Travis Piper Contributes Chapter to AMA Handbook of E-Learning

The American Management Association has recently published its 400+ page Handbook of E-Learning, Copyright 2003, AMACOM. The Handbook is a compilation of "27 of the world's most respected authorities", according to its editor George Piskurich. One of the 27 experts is Travis Piper, President of Creative Approaches, Inc. located in East Bloomfield, New York.

"E-Learning is the most recent term used to describe the use of a computer as a training tool", according to Piper who has seen the name evolve from Computer Assisted Instruction to Computer-based Training, into Multimedia, then to Web-based Training, and now to E-Learning.

Piper's chapter is entitled "Outsourcing Versus Insourcing Your e-Learning Projects" and helps the reader understand when to use a vendor and when to hire a staff. Piper's firm, since 1983 has helped firms do both, in some cases providing initial development support and staff training until the client's staff is in place and can "go it alone", and in other cases provides development resources as an outsourcing vendor.

Subjects addressed in Piper's chapter include:

• the pros and cons of creating an internal organization vs. using external resources
• items to consider if the decision is made to hire a staff
• how to support and maintain the e-learning process
• retooling standup trainers to become e-proficient
• a checklist for potential vendors
• creating an effective RFP
• tips and hints for hiring and for outsourcing

The complete Handbook serves as a timely decision-making tool for companies making the transition to (or already using) e-learning. Featuring all-original contributions from high-profile practitioners and renowned theorists, the book reveals how top companies are implementing and using this crucial employee development tool. Topics include:

• analyzing organizational need
• selling e-learning to the organization
• learning management systems
• synchronous collaboration
• learning portals
• repurposing materials
• outsourcing and vendor relations.

Other chapters focus on motivation and retention, technological and software options, measuring Return on Investment, and more.

For additional information: http://www.amanet.org/books/catalog/0814407218.htm

Piper wrote his first computer-delivered training program in 1974 while at Xerox. By 1980, the firm was experiencing over 52,000 connect hours of employees taking the online training programs. "Pretty good, when you consider that it was all mainframe-based green-on-black text", says Piper. In 1983, Piper left Xerox to form Creative Approaches. "Looking back", he says "we've created online training that has reached hundreds of thousand of individuals in small companies and large companies alike. Being asked to write this chapter for the Handbook has given me an opportunity to share some of my experiences in this industry that is constantly evolving and re-inventing itself every time the technology progresses to a new level.