Zoo Atlanta Inspired: DIY Courses
 A new addition to San Diego Zoo Global Academy is the opportunity for “Do It Yourself” (DIY) courses. This innovation came from Zoo Atlanta’s desire to have in-house training content converted to an online course, which then could be available in their institution’s custom, privately branded Academy site. Marci Creath from Zoo Atlanta got together with the SDZGA/Cypherworx team and came up with a unique solution.
Marci tells it best: “We have an annual training session at Zoo Atlanta in which all our managers are required to participate, and this training allows us to reduce our liability insurance rates. Historically, Human Resources presented a one-hour session using PowerPoint, and I would then hold several sessions in an attempt to meet everyone’s schedules. Each year, challenges arose when someone was sick, traveling, or simply had schedule conflicts. I contacted the Academy team to see if we could come up with a solution. They asked if I could record the audio of the presentation that accompanied our existing PowerPoint. Once this was completed, I forwarded it to CypherWorx along with quiz questions and answers. The result is that now we administer the course online, and organizing the session is off my plate, since each manager takes the course when his or her schedule allows. Course completion is tracked in the reporting module of the Academy. Creating an electronic format has allowed us to meet our needs, document the required participation, and save a significant amount of time.”
This process is now being made available to any institution with a privately branded site. The Academy team will translate your PowerPoint and audio into a SCORM compliant course, and you can use this very affordable service to customize your training as needed. One institution that heard about the DIY solution is already developing eight new courses for use on their site to train their employees on content unique to their institution. Now you can develop courses on important topics specific to you, and the course content is from your own subject matter experts. Thank you Marci for this great contribution to the Academy’s collaborative learning environment!
For more on the DIY options, please contact Jon Prange at jprange@sandiegozoo.org
Hot Topic: AZA Mid-Year
The AZA Mid-Year Conference is fast approaching, taking place later this month in Memphis. The Academy will have an exhibitor’s table at the conference, so please come by to talk about online training opportunities within the zoo and aquarium community. We look forward to seeing you!
To schedule time to talk during the conference, please contact Gary Priest at gpriest@sandiegozoo.org or Jon Prange at jprange@sandiegozoo.org
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