CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
15 July 2008
Product News
RAND Worldwide Launches ProductivityNOW Version 2.0
RAND Worldwide announced that it has launched an enhanced version of its combined technical support and eLearning web-based portal, for its Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) clients, ProductivityNOW Version 2.0.
ProductivityNOW Version 2.0 is available to the global engineering and design community for Autodesk, Dassault Systèmes, and PTC applications and provides full- and self-service support and eLearning options in a variety of formats to accommodate multiple learning styles and level of detail requirements. ProductivityNOW is designed to assist engineers and designers with resolving their technical application issues and enhance their application knowledge quickly and easily.
A key enhancement in Version 2.0 is in RAND’s Searchable Online Learning Objects (SOLO) knowledgebase, which provides learning objects such as instructional articles, video demonstrations, hands-on exercises, and technical notes created through RAND’s training and reference materials, as well as frequently asked questions answered by RAND’s Certified Support, Consulting, and Technical Training Engineers. The new platform provides a “Category Browse” feature, which uses metadata and relevant taxonomies to categorize eLearning content into browsable and more relevant topic sets. This new feature enables users to browse through content using categories based on functional topics and related training courses. It also assists those that do not know specific feature names or are unsure of the proper keyword searches to perform when seeking content related to their application questions. In addition, SOLO’s online courses are now provided with an enhanced course content tree representation designed to better guide users through each of their enrolled courses and allows topics and modules to be bookmarked for future access and reference. The ability to incorporate user knowledge assessments and instructor feedback into courses is now available, which can assist users in ensuring the knowledge presented in each course is retained. Its learning management system also provides greater tracking capabilities to ensure users are taking the opportunity to complete assigned training.
“Our ProductivityNOW clients will see significant enhancements in performance and presentation of our industry leading curriculum in ProductivityNOW SOLO, developed by our ASCENT – Center for Technical Knowledge division,” said Joe Oswald, Executive Vice President, PLM Operations, North America and Europe, RAND Worldwide. “These enhancements will provide an improved eLearning experience to our clients, which will ensure easier accessibility to content leading to even faster user productivity.”
The ProductivityNOW Version 2.0 platform has been built on a standards-based technology that allows the incorporation of Information Management Systems (IMS) and Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) compliant content, the standard for developing, packaging, and delivering high-quality training materials for online courses and enabling better learning management tracking capabilities. The platform can also integrate with client systems including authentication systems, such as LDAP and Active Directory, for single sign-on. ProductivityNOW Version 2.0 also provides more flexibility and scalability to create client-specific customized solutions. Uniquely tailored and branded ProductivityNOW portals can be developed to feature learning content specific to a company’s design applications.
RAND’s existing ProductivityNOW clients will be migrated to the Version 2.0 system on a gradual basis and will be notified of their transition to the new system with login details. New and existing ProductivityNOW users will continue to have access to three package options: SOLO, Support, and Support – Premium. The ProductivityNOW SOLO package features RAND’s searchable knowledgebase with learning objects and technical issue resolutions; discussion forum access to share knowledge with fellow application users around the world; previously recorded virtual training seminars; eLearning courses to improve targeted application skill sets; and the option to securely incorporate a company’s own best practices and intellectual property.
The ProductivityNOW Support package features live technical assistance with RAND’s certified product-specific Support Engineers through toll-free phone access; support center-initiated remote desktop sharing, and email case-submission support; online case management tools; searchable problem resolution knowledgebase; and live monthly instructor-led online training seminars.
ProductivityNOW Support – Premium offers the entire Support and SOLO package options, and the added benefits of live chat, customer-initiated remote desktop sharing, and live weekly online training seminars.
To learn more about ProductivityNOW, please visit http://www.rand.com/productivitynow.
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