Rating: 
Summary: Praise for Designing Web-Based Training
Review: "Horton has done it again! He's addressed the cutting-edgeproblem of Web-based training design with his pragmatic,research-based approach. His work is task-oriented and down-to-earth. He doesn't waste our time with excessive educational philosophy.William Horton is President of William Horton Consulting where he specializes in the design of online training, help systems, and knowledge management systems. END
Rating: 
Summary: New Title: "Considerations...
Review: ... For Web-Based Training". This is what the book will give you, many considerations and thoughts surrounding web training. It does excel in that department because the average trainer wouldn't be able to think of all these details and possibilities themselves. It's a GOOD reference of ideas... "if you are going to do "x" you should consider "y". On the downside it teaches you nothing of "best practices" or "how-to", which is more of what I was going after. In many cases the author will go over a segment and then states that most "packaged" systems will have that piece in place already. Ok, what are good "packaged" systems to consider then? There are no answers for this because the author wants to remain "vendor neutral". Quite honestly I don't know who the target market is for this. I am a developer needing to put together a corse and this hasn't helped me in the least. Actually this books has left me with more questions as to how to proceed next as it has answered. And don't even bother going to the authors website for help. It is the same type of "presentation" information and if you want the juicy "how-to" details you are directed to one of his seminars .... But the author is emphatic about the fact he is a consultant and this is typical of many consultants... long on "considerations" and short on "how-to". And I don't know why all the other reviews are raves... did they read this book or just browse it only to be impressed by all the diagrams? I'd like to know how these people are incorporating the info within to their business. I for one would like to have my $$$ back for it.
Rating: 
Summary: A Reference for Your Desk
Review: A friend recommended this book to me when I was beginning to write simple web-based training programs. In buying this book, I thought I would find a list of ways to put the training together. Horton's book brings a lot more to the reader. First, this book does not give you code to use for building the training. Although he will mention the a helpful hint in using a particular code here and there, he does not give you long lists of things to cut and paste into your module. This book provides you with a reference for all the things you, as the creator of the training, should be thinking about. It is not overwhelming with theory, but rather is a series of bulleted lists of tips, ideas, and suggestions for preparing your work. This is easy to read and has many examples (pictures) of what he is talking about (there is also a website and each chapter comes with a list of other places to go for information...not to mention the list of references in the back). Horton explains what web-based training is and helps you to evaluate whether web-based training is the best route to go for your needs. He discusses how to market your training as well as how you can lay it out to make it user friendly. He has his own training programs that he does so all his methods have been tested. This lends a lot of credibility to the author. Before reading this book, I was still thinking in terms of text and quizzes. Although he does mention these, he also gives you different ideas in how to present the information. This keeps training different and exciting. I would highly recommend this book for any trainer, or educator, who is interested in pursuing, or experimenting, with web-based training.
Rating:
Summary: A Reference for Your Desk
Review: A friend recommended this book to me when I was beginning to write simple web-based training programs. In buying this book, I thought I would find a list of ways to put the training together. Horton's book brings a lot more to the reader. First, this book does not give you code to use for building the training. Although he will mention the a helpful hint in using a particular code here and there, he does not give you long lists of things to cut and paste into your module. This book provides you with a reference for all the things you, as the creator of the training, should be thinking about. It is not overwhelming with theory, but rather is a series of bulleted lists of tips, ideas, and suggestions for preparing your work. This is easy to read and has many examples (pictures) of what he is talking about (there is also a website and each chapter comes with a list of other places to go for information...not to mention the list of references in the back). Horton explains what web-based training is and helps you to evaluate whether web-based training is the best route to go for your needs. He discusses how to market your training as well as how you can lay it out to make it user friendly. He has his own training programs that he does so all his methods have been tested. This lends a lot of credibility to the author. Before reading this book, I was still thinking in terms of text and quizzes. Although he does mention these, he also gives you different ideas in how to present the information. This keeps training different and exciting. I would highly recommend this book for any trainer, or educator, who is interested in pursuing, or experimenting, with web-based training.
