Knowledge transfer processes in a modern WBT system

The paper offers a general view of Web-based Training (WBT) as a number of knowledge transfer processes utilizing current and advanced Internet technology to facilitate and speed the flow of knowledge from people possessing that knowledge to people who need to acquire it. The key here is in the use of both conventional and innovative tools compatible with current Internet standards to transfer the knowledge. Thus, the paper introduces an innovative application of Internet technology to acquire, store, structure and transfer different types of human knowledge in a working environment. It starts with a number of typical training scenarios and shows that traditional WBT systems support only most rudimentary ones. It demonstrates a number of concepts and tools necessary in the real training situations. Those tools are bringing together a number of disparate areas, encompassing more than what was traditionally considered simply 'WBT'. The following knowledge transfer processes are discussed: WBT, Web-based tutoring, Web-based mentoring as well as Web-based knowledge mining, Web-based knowledge profiling and Web-based knowledge delivery. These processes were implemented as a number of typical knowledge transfer scenarios (http://coronet.iicm.edu). The scenarios were practically tested and evaluated with hundreds of users in a real industrial environment. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.