Online GeneXus training with Syrium's e-learning platform
Syrium has been providing online training on the IT field for 2 years. It started operations in Uruguay as a service provider for the Uruguayan Chamber of Information Technology (CUTI) and has recently expanded its horizons in the region for the Spanish-speaking audience. Based on its platform, online GeneXus courses will be given in June for Central America.
According to the team of Syrium - Online, the Information Society requires professionals who are ready to engage in ongoing learning at the pace in which ICTs change, and in this context GeneXus gets on board and starts offering some of its courses in distance mode through this online academy.
Syrium's first experience was the project called "Hace Click, Pensá en TI" (Click, Think of IT) undertaken by CUTI, in which they provided GeneXus courses that were very well received across Uruguay.
GeneXus in Central America
In addition to its work with the Uruguayan Chamber of Information Technologies, Syrium also provides GeneXus X courses in the region (Basic GeneXus Course, GeneXus X Course and Update to GeneXus X Course) and, among other activities, it collaborates with Artech on the creation of educational videos to complement courses on GeneXus, GXflow, GXportal and GXserver.
The purpose of Syrium and its learning platform is to maintain an online academic offering that is in line with Artech's products and the needs of the labor market. For this reason, it has recently expanded its reach on a regional level for the Spanish-speaking audience and, more specifically, in June it will be providing services across the Spanish-speaking regions of Latin America with the Update to GeneXus X course.
The possibility to have access to education regardless of where you live is one of the main advantages. “Our focus is placed on Central America, because we want to strengthen and increase the availability of education in those countries” affirms Rosina Ordoqui from Syrium about their near-term objectives, “since there are specific companies that use GeneXus, the number of people involved doesn't justify the need to train local GeneXus instructors, but the current demand –which exists– for training can perfectly be met online.”
Uses and resources for online training
A typical course offered by Syrium combines Internet resources and social networks, while its greatest strength is the emphasis put on the presence of an online tutor, who makes the course much richer than it would be otherwise, for example, when students are "self-taught" or learn through videos or downloading tutorials. The tutor's presence reinforces the entire learning process. In this regard, Ordoqui gives more details: “The online training that we provide includes asynchronous and synchronous activities. It's an instructor-led course, and every week the tutor posts online the topics that will be dealt with and makes the materials available. In turn, this is coordinated with synchronous activities such as chat instances to clear doubts or share experiences, or video conferences. In the asynchronous activity, the student is free to manage his/her time dedicated to reading, tasks, evaluations and so on. It's important for students to feel that there's someone on the other side, someone who is readily available to answer questions.”
Some of the typical features of e-learning include the flexible use of time and the active role played by the student. Companies can also benefit from distance training, as they can purchase it to upgrade the skills of their human resources or to offer training on their products in other countries. “With online training, the company not only avoids the need for its employees to abandon their workstations, but also makes this training more accessible in a shorter time to a larger number of employees,” points out Rosina Ordoqui.
With online training comes the possibility to telecommute: “The primary objective is that the student is trained online, but we also want to provide students with the skills necessary to telecommute, create groups for people who participate from different places,” says Ordoqui.
| MOODLE Platform |
| Moodle platform is the technology used to offer a comprehensive online education structure: chat, forums, document repository. Moodle is a Virtual Learning Environment, a free software platform for course management that enables educators to create online learning communities. This type of technological platforms is also known as LMS (Learning Management System). |