Ask five different training professionals about the multimedia courseware at the heart of Computer Based Training (CBT) and you will likely get five different answers. At its most basic, however, the "multimedia" term signifies the use of multiple communications media within a single software program used for training. This means audio in the form of narration, music and sound effects, as well as both still and moving graphics in the form of art, design or recorded video. The point of combining all of them, of course, is to provide a more powerful, targeted and often self-paced mode of study.

Multimedia was originally used for computer games. Sound effects, colorful displays of text and graphics, and animation sequences brought formerly unsophisticated computer games to life. Now, of course, multimedia technology is used nearly everywhere, from the Internet to ATMs, and the range of CBT materials used for training and education is staggering. Research has proven the benefits of integrating multimedia elements into computer programs, as they have a demonstrably superior ability to teach concepts and support every kind of learning experiences that engage more senses than simply sight or sound. The famous "dual coding" theory establishes that learning is enhanced and retention improved when information is processed through the two channels of sight and sound than one or the other.

Established benefits

CBT has developed into a proven method of providing training and education via the computer. It can take a variety of forms, from simple information presentation in a text format, akin to printed pages in textbooks, to sophisticated multimedia courseware that combines text, audio, images, video, user interaction and feedback to create a full-spectrum learning experience. The actual level of program sophistication will depend on a company or organization's particular needs, but CBT has proven beneficial for training and updating employees, introducing new or revised production techniques to appropriate staff, launching new marketing programs and conducting management seminars. In all of these ways, CBT is a cost-effective delivery method.

CBT, in and by itself, is not always everything needed for a complete educational or training solution and should be seen as one component of a complete system. For total training effectiveness, other media can be employed, from printed support materials and stand-up presentation scripts to audiotapes and various testing materials. A major benefit, certainly, is the fact that CBT allows for controlled amounts of self-paced learning, letting employees proceed at their optimum pace.

Lesser-known benefits of CBT

With just a little creative energy, you can tailor CBT programs to provide other, lesser-known benefits. For example, it is not necessary to think of CBT courses as being discrete, self-contained packages of information that must be fully digested before being deployed. Employees should be encouraged to use whatever they learn, whenever they learn it, to the extent that management is aware of what is being implemented from department to department. If a CBT program has been developed for certain light-manufacturing employees to learn new techniques, these new methods can be "rolled out" over time as more and more employees come up to speed. There is no need, with CBT, to wait for everyone to finish.

One of the least leveraged strengths of CBT is feedback and tailoring. Your organization will benefit not only from the CBT results, but from learning new and better ways to create the CBT materials in the first place. The way to stay on top of this is to encourage feedback, make time for comments and questions, include links in the CBT programs for making suggestions about the course content as well as how it is presented, and give every bit of employee input a respectful hearing.

Unseen benefits, too

Most of the foregoing benefits are ones that can be seen, touched, measured or analyzed. However, there are other benefits that you can derive from CBT that are somewhat harder to quantify or qualify separately. For instance, the fact that you are encouraging employee participation in the refining of the CBT programs will doubtless have a positive impact on employee morale, which you may or may not be able to pinpoint and measure. The best thing to do to determine what is affecting your employees' attitudes, energy and job expertise is to keep track of when you are instituting particular changes, whether in CBT or other areas.

Creativity is another intangible that is hard to measure or analyze. Employees who are presented with creative materials, no matter what the content, are being simultaneously exposed to innovative, often exciting trends in animation, computer programming and education. Along with boosting morale as described above, this can have the effect of "stirring the pot" and bringing new ideas to the forefront. Of course, it is important that employees sense that the environment is a welcoming one, and this understanding can be augmented by particular messages that are embedded in the CBT materials.

CBT offers both new and proven ways of benefiting your company or organization, and by its very nature can be a catalyst for positive change and improved employee morale. Remember to harvest the benefits of CBT as they occur, instead of waiting for some future "completion date," and leverage the open, inviting nature of the training to capture the creativity and positive attitudes of employees using CBT. There are more benefits than you can even measure, although the ones you can measure will doubtless convince you that you are on the right track!