The next questions are:
- “How do I do it?”
- “How do I become MODL authorized?”
- “How do I deliver MODL courses?”
Any Learning Solutions partner who wants to offer MODL courses must submit a Distance Learning business plan to dlcourse@microsoft.com for review. Upon approval of the business plan, approved Distance Learning Solutions partners will be released to order the new course materials using the same current distribution channels that are used for Microsoft Official Courseware (i.e. MOC courseware).
It is a very straightforward business application. Microsoft just wants to be sure that you have thought through the business model. Then once you become approved, the next key steps are Steps 2, 3, and 4 which we are going to go into a little more depth on the next page.
Step 2 is really all about Sales and Marketing – Get the Students. You can leverage the MODL Sales Tools that are made available to you at the following secure CPLS website:
On CPLS partner website, you will find MODL presentations, sales demonstrations, a functional specification for your portal, web banners, and flash demos. In addition to sales tools, there is also a MODL playbook with some great ROI information and details about MODL delivery options.
Step 3 focuses on the operational elements of delivering MODL. Primarily, you must build a “Virtual Classroom” and Class Portal. The Virtual Classroom is Live Meeting – so you will need Live Meeting licenses and Voice Conferencing – you can use the FREE Voice over IP functionality built into LiveMeeting 2007. In addition, you will need a Class Portal. Fortunately, we have created one for you as a “Class-in-a-Box” – available on the CPLS web site. You can also use SharePoint if you would like – it is completely up to the CPLS partner.
Step 4 is all about MCT Authorization. An MCT must be authorized to teach a MODL course because it is such a different teaching paradigm. Authorization is a fairly simple process – check it out in the “MCT: Get Started” section of the MCT microsite.
Once you accomplish steps 1 through 4, you are pretty much ready to go. The final 3 steps are primarily concerned with MODL delivery: order student kits, download MCT materials, and teach!
Following is a brief summary of the 7 Steps to getting started with MODL. Check out “How Do I Get Started?” for more details.
- Step 1. Apply to Participate using MODL Business Application
- Download Application from https://partner.microsoft.com/distancelearn
- Send to dlcourse@microsoft.com
- Step 2. Leverage the Sales Tools on the secure CPLS site
- Step 3. Create a Class Portal (using “Class-in-a-Box”)
- Step 4. “GEAR” up your MCTs in a MODL Bootcamp
- Schedule an MCT Authorization Bootcamp
- Browse to http://mct.llift.com to schedule
- Step 5. Order Student Kits (Workbooks with “L” code)
- Step 6. Download Instructor materials from the MCT Download Center
- Step 7. Enjoy an innovative learning experience!
