Our Purpose The 15 Minute Series is a collection of Internet training materials provided as a service to the research and education community by the InterNIC and the Library and Information Technology Association (LITA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA). With this collection of training materials, we hope to provide a resource that will assist members of the research and education community with their efforts to incorporate and support the growing role of the Internet in their day-to-day operations and activities. As the amount of information and data stored, disseminated, and retrieved via the Internet grows, so too does the need to educate end-users in the methods and tools employed by the networked medium. The InterNIC and LITA recognize that this demand for education falls squarely on the intermediaries - libraries, computer services departments, faculty, information resource managers, and others - who play a role in providing information services to the end-users within their organizations. While some organizations are able to accommodate the challenges this trend presents with regard to budget, growth, and professional development, many institutions find their resources strapped as they endeavour to keep pace with their expanding responsibilities. Rapid growth and frequent change in network technologies further increase the pressure on intermediaries to stay one step ahead of their constituent audiences. Consequently, many organizations find themselves needing to constantly educate, and re-educate, staff in end-user support roles in order to fulfill their missions. This need to "train the trainer" is the basis for the development of the 15 Minute Series. Our goal is to fill this need by providing those individuals on the front lines of information exchange with a source for current, accurate, "ready-to-use" training materials that will be informative for both the end-user and the Internet trainer. Overview and Methodology of the 15 Minute Series To accomplish our goal, the 15 Minute Series training materials need to be not only educational, but immediately usable. To serve the wide and varied interests of the research and education community, the materials must also be portable and easily adapted to local environments, specific audiences, or particular topics. To meet these requirements, the 15 Minutes Series training materials have been designed as a series of modular, extensible, "15 minute" sessions on Internet-related topics. Structure Each of the 15 Minute Series modules is structured as a mini-slide presentation and is designed to answer a specific Internet-related question. These questions can be very narrow (e.g. What is Rich Text Format?) or very broad (e.g. What is the Internet?) and may address varying levels of expertise. Asking questions such as "What is...?" or "How do I...?", each module attempts to provide a clear and concise answer to the specified question. This approach allows an individual module to stand on its own as a discrete unit of information, thereby serving a purpose either alone, in combination with other modules in the series, or in conjunction with outside training resources. We believe that consistency is the key to providing resources that are modular yet at the same time coherent. Consequently, all of the 15 Minute Series modules will follow a consistent presentation outline and use the same style and formatting. The modules are developed using a template to ensure a consistent "look and feel," which accommodates their use as a cohesive group of materials. Each module consists of between 4 and 8 "slides" which present the topic in question and answer format. The first slide presents the answer to the question in outline form; subsequent slides develop the points in the outline; and the final slide summarizes the module's topic in narrative form. Adapting the modules for local use As one of the principle objectives of the 15 Minute Series is to provide trainers with a resource that is ready to use "as is," factors that vary, such as operating platforms and access methods, are acknowledged but not addressed in detail when describing a particular Internet topic. This approach enables the module to be used in a wide variety of situations yet still convey its message, regardless of a trainer's or user's particular environment. The 15 Minute Series modules, however, are also designed to be extensible. We recognize that the particulars of an end-user's local environment - access methods, operating platforms, specific client software - are often critical to a useful understanding of the topic or tool being presented. Toward this end, we invite trainers to extend any of the 15 Minute Series modules to include slides which address these local issues. To facilitate this process, we are providing templates for both HTML and PowerPoint slides. Trainers are welcome to download the templates and, using these guidelines, create additional slides that include information relevant to their users' local environment. For example, a trainer could add two slides to the "What is Electronic Mail?" module - one which explains how to get an email account at their institution and another that lists the types of email clients available to the user. Formats To accommodate trainers in both a networked and non-networked environment, the training modules are currently offered in two formats: HTML and Microsoft PowerPoint. The Microsoft PowerPoint versions of the modules offer trainers a portable training resource that can be used in a variety of situations independent of network access (i.e. a stand-alone machine). Only the PowerPoint viewer is needed; no Internet connection is necessary. The PowerPoint modules also provide freedom from worries about network performance and connectivity, which so often accompany using the network as a delivery mechanism for training. The PowerPoint versions of the modules may be downloaded and used in PowerPoint, converted to other applications, or (with some web browsers) viewed online. The HTML versions of the modules present trainers with an opportunity to preview the training materials. By selecting the "View HTML" option, trainers can take a look at a module and decide if it meets their needs before downloading the PowerPoint version. The HTML and PowerPoint versions of a module are identical, with the exception of minor formatting points as required by the hypertext environment (for a more complete discussion of the formatting differences, refer to the section "Instruction for Using the 15 Minute Series". In addition to their function as a preview tool, however, the HTML versions of the modules also provide a powerful, web-based training tool which may be incorporated into a trainer's local web environment. For tips and suggestions on how to effectively use the HTML versions, as well as general instructions for downloading the Microsoft PowerPoint versions, please refer to the section "Instructions for using the 15 Minute Series". We believe that these two formats produce training materials that are ready to use in "live" web demos and PowerPoint presentations, yet are easily adapted to other training scenarios - for example, other presentation software, overhead projectors and transparencies, or printed handouts - thereby creating a resource that is flexible enough to serve a wide variety of training needs. The editorial process and updates To ensure that the training modules offer current, accurate information in a clear and understandable manner, each module is initially reviewed before publication by the joint InterNIC/LITA editorial board for technical accuracy, user-friendliness, and compliance with established style guides and templates. Following publication, each