In some agencies, two-way audiovisual systems ensure students and instructors can communication with each other and see each other on large television monitors in real time. As technology becomes increasingly accessible and affordable, more agencies are employing it to inform and train workers across broad geographical areas without having to foot big travel bills. Much of the savings has resulted from reduced travel expenses. The interactive television system can deliver programming to 22 Energy Department locations and more than 100 sites at other federal agencies and military installations. Each student has a small computer equipped with a keypad and a voice-activated response unit.
Trainers can conduct tests, transfer data and conduct polls and surveys through the system.
To date, the academy has used distance learning multimedia technologies to develop and deliver more than 50 courses to 6,800 students. The Department of Housing and Urban Development has found similar savings. In December, HUD opened a distance-learning center in Washington to transmit professional development programs to the agency's field staff and contractors. The center allows the agency to disseminate information faster, more cost-effectively and with greater consistency. Two years prior to opening the center, HUD had used the U.S. Postal Academy's broadcast studio in Potomac, Md., and other commercial studios to conduct training via satellite.