Many of the best CBT tutorials come packaged for free with pricey applications. They reward memorization rather than proficiency. Members can participate in an unlimited number of courses, and courses are rarely full because they can accommodate large numbers of enrollees. Smart Planet has a lot of courses about Microsoft applications and Lotus Notes, but also a staggering variety of courses about programming and networking. Each class lasts for approximately four weeks, and each week contains clearly defined objectives and homework tasks.
Students participate in a large bulletin board, and instructors are conscientious about responding.
Since students are working on similar tasks, they can answer each other's questions and offer feedback. Smart Planet classes, like other online classes, contain a wide variety of students from different backgrounds. One XML course included students from India, England, Israel and many parts of America. Subscribers have the ability to access the archives of classes already taken, and that allows them extra time to work on assignments. I enrolled in more courses than I could possibly finish at one time, and then returned to them later when I had more time.