Trends in the computer industry seem to be
changing faster than ever before. Processors
have gone from 32-bit to 64-bit and have transformed
from single core to dual-core to quad-core. There’s a
new release of the Windows Server OS right around
the corner, and whether or not DBAs everywhere are
ready, Microsoft plans to crank out a new SQL Server
release every two years. In fact, SQL Server 2008 will
be available in the first quarter of next year. As if that
wasn’t enough, Visual Studio 2008 is bringing with it
an all-new database-access development model called
Language-Integrated Query (LINQ). For the most
part, these changes are good, but trying to take in all
these changes is a lot like trying to drink water from a
fire hose. The best way to acclimate yourself to these
changes is through continued training.
As technology is evolving at an incredible rate,
training methods are also rapidly changing. The latest
training method is exemplified in what Microsoft
calls Microsoft Official Distance Learning (MODL).
MODL combines tried-and-true instructor-led training
scenarios and Web-based self-directed e-learning
with the realism of modern virtual-reality programs
such as Second Life.
Microsoft breaks down the MODL curriculum
into four phases: gather, expand, apply, and receive. In
the gather phase, students gather together in a virtual
classroom setting that’s conducted online via Microsoft
Office Live Meeting 2003. A Microsoft-certified
trainer leads the virtual class, and students get the
same one-on-one interaction with the instructor and
other students that they’d get in a physical classroom
but without the travel costs. One clear advantage that
a virtual classroom setting provides is that students
can easily review previously recorded sessions. In
the expand phase, students work at their own pace
through a variety of Web-based e-learning assignments.
The most interesting aspect of the new MODL
training is the apply phase, during which students
work through practical real-world problems using the
skills they learned in training and a Second Life–like
virtual workspace. Here students get what Microsoft
calls an “immersive hands-on experience.” Finally, in
the receive phase, students get feedback and a detailed
assessment from their instructor and peers.
In a lot of ways, this new training method makes
perfect sense, because it combines the best of both
worlds. Using the method, you can mix real-life scenarios
with flexible computer-based training. As you
go through the training models, your training character
gets jobs to perform, phone requests for help, and needs
to solve technical problems. It’s still too early to say that
MODL is the way to go for all training but there’s no
doubt that it’s the wave of the future and is an option
you should check out your future training needs.
To find out more about MODL, see “Microsoft
Official Distance Learning” at http://www.microsoft.com/learning/modl/default.mspx. Currently, most of the
MODL courses cover Windows Server 2003 and Windows
Vista. However, there are a couple of developer
courses offered, including “Programming with the
Microsoft .NET Framework and Microsoft Visual
Studio 2005.”
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