Many sites offer free educational webinars, podcasts, and other e-learning opportunities to help users stay up to date on current issues and topics. These events may be generally informative and may also meet the requirements for IRM Continuing Professional Education (CPE).

Does an E-Learning Activity Qualify for IRM Continuing Education Credit?

An event would qualify for IRM CPE credit if it meets criteria specified in the requirements, including:

1. The briefing is at least 50 minutes; and
2. It is interactive; for example, it includes some type of participant interaction such as online quizzes, an opportunity to ask questions via phone or email, real-time text chat, or two-way audio (archived events generally do not count); and
3. The topic is generically educational (not a marketing activity or a product features overview).

Many activities, such as reading or non-interactive online sessions, are still valuable and worthwhile even if they don't count for credit. However, for the purposes of qualified IRM continuing education, it is each IRM's responsibility to decide if an event meets the requirements.

Peer Referrals for Microsoft Training

Because Texas government has such a large install base of Microsoft products (and thus an ongoing need for related training), the SACC Training and Development Subcommittee has encouraged government training staff to share links to some of their favorite free sources. View list.

Industry Sites Offering Free E-Learning Opportunities of Interest to IR Staff

This list is for reference only and does not represent an all-inclusive source. Only general sites offering technology-related topics are listed, not specific classes or events.

• American Management Association presents webcasts on the latest management trends and issues such as business and communication skills, leadership, and strategic planning.
• CIO.com offers a variety of free webinars, podcasts, and virtual conferences on cutting-edge IT issues. Also has articles, white papers, and reports.
• Cisco offers a variety of virtual events on the latest products, technologies, and network solutions.
• Deloitte Dbriefs has free, one-hour webcasts on various topics of interest to executives and managers, including topics for public sector and for technology/media/telecommunications.
• EASI (Equal Access to Software and Information) provides podcasts, courses, and webinars on topics relating to accessibility of electronic and information resources.
• Educause, a non-profit whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology, presents a series of free, hour-long interactive webinars on technology topics in higher education.
• FEMA Emergency Management Institute (EMI) - offers free self-paced courses designed for people who have emergency management responsibilities and the general public.
• Gartner offers free, one-hour webinars presented by Gartner analysts on technology topics. Registration required.
• Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities Microsoft Office Accessibility Tutorials - Provides a series of 23 online tutorials about creating accessible Microsoft Office 2010 documents. Also, download a Word Accessibility Ribbon and Quick Reference Guide for easy access to a tool set designed to make it easier to create accessible documents. 
• Government Technology offers webinars on emerging government trends and best practices in technology.
• HowTo.gov –  a website to help government workers deliver a better customer experience to citizens. Includes DigitalGov University, the federal government's training program for digital media and citizen engagement. Site includes fee-based training (often held in DC) but also some online courses and free webinars.
• HP Learning Center has a selection of free, instructor-led online business courses, including topics such as web development and basic HTML.
• InfoTech Spotlight is an online publisher of IT news, reviews, and analysis. See tabs on the home page for webinars, videos, and white papers. 
• Microsoft offers webcasts and events for IT professionals, including topics geared to those working in state and local government.
• Software Best Practices from CAI and the IT Metrics & Productivity Institute is a series of webinars about improving the practice and management of software development and maintenance.

To suggest additional online training opportunities or to report a link that doesn't work, please email the IRM Coordinator.