1. Timsoft experience in eLearning Project eLearning for Managers:
Introduction
Timsoft experience in eLearning
Project eLearning for Managers:
Partners, Aims, Target Groups, Activities
Training the eTrainers
Online Courses Model
VLE eLearnTS
Conclusions
Carmen Holotescu - Director Timsoft Ltd, Romania

2. quality materials, simulations
What means eLearning
eLearning means the use of multimedia technologies and Internet
quality materials, simulations
 online resources
 collaboration, sharing,
communities

3. Current situation
“eLearning: Designing tomorrow’s education” initiative – CE, 24 May 2000
eLearning Europa
Many schools and universities offer online modules for their courses, online courses, or even degrees online; 75% companies use eLearning in their training programs
eLearning Romanian Projects – universities, schools, firms
Accreditation: by the Open Distance Learning ( ODL ) Commission of the Ministry of Education, Research and Youth
eLearning Programme : “Promotion of digital literacy, creation of European virtual campuses, e-Twinning of schools in Europe and promotion of teacher training and transversal actions for the promotion of e-learning in Europe ”

4. Timsoft experience in eLearning
Timsoft Ltd – - is an active actor in eLearning:
developed VLE eLearnTS , with variants in Romanian and English; flexible, secure, based on open technologies: Perl, mySQL, Java, XML, Soap, RSS, RSS-LOM
offers online courses – IT, Training the eTrainers –
for 3 universities, firms, individual learners
hosts Romanian eLearning Community;
eJournal; Weblog; eLearning Resources
organizes international online workshops – partner e-Learning Centre UK –
Partner in Educational Projects

5. Phare Project: eLearning for Managers – http://www.timsoft.to/phare
in the county of Cluj,
Partners: Expert Consulting - coordinator, Timsoft , IVS Consulting
Aims: to offer online training in Management/Marketing tailored on the firms specific needs
Target groups: managers and employees in firms, but also students from Management universities

6. Activities:
Assessment of the target groups training needs
Train the trainers for online teaching
Instructional design of the online courses
Online courses delivery
Evaluation of the training impact in organizations, and dissemination
Online collaborative space for parteners
Online courses: Training the eTrainers, General Management, Marketing, Financial, Management, Human Resources Management, Ergonomy, Quality Management, Logistics
Over 120 participants, participants/course, % courses

7. Training the eTrainers
Training Program for eTrainers
Online Course
Peer Mentoring Activities
The program is aimed at training the participants to carry out:
online courses and
online events, such as online workshops and RT meetings,
giving them knowledge and experience in online communication and collaboration.
Skills for eTutors listed by recognized International organizations as Institute of IT Training in UK or International Board of Standards for Training, Performance and Instruction in USA

8. Online Course Model (1):
Blended approach
Learning process = Learner centered process – Constructivist approach
Applied Adult Education Principles: self-directedness and an active learner role, as well as solution-centered activities
Adapted to Learning Styles
eLearning Methodologies: PBL, Study Cases
Involve all interactions: learner-learner, content-learner, learner-facilitator
Conferences: asynchronous discussions – quality: reflection, searching, validation, more active members
Quality Materials: static and dynamic parts
Visiting Experts lectures – in the course for eTrainers: Jane Knight, e-Learning Cen UK, Mihai Jalobeanu, UVVG Arad
Empowerment Evaluation

9. Online Course Model (2):
Trainees and Instructor = Learning Community
clearly stated objectives, a set of guiding principles
subtle, experienced, enthusiastic instructor
motivated, interested participants
integrate content with discussions
informal sharing – tacit knowledge
metaphors for linking the participants
good virtual environment.

10. eLearnTS
Authoring system - An authoring component used by the space administrators in creation and edition of the materials.
Registration system - The database with the participants specific information.
A content delivery function - The content may be in the form of text, images, sounds, animations.
A navigation model - Syllabus, members list, links, search. Learners Portfolios.
Synchronous tools - Chat-room allows the members to communicate in real time between them and with the instructors; Live Chat .
Asynchronous tools - public, private,gated conferences ( web-forums).
Security system - A component for controlling the access to the virtual environment.
VLE was recently extended with RSS feed, RSS-LOM authoring tool

11. Materials

12. Conferences

13. Conclusions
We appreciate that the success of the the "eLearning for Managers project" was due to the training the eTrainers and to the blended approach of the courses.
The project team want to continue to deliver the online courses developed in the project on a regular basis, and to integrate them in a Master online program.
Also we should mention a special interest of the managers trained in the project in implementing online training in their firms.
Thank you!