State of Texas
Department of Information Resources
Leadership for Texas Government Technology

IR Education - Free Online or E-Learning Sources

Many technology companies now offer free educational webcasts, tele-briefings, and other e-learning opportunities to help users keep abreast of current issues and topics. These events may be generally informative and may also count 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 Guidelines, including that:

1. The briefing is at least 50 minutes long. AND
2. It is interactive (e.g., includes online quizzes, an opportunity to pose questions via phone or email, realtime text chat, two-way audio, etc.). 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 Guidelines.

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

Please note that this list is for reference only and is not represented as an all-inclusive source. Only general sites offering technology-related topics are listed, not specific classes or events. While DIR staff will endeavor to keep the site current, these links sometimes change. Please email IRM Education to suggest an addition to the list or to notify if a link is not working properly.

• 3Com Learning Center – Free web-based courses (beginner level) on networking and telecommunications topics.
• American Management Association (AMA) – Complimentary webcasts on the latest management trends and issues.
• BetterManagement.com – Provides a variety of one-hour free web seminars on IT management topics.
• Cisco Seminar Series – Cisco offers a variety of technical classes, briefings, and events. For free online events, choose "seminars" and then seminar type of "Upcoming Live Webcasts" or "online events" from this training main page.
• Deloitte Dbriefs – Webcasts (one-hour) on various topics of interest to executives and managers, including topics for Public Sector and for Technology/Media/Telecommunications. (Select "Events" from the main menu.)
• Economics Interactive Tutorials (University of South Carolina) – interactive tutorials on topics such "Total Cost, Variable Cost, and Marginal Cost ", "Internal Rate of Return", and "Risk".
• EDUCAUSE Live! – free, monthly, hour-long interactive Web seminars on critical information technology topics in higher education.
• HP Learning Center – Moderate selection of free instructor-led, online business courses including topics on web development and an introduction to HTML.
• IBM Enterprise Content Management (ECM) – IBM FileNet, IBM CM8, CommonStore, Content Manager OnDemand etc. Click "Self-Register with an Access Code". Access Code is IBMECM.
• IBM PC Institute – Free web-based courses in three major categories: Sales, Technical and Service. Except for the beginner level "PC Basics" course, most topics are very IBM product specific.
• International Engineering Consortium – Dozens of short tutorials on engineering, networking, telecommunications topics.
• IT World.com – ITworld.com is an online publisher of news, educational content and broadband interactive media for the IT community. It offers daily IT news, topic specific newsletters, white papers, and an assortment of webcast programs.
• Leadership Forum – Microsoft Office Live Meeting offers complimentary online seminars with thought leaders on topics ranging from leadership to communication.
• Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) Online Seminars – MSDN is resource for developers using Microsoft tools, products, and technologies. The online seminars feature training presentations, interactive tutorials, and on-going opportunities to learn more from the experts about developing with Microsoft technologies.
• Microsoft "Talk Tuesday" – Webcast Series for State and Local Government (mostly product specific topics)
• Software Best Practices Webinars Series – Hosted by CAI and the IT Metrics & Productively Institute as a not-for-profit educational program.
• Sybase e-Business Webcast Series – Series of webcasts designed to help determine, evaluate, and react to e-Business needs.