”
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“Mastering Web Application Development Using Visual InterDev® 6.0”
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“Mastering Enterprise Development Using Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0”
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“Mastering Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Fundamentals”
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“Mastering MFC Development Using Microsoft Visual C++® 6.0”
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“Mastering Microsoft Access 2000 Programming”
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“Mastering Microsoft Office 2000 Solution Development”
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“Mastering Database Fundamentals Using Microsoft Access 2000”
More details on Mastering Series Web-based courses and a list of Microsoft CTECs currently offering these courses are available at http://msdn.microsoft.com/mastering/training/web.asp .
As an example of the flexibility inherent in Web-based delivery, Training Associates Inc. ( http://www.edserver.com/ ) has created custom course offerings for developers interested in preparing for MCSD exams or gaining expertise in Microsoft Office 2000 and Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). These offerings combine the Mastering Series courses with content from the following Microsoft Press® Developer Learning Tools titles:
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“Desktop Applications for Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 MCSD Training”
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“Enterprise Applications for Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 MCSD Training”
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“Microsoft Access 2000/Visual Basic for Applications Fundamentals”
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“Microsoft Excel 2000/Visual Basic for Applications Fundamentals”
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“Microsoft Office 2000/Visual Basic for Applications Fundamentals”
For IT Professionals
With the upcoming release of the Microsoft Windows® 2000 operating system, Microsoft is also developing Web-based curriculum for it. Two courses are being developed for Web-based training for Windows 2000:
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Course 1560:
“Updating Support Skills From Microsoft Windows NT to Microsoft Windows 2000”
(currently under development) -
Course 1561:
“Designing a Microsoft Windows 2000 Directory Services Infrastructure”
Microsoft Press has also developed Web-based versions of its self-paced MCSE training kits for its entire core curriculum for the Microsoft Windows NT network operating system. These courses include the following:
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“Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Network Administration Training”
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“Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Technical Support Training”
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“Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Enterprise Technologies Training”
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“Networking Essentials”
These courses are now available via the Web, along with several MCSE elective courses, from the following Microsoft CTECs:
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IMG University Online, http://www.imgwebu.com/
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Training Associates, http://www.edserver.com/
About the Microsoft CTEC Program and Microsoft
Microsoft Certified Technical Education Centers offer a variety of training options, including online, self-paced and instructor-led courses, which can stand alone or be combined as a hybrid solution to deliver a complete training solution to customers. Currently the program involves more than 900 training centers in North America with a total of more than 1,900 Microsoft CTECs worldwide. Microsoft Official Curriculum courses are taught by Microsoft Certified Trainers (MCTs), experienced professionals certified by Microsoft for a particular product or technology. A directory of training providers can be found on the Microsoft Training and Certification Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/train_cert/ .
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.
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