SmartForce Army E-mail newsletter
This page was updated: 05/29/05

The July 2002 edition of the SmartForce Army E-mail newsletter.
See below for instructions on how to join or leave this service.

Content
  Latest News
  Announcements
  Feature Article ? How Do People Learn?
  New Releases
  Student Responses
  College Credit/CEU/Certificates
  Subscriber Q & A
  Training Events Calendar
  Useful Links
  General Information


LATEST NEWS

-- ATRRS Update ? All completions records from ARMYCBT have been decrypted
and forwarded to ATRRS for the import process. All records that had a valid
AKO email address in the registration record will be manually added to the
student record. If you had completions on ARMYCBT and did not have your AKO
email address in the record, reply to this newsletter with your ARMYCBT ID
and your AKO ID and we will add them to the importing process. About 50,000
completions are currently unclaimed.

-- The next Army IPT is being hosted by USARC in Atlanta on Sep 18-19. The
Army COR would like attendance from all MACOMs. Email
cbtcor@secbmail.belvoir.army.mil for additional information.

-- New Accessible Player Available ? A new Jasmine player is now available
to address the Section 508 capabilities for classic courseware
accessibility for individuals who use screen readers. The new player is
compatible with all current software deployment systems. Contact Technical
Support, your Account Manager or Learning Manager for more information.

-- MILITARY RETIREES and DoD CONTRACTORS ? Thanks to our success, special
REDUCED pricing is now available for military retirees and contractors.
Full access to SmartForce e-Learning library is available for all qualified
individuals. Email federalinfo@smartforce.com for details and assistance.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

-- SmartForce Reports Second Quarter Financial Results - Results Improve
Sequentially From First Quarter

-- SmartForce Surpasses 150th Million-Dollar Agreement - Global Enterprises
Continue to Invest in e-Learning

-- IDC Ranks SmartForce Among the Top Ten IT Training Providers -
SmartForce maintains status as the world's largest e-Learning provider

-- SmartForce Announces SmartForceConnect Openness and Integration Program
- Comprehensive program of alliance partnerships, interoperability
standards and hosting capabilities to help connect SmartForce learning
solutions into the core of enterprise customers' businesses

-- Witness Systems Joins SmartForceConnect Program - SmartForce and Witness
Systems partner to enhance customer interactions through joint contact
center solution

-- U.S. Department of State Delivers SmartForce e-Learning to all U.S.
Embassies - e-Learning advances State Department's IT system upgrades

-- For more information, visit http://www.smartforce.com/

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FEATURE ARTICLE ? HOW DO PEOPLE LEARN?

Mentoring is the human component of SmartForce's e-Learning solution. Our
mentors have multiple IT certifications and a wide background of education
and experience. They are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days
a year to answer IT content-related questions. Mentors can be accessed by
e-mail, through chats, or by responding to daily e-mail questions or
mentored exercises.

When students access mentoring, they are not accessing just one individual
but a team of trained mentors who pool their collective knowledge to
enhance students' learning experience. SmartForce's online mentoring
accommodates different learning styles by enabling students to study when
it is convenient for them, as mentors are available around the clock to
help students with their studies.

Daily E-mail
One of the great features of mentoring is our daily e-mail questions. They
are designed to assist students in their e-Learning experience by rounding
out and supplementing the information presented in the learning path. These
e-mail messages can include items such as general course or learning
management system information, questions on content, or instructions for
online labs.

The e-mail is synchronized with the student's progress through the study
content and is designed to motivate and keep them "on track." This
direction will assist them in focusing on their course objectives, which
will ultimately lead toward success. Students can activate their daily
e-mail by following the instructions under the Change Mentoring Options
button, which is found on the Ask My Mentor page accessed from the menu
after the course title.

Chats
Chats provide students with the opportunity to ask content-related
questions and receive a response in real time, any time of the day. Chats
are useful when students need an instant response and the question does not
require an overly detailed explanation.

E-mail
Students can also send in questions via e-mail. E-mail is valuable for
those questions that require more detailed responses or if the students
wants to have a record of the answer. Mentors will respond to questions
within six hours . . . guaranteed! (usually much sooner).

Mentored Exercises
Mentored exercises are learning objects embedded within the learning path.
They consist of open-ended questions that students submit to a qualified
mentor for feedback. Mentored exercises provide the opportunity for
students to complete assignments that demonstrate their mastery of a skill
or complex area of knowledge.

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NEW RELEASES  FOR JUNE 2002

IT Content Solutions
OS and Server Technologies
Microsoft Application Center 2000: Implementing Highly Available Web
Solutions
Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Technologies: Designing Highly Available Web
Solutions
Internet and Network Technologies
Net Safety
Securing Networked Information I
Enterprise Database Systems
Oracle 9i Database Fundamentals: Managing Database Access
Oracle 9i Database Fundamentals: Backup and Recovery
Web Design
Macromedia Flash MX Design Techniques: Experienced
Introduction to XML: Language Basic
Desktop Computer Skills
Palm OS
Microsoft Internet Explorer 6
CompTIA IT Project+

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STUDENT RESPONSES

-- What are the students saying? Let us hear from you!

"The certification programs are fantastic. When will the new Security
programs be available?." ? Jerry R.

Security is one of IT's more essential practices and security professionals
must, above all others, know their trade -- particularly during this era of
heightened security, increased attacks, and general paranoia. According to
a recent Gartner study, in the next three years, information security
certification will be required for 60 percent of chief information security
officers and their associated staff.

