In search of a software application to be used by an organization's
training department (HR etc.). It would do the following -

1. Have functionality to create content pages. Content pages will be
HTML based. This functionality is similar to web authoring. The only
difference is scope and complexity. Dreamweaver and Frontpage have
lots of bells and whistles. We just need a simple text window to write
content text,
and change background color, font colors, types, and sizes. Think of when you
are composing a message in Yahoo Mail. Then, once you enter your text, the
app converts it into a HTML page.

2. Create training modules using the above content pages. You could
have created thirty similar content pages, and then link them together
to create one training training module. Also, need ability to deploy
the module on an Intranet or Internet server, so users can access it.
Keeping track of users statistics (when they logged on, how long they
stayed etc) would be a plus.

3. User administration. Allows adding/modifying/deleting users in the
system. Then, once you create a training module, you can assign
certain users (employees) to a training session.

In essence, this all in one application will allow creating and
administering employee training modules.

Please feel free to ask any questions to clarify things.

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Clarification of Question by thehambloke-ga on 18 Jun 2004 06:08 PDT

Is this question too broad or is it that only a few researchers have
interest in computer/software questions?

Any comments as to why this question is not generating interest are welcome.

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Clarification of Question by thehambloke-ga on 21 Jun 2004 04:55 PDT

Dk and susansm, thanks for your comments.

Courseware (Blackboard etc) is geared more towards ongoing educational
efforts, and primarily for educational institutions. They actually
don't offer a platform for creating material - you have to upload
already existing powerpoint, word, pdf etc. lecture files. They do
have resources for managing student rosters, and some other neat
delivery mechanisms.

Web server logs can be studied for user stats, but it's not something
an HR training coordinator can be expected to do. Plus, we need
formatted reports for business reporting for the training delivery.

The web quiz writer is a good app, but again, like other quiz/test
building apps, it only gives functionality for one part of the total
app - creating the quiz. We've got over a thousand user accounts in
our LDAP server, and prefer not to have to duplicate the effort for
registration for training.

A word on cost-effectiveness - it is actually not cost-effective to
have to write separate html pages for your training content. That
locks up content in a hard-coded form. It you have the content in a
database, and pull it dynamically into html pages for various training
needs, the same content can be re-used.

Essentially, there are separate apps that can do various bits of the
total work, but seems like no one common integrated app that can do
all of it at one time. The $20 are still up for grabs if anyone can
find an app.

You really have two options here:

1. Use software that is like what you mentioned above.

2. Write your modules in html+some scripting language+(optional) a database.

Option 1:  Now I know option one looks much easier, but in the long
run it may not be.  You will invariably find that whatever software
package you choose, will not do everything how you want to or it may
not even to everything you want it to do.  This is a common problem
and it explains why 70% of computer scientist are employed making
software the is 90% the same as software that already exists.  In
short what you want is available (one good option can be found at
http://www.pcworlddownload.com/education/teaching-tools/WebQuiz-Writer.htm
and more can be found by just using google and looking for ?web quiz
software download free? or something similar), but if you have the
time, expertise and money available then I would really encourage you
to take a look at option two.

Option 2:  Option two will be harder in the short run, but in the end
you will have much more control over the result.  I suspect the reason
why you may not have gotten much of a response is because you really
don't need a program to do what you want to do.  In the long run it
will probably be easier, and more cost effective to just write the web
pages (or write page generator to build your site from metadata, if
you are of the truly lazy extra-techie persuasion :) then write some
sort of monitoring software.  It might sound difficult to do the
monitoring ("Keeping track of users statistics"), but really it
shouldn't be, there are modules available for tracking web page access
in most scripting languages (python, perl, php, JavaScript, etc, etc)
or you can just take a look at the apache access logs for your server
(they will keep track of what was accessed, when, and by whom).

One, geeks opinion, good luck,

-dk

If you don't want to go into the software development business,
courseware can provide a relatively transparent way to develop
web-based learning modules, support video and graphics, tracking and
other features without piling on the trainers, programmers or
technical support staff that writing your own may cost. The standards
are WebCT and Blackboard. They can be hosted by you or on their 
servers. eCollege, Angel, Embanet/Intralearn are other CMS and, of
course, there is an open-source movement.

If all you want is a free simple web editor, then Mozilla or Netscape
Composer do the job.