Rating: 
Summary: Solid, Block & Tackle Web-Based Training
Review: A great reference book written in the classic William Horton style. William Horton produces clear, concise descriptions and advice in this refernce. He "walks the talk" by organizing the text with classic documentation organization techniques. You always know where you are, and know where to find stuff. The content is basic, but gives both traditional instructional designers and technical developers a common platform from which to work together. I used this book to bring these two facets of WBT development teams together, as technical and instructional design (ID) people need to be able to work together to produce sound WBT. By giving the technical folks an ID primer, and the ID folks a technical primer, they are communicating better. Of course, there is risk printing a book on such a dynamic, ever-changing subject. The text could be stale before long- I would have liked to see a web-based version of this! A great reference for basic WBT concepts and use.
Rating:
Summary: Solid, Block & Tackle Web-Based Training
Review: A great reference book written in the classic William Horton style. William Horton produces clear, concise descriptions and advice in this refernce. He "walks the talk" by organizing the text with classic documentation organization techniques. You always know where you are, and know where to find stuff. The content is basic, but gives both traditional instructional designers and technical developers a common platform from which to work together. I used this book to bring these two facets of WBT development teams together, as technical and instructional design (ID) people need to be able to work together to produce sound WBT. By giving the technical folks an ID primer, and the ID folks a technical primer, they are communicating better. Of course, there is risk printing a book on such a dynamic, ever-changing subject. The text could be stale before long- I would have liked to see a web-based version of this! A great reference for basic WBT concepts and use.
Rating:
Summary: The most practical book on Internet based training in print.
Review: Designing Web-Based Training comprehensively teaches just what the title suggests, distilling the design experience of hundreds of hours of CBT/WBT. It will not take you to the cutting edge of web technology (which changes too fast, so no book will), but you will emerge with a rock-solid foundation. The technical level is probably optimal, and therefore a bit low for an engineer. The style is quite light and enjoyable, and I appreciated the humor. I was particularly impressed that an entire chapter is devoted to localization: here in Europe, a constant complaint is that Americans neglect the needs of other languages and cultures. Note that there is nothing here about the business of WBT, e.g. project management, vendor management, selling projects to internal management, or the business of training in general. A few other books cover those topics admirably; this one focuses on design. Horton gets out of including design and development methodology by calling it a religious issue. Maybe so, but that will affect your design. Chapter 5 "Organize Learning Sequences" hints at a learning object being part of a bigger picture, but I found little to help me with large-scale courseware production, in which databases are needed for tracking objectives, test questions, and even content. Why do these books always assume that you are making just one course in a vacuum? The IEEE, IMS, and AICC learning technology standards are mentioned a few times, but the newer SCORM not at all.
Rating:
Summary: Distilled wisdom of a design guru
Review: Designing Web-Based Training comprehensively teaches just what the title suggests, distilling the design experience of hundreds of hours of CBT/WBT. It will not take you to the cutting edge of web technology (which changes too fast, so no book will), but you will emerge with a rock-solid foundation. The technical level is probably optimal, and therefore a bit low for an engineer. The style is quite light and enjoyable, and I appreciated the humor. I was particularly impressed that an entire chapter is devoted to localization: here in Europe, a constant complaint is that Americans neglect the needs of other languages and cultures. Note that there is nothing here about the business of WBT, e.g. project management, vendor management, selling projects to internal management, or the business of training in general. A few other books cover those topics admirably; this one focuses on design. Horton gets out of including design and development methodology by calling it a religious issue. Maybe so, but that will affect your design. Chapter 5 "Organize Learning Sequences" hints at a learning object being part of a bigger picture, but I found little to help me with large-scale courseware production, in which databases are needed for tracking objectives, test questions, and even content. Why do these books always assume that you are making just one course in a vacuum? The IEEE, IMS, and AICC learning technology standards are mentioned a few times, but the newer SCORM not at all.
Rating:
Summary: Fantasic introduction to developing web based training
Review: Horton does a great job of explaining the pros and cons of web based training and when it should be used. He presents some basic guidelines for developing a business case for using WBT and moves into a detailed definition of well designed courseware. Topics include designing course navigation, course material and exams. Tech tips are scattered throughout for the technical people reading this book, but not in a way that would scare off non-techies. Well written and easy to read. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best
Review: Horton's book is practical, without pretentious language and of invaluable assistance to someone starting at the beginning. I work in Africa and WBT faces some serious challenges in such a poor continent. What Horton's book does, is give you a wide range of options from the simple to the complex. Choose your staring point. It has been invaluable for a beginner in this field.
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