To help meet this market need, SmartForce has released two new learning
paths in the Internet and Network Security Program. Net Safety, which falls
into the Security Principles curriculum, focuses on the responsibilities of
employees, both in following procedures and acting responsibly when they
encounter suspicious activities on their network systems. Securing
Networked Information I is the first of a two-part curriculum, SecurityProcedures, that teaches students to successfully implement networked

security infrastructures that comply with best practices and utilize
recognized security tools and standards. The Security Procedures curriculum
prepares students for CIW's Security Professional exam 1D0-470. Forthcoming
security content in September will also prepare students for ISC2's CISSP
certification.

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COLLEGE CREDIT/CEU/CERTIFICATES

Microsoft BizTalk Server 2000
SmartForce's BizTalk® Server Curriculum covers the tools that businesses
need for internal and B2B process orchestration. It provides training to
implement a visual model of the process across the entire transaction -
from a company to it's partners and back again.
The last of three learning paths in the BizTalk Server 2000 curriculum,
Designing and Implementing Solutions II has been released and will help
prepare certification candidates for Microsoft exam 70-230. This exam is
applicable to the MSCE certification, which falls under the Operating
Systems and Server Technologies solution area.

CompTIA IT Project+ Certification Program
SmartForce's IT Project+ certification program addresses the business,
interpersonal, and technical skills required to successfully manage an IT
project and will prepare students for CompTIA's IT Project+ certification
exam.
Customers will recognize the following benefits when utilizing SmartForce's
IT Project+ certification program:

Ensure that IT staff have the knowledge to successfully bring in projects
on time and under budget.
Companies can compete in a global economy that requires uniform project
management processes.
Companies can expect uniform project management systems that adhere to
legal and regulatory guidelines.
Clients prefer to work with firms that have certified employees.

This program is currently under review for CAQC approval. CompTIA's
Authorized Quality Curriculum (CAQC) program is a voluntary quality review
program for IT training material that uses quality standards set by the IT
industry.

Your questions are encouraged ? what do you want to know?

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SUBSCRIBER Q & A

-- Your questions and "expert" answers.

Q. How frequently are courses removed from the library and what is the
process for notification?

A. Once or twice a year, or as otherwise required, the library is reviewed
to remove those programs no longer being accessed or those that have been
replaced by newer versions. A notice is sent to every customer in advance.

SmartForce's Continues to Make Improvements to its e-Learning Library
As SmartForce continues to update its offerings and package new solutions
to meet customers' needs, projects are underway to ensure our e-Learning
library remains the best in the industry. Already, more than half of the IT
Content Solution is made up of e3 content, and this number will continue to
grow.

In order to improve the overall quality of our libraries, over the coming
months much of the legacy content will be removed from the library. On July
31st, following IT curricula will be withdrawn:
·     Lotus Notes 3 to 4 Update
·     Lotus Notes 3.x, cc:Mail, SmartSuite
·     Microsoft Office 95 and 4.x
·     Microsoft Windows NT 3.5x (Server and Workstation)
·     Novell NetWare 3.11

Also on this date, select titles in the following curricula will be
withdrawn.
·     Microsoft End-User Operating Systems and Tools
·     Microsoft Operating System Essentials
·     Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 (Server and Workstation)
·     Microsoft Windows Service and Support
·     Novell NetWare 3.12
·     Novell NetWare Service and Support
·     Technical Support

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TRAINING EVENTS CALENDAR

- - Air Force ITC 2002, Montgomery, Aug 26 ? 31,
www.civic-center.ci.montgomery.al.us/afitc2002.html

- - Army IPT, Ft McPherson GA, Sep 18 ? 19 (Email the Army CBT COR at
cbtcor@secbmail.belvoir.army.mil)

- - ADL Conference and Exhibit, Alexandria VA, Sep 16 ? 18, www.adlnet.org

- - e-Gov E-Learning, Washington, Sep 19 ? 20, www.e-gov.com

- - On Line Learning 2002, Anaheim, Sep 21 ? 26,
www.onlinelearningconference.com

- - TechLearn 2002, Orlando, Oct 27 ? 30, www.techlearn.com

- - Executive Leadership Conference, Hershey PA, Nov 3 ? 5, www.fgipc.org

- - Collaborate West 2002, Anaheim, Nov 4 ? 7, www.collaborateexpos.com

- - US Army Signal Symposium, Ft Gordon GA, Nov 26 - 30,
www.gordon.army.mil/symp/default.htm

- - I/ITSEC 2002, Orlando, Dec 2 - 5, www.iitsec.org

-- Please send us other important items you want to track

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USEFUL LINKS

 NEW-- SmartForce Online Resource Center is available for access by all
customers. Tools and suggestions are available for program promotion,
planning, management, reporting, etc. Contact your Learning Manager for
access information.

-- For assistance with any difficulty in ATRRS
          logon to http://www.atrrs.army.mil/help

-- For assistance with system registration or any other difficulty you are
experiencing prior to logon approval
          call 1-800-275-2872 or email help@atsc.army.mil

-- SmartForce Technical Support Desk for password/logon assistance:
          email support@smartforce.com or call 1-800-938-3247

-- For assistance with program or contract management
          Email the Army CBT COR at cbtcor@secbmail.belvoir.army.mil.

-- For assistance after registration, logon to SmartForce and use the Help
buttons throughout the site, or
          call 1-800-938-3247 or email support@smartforce.com.

-- SmartForce Customer Support Desk:
          email army@smartforce.com or call 1-800-488-8131 x2620 (attn:
      Chuck Schluter, COL, USA Ret)

-- SmartForce sales office for additional information/assistance:
          email army@smartforce.com

-- SmartForce web site for company updates and other info
          http://www.smartforce.com

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