module is again reviewed every six months (based on the date the module was added to the collection) for currency and accuracy. This ensures that the training materials available reflect current developments and trends in networking technology, present this information in an accurate manner, and are easy to understand from both the trainer's and end-user's perspective. Perhaps one of the most important features of the 15 Minute Series is its currency. As technology breaks new ground, training materials and trainers need to keep up to date and reflect these changes. With this in mind, training modules are assigned a date as they are added to the collection, which is then used to signal an internal review of the module after six months by the joint InterNIC/LITA editorial review board. After a module has been reviewed, it will be updated if necessary, returned to the collection, and assigned a new date, which will then signal a subsequent review in another six months. We recognize, however, that due to the dynamic and decentralized nature of the Internet and networking technologies, changes may occur more frequently. In view of these possibilities, the InterNIC and LITA invite the community to notify our staff of changes, corrections, or new developments as they arise, either via email at 15min@internic.net or via the feedback form. We welcome feedback and input from the research and education community, as well as from the broader Internet community, in this regard. Searching and indexing In order to access the modules themselves, trainers must first generate an index of modules. The index provides an entry for each module that includes the title, author, date added to the collection, a brief abstract, and the option to either view the module in HTML or download the PowerPoint version. We are providing both browse and search options to help trainers locate, identify, and access modules within the collection. Both browsing and searching rely on dynamic indexing. The index or list of modules is created at the trainer's request, at the time of their request; there is no one, single, static index of 15 Minute Series modules. Trainers may browse either the entire collection or a subset of the collection, or they may request a list of modules that match certain search criteria. In all cases, trainers have the option of specifying how the results are to be displayed. The resulting index can then be used to identify the modules they are interested in, and then either view the HTML versions or download the PowerPoint versions. To facilitate browsing, the modules are grouped into broad categories such as Internet History, The Basics, Internet Organizations, Electronic Mail, The World Wide Web, Technology, Tools, Indexing and Search Services, and The Future. The modules in each of these categories can be browsed either alphabetically by title, alphabetically by author, or by date added to the collection. Whenever appropriate, modules are cross-indexed under all relevant categories; for example, "What Is the World Wide Web?" would appear in both "The Basics" category and the "The World Wide Web" category. The collection of 15 Minute Series modules may also be browsed in its entirety by title, author, or date. For those trainers looking for modules on specific topics, or who are unsure of the appropriate category, the entire collection of 15 Minute Series modules is searchable. Trainers can search using the author's name, module title, or keywords. To search the 15 Minutes Series modules, browse the entire collection of modules, and find helpful hints on how to formulate your search queries, select "Search the 15 Minute Series". Can I Contribute to the 15 Minute Series? Many in the research and education community have extensive experience in supporting Internet end-users within their organizations, and consequently have valuable insights into what works, what is needed, and how to address varying degrees of technical knowledge among end-users. Consequently, we believe that the research and education community has much to contribute to the 15 Minute Series. We expect that, as this community makes use of the 15 Minute Series, they will build upon it and extend its scope in ways worthy of sharing. Toward this end, InterNIC and LITA will be inviting members of the research and education community to submit modules for inclusion in the 15 Minute Series. If you would like to contribute to the collection of training modules, please continue to check the 15 Minute Series homepage. We will be announcing the call for participation and issuing guidelines for contributors soon! A Word on Technical Issues It is our intention to provide a service that is useful to both end- users and the intermediaries who support them within the research and education community. We realize, however, that not every trainer will be equipped with a graphical web browser or Microsoft PowerPoint, and that modules may need to be adapted or converted before they can be used in a training situation. To support use of the 15 Minute Series training materials, we are offering a section that provides general instructions for trainers on downloading and modifying modules. This section also includes a list of the technical prerequisites needed to use the 15 Minutes Series modules, as well as suggestions on the most efficient way for trainers to use the HTML versions of the modules locally. Please remember that these are general guidelines and may not address your individual circumstances as fully as needed. If you do not find the help you need in this section, it may be necessary to consult your local computing support services to determine the best approach for your particular situation. If you are importing the PowerPoint or HTML versions of the modules into another application, such as Harvard Graphics, please consult the appropriate documentation for that software package. If you need to report a technical problem with the content or availability of one of the 15 Minute Series training modules (e.g. file corruption), please send an email message to 15min@internic.net and use "damage/availability report" as the subject line. Feedback and the future The success of the 15 Minute Series will depend completely upon its ability to meet the training needs of its intended audience. To ensure that this goal becomes a reality, we have provided a feedback form to solicit input from the research and education community. We are anxious to hear what works, what doesn’t, and what other topics or features you would like to see addressed by the series. We are also interested in what other types of services the InterNIC could offer the research and education community as they in turn support their local Internet end-users. The InterNIC and LITA have made a commitment to build and maintain this resource for the benefit of the research and education community. Your feedback will play a vital role in ensuring that our efforts meet your needs and that the 15 Minute Series develops into a valuable resource for both end-users and intermediaries in this community. If you would like to see a module on a particular topic, suggest new features, or if you encounter any problems with our materials, we want to hear from you. If your browser does not support the use of forms, you may submit your feedback via email by sending a message to 15min@internic.net. Questions regarding our goals, methodology, contributing to the 15 Minute Series, or technical assistance with using the modules should also be directed to 15min@internic.net. We hope that the 15 Minute Series proves to be equally beneficial for the Internet end-users and those who train them, and we look forward to your input as we continue to develop this resource.