The American Bankers Association is giving high marks to the satellite technology it began to use last year to broadcast live, interactive classes for bankers around the country.
The association's second and most recent class, Understanding and Selling Banking Products, was taken by more than 100 bankers in multiple sites last November and December.
The four-week teleclass, oVered through the ABA's American Institute of Banking, enabled banker students to view the instructor live on a television screen at their bank or local community college via American Financial Skylink, the satellite communications network to which some 700 banks already subscribe. The broadcast site and satellite uplink were supplied by Electronic Data Systems Corp., Plano, Tex.
Students at two sites were also given keypads equipped with built-in microphones, allowing them to talk directly to the instructor.
The individual could signal the instructor at any time for a question or to respond to a question from the instructor, said Peter Carlivati, American Institute of Banking's director. The instructor, then, on his monitor would see that the question was coming in from, say, Reston, Va., and be able to react almost instantaneously.
The keypad technology also enabled the teacher to get a rapid response to multiple choice or yes/no questions.
What would appear then on the screen would be the distribution of responses, said Mr. Carlivati. The instructor could comment on that and use it as a basis for further clariWcation.
Banker/students at the remaining locations could pose questions by phone or fax.
But what advantage does the teleclass have over a traditional course? Gary Fields, director of the ABA's state association division, said it can be more cost eVective. The time out of the bank, the registration costs, the travel time, and everything else is a cost that is getting pretty doggone expensive, he said. You don't necessarily need brick and mortar to deliver education, just like you don't need brick and mortar to deliver Wnancial services.
Minda Willinger, an instructional designer, added, One beneWt for our audience is that we are able to bring them nationally recognized subjects whom they might not (otherwise) be able to afford.
