Zero interactivity.

* Diversity at Work, online, 2000, 60 min., LearningAction (877-532-7672, fax [phone], www.learningaction.com), $36 per person.

This online course might suit your needs, assuming you're looking for an extremely basic diversity awareness product. It reviews basic terms and definitions, makes users aware that diversity exists, and suggests it has several dimensions. Frankly, though, it does little more than that.

"AFTER A BRIEF INTRODUCTION, THE USER MUST PRINT SUPPORT MATERIALS AND REFER TO THEM DURING THE COURSE. QUESTIONS ARE THEN ANSWERED AND REVIEWED IN THIS PAPER-AND-PENCIL FORMAT."

The course layout and color scheme are appealing and definitely enhance the training experience. You can take the program in various formats depending on Internet connection and computer speed. It loads easily, the pages advance quickly, and the course interface makes the task of navigating the mazes of questions and topics simple and easy.

After a brief introduction, the user must print support materials and refer to them during the course. Questions are then answered and reviewed in this paper-and-pencil format. As a result, the course itself has no interactivity. It's therefore not really an online course but a hybrid that uses the computer and the Internet merely to deliver content.

From the trainer's the point of view, the efficiency of delivery and the ability to track usage need to be balanced against the fact that most people hate to use the computer as a book. With research showing that CBT and WBT users resist static courses and can form a bias against all online training after an unsatisfactory experience, the stakes could be high.

Also, the course content doesn't measure up to the better online diversity training programs on the market. It does little more than introduce the concept of diversity, and much of the content is ambiguous and dated. There is no action planning, and the user is left with no reference material. I found myself left with more questions than answers.

Recommendation

This program offers little value for the money. The user may do better reading a good book on diversity, as this program is not interactive and is too basic. The graphics are far more exciting than the content. This isn't the program to buy for company distribution, unless your organization plans to follow up with live facilitation. The program raises too many questions and doesn't suggest where to go for additional information.

Valerie L Smith ([e-mail]) is a consultant based in New York. She has experience as an instructional designer, OD consultant, and facilitator. She has designed, developed, and facilitated training in numerous soft skill areas such as sexual harassment and diversity awareness, outplacement, management, team building, and teams. If you're interested in online diversity training, be sure to see Valerie L Smith's review of Diversity Management from Prime Learning in our online edition. She gave it an overall rating of very good (***1/2).

Diversity at Work product rating
Holds user interest  **
Production quality   *1/2
Ease of navigation   ***
Interactivity        *
Value of content     *1/2
Instructional value  *1/2
Value for the money  *1/2
Overall rating       *1/2