System courses
Usecase specialises in realisation of courses in using applications and integrated IT systems. Our resources have many years of experience in realisation of e-Learning courses for the leading telecommunication supplier in Poland.
The main objective of these courses is to pass on the practical knowledge to the final user of using the functionalities and realisation of business processes in IT systems, including also integrated environment.
Usecase has the experience and competences in realisation of system courses and tools and technologies which allow our company to design and deliver very large courses (even 20 -30 hours) in a relatively short period of time (even 1 to 3 months). Such a short time of realisation is possible tanks to our company working out adequate producing standards of the curses.
Our company’s resources have the experience in complex preparation of system courses, starting from analysis and definition of the scope together with dividing into users’ profiles, preparing scenarios for independent course units, technical production and methodological and technical tests.
Based on many years of experience in realisation on system courses, Usecase worked out the methodology of project management which can be applied to both small and large, complicated e-Learning projects.
Analysis of training needs, the scope of the course, preparing the merit structure and the graphic and functional design.
In the first stage of the project our merit experts carry out the analysis of the scope of the course, based on the documents of initial analysis, documents of detailed analysis of a given system or systems and cooperation with Customer’s experts. Based on this the scope of the course is defined and with the support of the e-Learning courses methodology experts the merit structure of the courses is prepared.
The merit experts supported by the e-Learning courses methodology experts prepare the merit content materials in a form of scenarios of given course units. What need to be emphasized is that our resources have experience in developing system courses in developers and tests environments, cooperating with the suppliers of the system or the test department of an external team (supplier of the Customer).
The technical team supported by the merit experts is responsible for creating the graphic and functional design, defining the graphic look of the course according to the Customer’s graphic standards (e.g. according to the Book of Visual Identification) and constructing models (templates) which are then used for constructing given course units.
Construction of the system courses
System courses are most often of module construction. The atomisation of training material is due not only to a given thematic scope, but also from profiling for given groups of users.
Each of the modules contains a descriptive part which presents the user with the functionalities and the processes realised in the system or systems. Within this part it is also possible to use a presentation of how to use a given functionality or a process in the system in a form of a Flash animation or a film.
A very important element of each of the modules is the so-called "simulation" which allows to simulate the use of a given functionality or realisation of the process in the system or systems. This means that by carrying out the e-Learning course the user can become familiarised with the new or changed functions of the system without having access to its production environment.
The simulation can be carried out in various forms:
- Teaching - practical exercises. The user is given detailed commands which s/he is to carry out step by step in the system together with a detailed description of the actions and information on what is the purpose of those actions.
- Self-test type exercises. It is a form of a simulation in which the user can verify his/her own knowledge by him/her self in order to make a decision whether or not to take part in the skills test.Self-test exercise’s features are that the user is given commands together with the data necessary for a given task and carries on with the steps by him/her self. An important element of this exercise is the feedback which gives the user important information in case of an error. The exercise itself is marked, but the mark is passed on to the user only and is not registered in the LMS system.
- Skills test. It is a form of simulation in which the user is given a command together with the minimum information to carry out a given task and carries out the steps by him/her self. The actions of the user are marked, the test is time-limited and additionally can be limited in the number of attempts. The results of the skills test are registered in the LMS system and, depending on the course’s configuration, the status of the test is decided to be pass or fail. An additional test for the final user can be the knowledge test, whose aim is to verify the level of the theoretical knowledge obtained during the descriptive part of the course. Most often the test consists of single - and multiple - choice questions. The questions for the knowledge test can be randomised from a pool of questions and the answers can be mixed. The knowledge test is time- limited and can additionally be limited in the number of attempts. The results of the test are registered in the LMS system and, depending on the course’s configuration, the status of the test is decided to be pass or fail.
Internal content tests. He ready courses are tested internally both on the basis of their merit and technical side. Usecase, based on the many years of experience of our resources, elaborated various models of testing the e-Learning courses together with dedicated representatives of the Customer.
Delivery of courses. System courses can be delivered to the Customer in an on-line form (dedicated to the LMS platform) and in the off-line form for independent realisation by the user at a work station, thanks to which there is no need of Internet connection. We also offer support in the area of business administration of the courses, e.g. support in the area of grounding the courses on LMS platforms and configuration of courses in the target environment.
Together with the courses the source codes are passed on to the customer.
We offer our Customers flexible forms of paying for the courses, including in the form of IT expenditure (KAPEX).
Innovative approach to simulation
As an experienced supplier of system courses and careful observer of market trends, and of the needs of both Customers and final users of the education process, we try to implement the innovative solutions in the products we deliver. The solutions which we work on and which we offer to our Customers in the area of simulations, as an important element allowing the participant of the course to obtain practical knowledge, are most of all:
- Multithreaded simulation. It is a form of simulation which brings the impression of working within the real system. The user has the possibility to carry out the process in a multithread way, which forces him/her to engage in the education process in a greater way, and most of all, allows applying a number of solutions in order to obtain the same effect. The user is limited only by the functionality of the system itself, depending on the needs reported by the Customer. Thanks to such approach the user does not simply "click away" through the task, s/he is not taught a singular way of its realisation. Such an approach gives the user a greater freedom of actions and the possibility of applying the knowledge s/he has gained in the previous modules of the course.
At present, Usecase S.A. is working on a tool that will change the approach to simulations. The main features of the prepared tool which simulates the behaviour of IT systems:
- multithreading in the processes and functionality,
- possibility of complex process’ realisation,
- easy updates of the tool,
- possibility of independent familiarisation with the functionalities of the system with the minimal level of advice/prompts,
- possibility of integration with the LMS platform,
- possibility of work with the tool in the offline mode,
- possibility of working with different browsers.