Home > Internet-based Tech. > AGC's Online Institute
AGC's Online Institute
The Need
Increasing construction volume and maintaining quality and profits are difficult tasks when qualified new employees are expensive and hard to find. Not to mention the construction industry faces a major shortage of workers from craft workers to management personnel in the next millennium. Education and training program for employee are the answer. With the emergence of the World Wide Web, it is believed that education and training program can get benefit from it as efficient, worldwide, and inexpensive tool for delivering instruction.
The Technology
The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) understands that demand for the information far exceeded the ability to offer personal instruction of the course material. After extensive testing of various distance learning techniques, it was concluded that an Internet-based program offered the ideal solution.
The AGC Online Institute offers Continuing Education Unit Credits (CEUs), easy access, and is available at anytime from anywhere one has a computer with an Internet connection. Project Manager courses are monitored by instructors who will answer any question within 24 hours. They include a reference library supporting the course information and require students to participate in activities outside the electronic pages.
The Online Institute consists of the following four Centers:
- Learning Center
- Faculty Center
- Administration Center
These Centers have been modeled after a traditional learning institution and enable students, instructors, and administrators to efficiently structure their time in the online learning environment. Take the tour to learn more.
In order to deliver the instruction seamlessly to the students, the Online Institute require the student to have Web browsers version 3.0 and above of both Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape, and plug- ins such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, RealPlayer G2, Shockwave and Flash Players.
The Benefits
The Online Institute is a powerful, Web-based tool that delivers, manages, and tracks training through the Internet. It enables organizations to efficiently train any number of employees, customers, or the general public through self-paced courses. This innovative Web-based training service gives our members "anytime, anywhere" access to quality, cost-effective training materials.
Status
Current courses include Pre-planning, Short Interval Planning, Conducting Effective Meetings, and Equipment Utilization. Future courses will include Legal Issues (Killer Clauses), Cost Controls, Handling Subcontractor Default, Project Closeout, and Oral and Written Communications. The subject matter is currently focused on project managers, a class on improving written communications will be added soon and work on a construction safety class will begin in the near future.
The AGC online courses are the first Internet classes to receive approval, allowing AIC associates and certified professionals to fulfill a majority of their annual requirements via an Internet connection.
Barriers
The limitations of this service are:
- The Online Institute is available limited to AGC and AIC members and University Students.
- The subject matter is limited, i.e. currently focused on project management.
Points of Contact
- Ernest W. Jones, Director, Construction Education, Phone: (703) 548-3118, E-mail: jonese@agc.org
- Mark Undeberg, AdvanceOnline Special Services Manager, Phone: (206) 324-0055, E-mail: marku@advanceonline.com
Refrences
- The AGC Online Institute, http://agc.advanceonline.com/
Disclaimer Statement
Neither the Construction Industry Institute nor Purdue University in any way endorses this technology or represents that the information presented can be relied upon without further investigation.