PRIMOROSSO (WebTutor)

In most cases, implementing the system of distance learning, create one educational portal which is used by all trainees. However, sometimes happens it is necessary to organize several educational portals. For example, it is relevant for the large retailers owning several retail chain stores. As in each network the training materials and training programs, creations of the educational portal (website) for each network would be the most convenient. Each of such websites would may contain as information, unique for each network, and the general for all company these, for example, universal rates and tests, corporate base of vacancies, obshchekorportativny news, etc.

The majority of the systems of the systems of distance learning (SDL) which are present at the market do not allow to solve this problem and suggest all users to use the uniform educational portal and to organize full multisite works it is necessary to develop several copies of SDO (and later to consolidate data of several systems). Such option requires considerable investments, labor costs and is difficult in operation.

In the WebTutor system the mnogoportalnost function is implemented. It means that based on one server it is possible to start any number of educational portals. At the same time each website can have own design, a set of rates and tests, a forum, access rights of employees, etc. Such solution is convenient that all educational portals work on the SDO server, uniform within the organization. It allows to save significantly money as does not require acquisition of several licenses. And it is much simpler to service such system. All objects of a system (rates, tests, vacancies, knowledge, assessment procedures, etc.) are stored in uniform base, so can be used as on some one, and at once on several websites.

In our practice there were WebTutor implementations providing creation several educational Portals on one SDO server. The project for PRIMOROSSO company, the large shoe retailer developing three retail networks became one of them: PRIMOROSSO, BATA and Spartak. In the company there is own corporate training center for training of employees and increase in their qualification.

We set the questions connected with use of "mnogoportalnost" of WebTutor to Alexander Ivanov, the leading specialist by assessment and development of PRIMOROSSO company.

1. Why you decided to organize the different websites for the staff of shops of different networks? The problem of access to different information of employees could be solved somehow differently, for example, by creation of "section" on the general website for each network.

First, each network has the unique design. Respectively, for each of them the material feed in the style was necessary. Secondly, at different networks some business processes, such as standards of service, merchandising and some other significantly differ. For this reason the decision to make 3 websites was made, in each of which all features of "the" network most fully were reflected. The option with one website with neutral design on which documents of different networks would be posted in three sections was considered too. But preference was given to the first option. The main objective consisted in ensuring access of staff of each network to information necessary to them, but at the same time that there was no surplus of this information. Names of sections on all websites identical, but their contents differ.

2. Whether other options of the organization of three websites, for example, with three separate virtual servers or still somehow were considered?

No, all of them are rather difficult both from technical, and from the organizational point of view.

3. How the problem of access to SDO of staff of different shops is solved? All websites are available via the Internet or the addresses to them go on internal networks? If SDO is available only from within whether then several websites helped to solve a problem of access to it from different subnets?

As retail chain stores have very wide geographically-distributed structure, access is organized via the Internet. The staff of each network has access only to "the" website. The staff of office has access to all websites.

4. Whether there were in the problem project progress, organizations of several websites connected with need?

No, the difficulties connected with a mnogosaytovost in implementation process of the project did not arise.

5. What do the websites of different networks differ in? Design, the used services, still something?

The websites of different networks differ in color contents and filling of sections. At the same time there are sections identical to all websites (News, Votes, Forums, the Help, etc.).

6. On the different websites different rates or tests are used? Or the training content is identical to them?

The templates of the presentations and rates are developed for each network. The training content is developed under each network in these templates. 7. Different people are engaged in support of the different websites or there is a certain command which is engaged in support and filling of all websites at once?

One person is engaged in support of all portal (i.e. all three websites).

8. Are happy or not the people who are engaged in support of the websites, convenience and functionality of WebTutor?

In general are happy.

9. Whether arose during operation of a problem, work-related on one server of several websites?

There were two problems which we will try to solve together with Websoft: There is no opportunity to define what network the employee treats, and depending on it to change the direct reference in automatically sent notifications which would conduct on the website of this employee. There is no opportunity to automatically readdress the employee on his website if he visited not at the link.