Support : eNewsletters : Training Updates : Issue 6, November 2010

From the Editor

Register for classes to develop your Dialog searching expertise from the Basics to Essential Tools to Advanced tips and techniques in biomed/pharma, engineering, intellectual property and business. Read further to learn about a new series of patent classes "Developing Patent Research Expertise," a unique online opportunity to take advantage of hands-on learning and group problem-solving.

Also in this issue learn more about the new ProQuest Dialog features. Read the article describing the importance of interactivity and collaboration to enhance learning. Check the search tips, review featured courses and register for training sessions in a subject of your choice.

Learn more about ProQuest Dialog

ProQuest Dialog™, Dialog's innovative new search service, was launched on September 1 to rave reviews. "Easy to use," "intuitive interface," "great new features" are just some of the comments. One key feature is translation letting you change the language of the entire site or a specific document.

Currently, you can change the language of the interface from English to Spanish, Chinese (Simplified, Traditional), French, German, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Thai, Turkish and soon Arabic.

Note: You can only export a document in its original publishing language. However, you can save document translations as a file or print.

Register for the "Introduction to ProQuest Dialog" on November 10 to learn more about Dialog's new service and its many features.

New! Save the dates: A new patent course series!

Developing Patent Research Expertise on Dialog

Need to search patent or application numbers, perform worldwide searches on inventors, patent assignees or legal representatives or interpret patent family groupings? Don't miss this opportunity to participate in an in-depth four-part Webinar series designed for new or experienced patent searchers who want to develop their patent research expertise on Dialog! 

Based on our popular Developing Patent Research Expertise seminar workbooks, Parts 1 and 2, weekly instructor-led sessions will incorporate hands-on practice, collaboration, interactivity and other exercises focusing on Patent Research Basics and Patent Families and Legal Status.  

Register now for the patent series: Wednesdays, November 17 and December 1, 8, 15 — 2:00-3:00 p.m. New York • 11:00-12:00 a.m. Los Angeles. Review the course series description for more details.

Scheduled Training Courses

Mark your calendar

A host of training events are coming up in the next months.

Instructor-led Web-based courses

Free file for November

Each month Dialog offers the opportunity to try out new or unfamiliar sources by offering $100 of free searching (either DialUnits or connect time). Output and Alerts charges are not included. Learn more about the November featured file: Ei Compendex^® (File 8) in the November Chronolog and review the pre-recorded overview of the database. Register for the Compendex Webinar November 9 or 15.

Featured courses for November and December

The following courses will provide techniques and show you how to search specific subject areas, learn about ProQuest Dialog™ and much more. Register now for these new courses:

• 2010 Dialog Fall Forum Webinar: Overview of ProQuest Dialog (November 10) — Learn about ProQuest Dialog, our next generation service.
• China Information in the Dialog Databases: Patents, Trademarks, Business Information and News (November 10) — Survey the vast amount of Chinese patent and trademark information available on Dialog, focusing on the most common types of searches and sources of related intellectual property and business information.   
• Experts' Series — Classy Patent Searching: Patent Searching Using Classes in Derwent World Patents Index^® (File 351) (November 11) – Join us as guest expert Donald Walter, Ph.D., Product Specialist, Thomson Reuters, provides an overview of advanced techniques for searching by the numerous classification systems available in DWPI^SM. 
• Making Meaningful Competitive Intelligence Reports (November 11) — Learn how to use the power of Dialog to create reports providing essential business intelligence at the right place, at the right time and in the right form.

Other live Web-based training

Register for basic courses, subject-specific patent, scientific or business courses, or Quick Refreshers highlighting specific techniques such as setting up an Alert or finding authors for a specific subject. Register now for these new courses:

• Finding Corporate Family Information in the Business Files on Dialog (November 18) — Learn about business content and techniques for finding the corporate parent and subsidiaries of a company of interest.

• Advanced Tools for Biomedical Research on Dialog (November 30) — Review advanced applications and techniques for use with the biomedical databases available on Dialog.
• Advanced Tools for Trademark Research on Dialog (December 16) — Develop applications and techniques to retrieve important competitive intelligence applications and learn additional techniques for use with the TRADEMARKSCAN^® files on Dialog.

These are only some of the courses we are offering. Read detailed descriptions of all course content and register now.

Training in French and German

Check the training site in French for courses highlighting automotive and aeronautical information on Dialog, as well as biomedical and food topics on DataStar. For German identify15-minute courses to improve or refresh your skills. Email to register.

Click the My Learning tab on the Support Home page for a list of all types of classes available and links to the training schedules worldwide.

Training to enhance learning

Is learning increased via face-to-face training or online Webinars? Is any one training method best? These questions and others cannot be answered with a simple choice. Some of the latest research suggests that online training can be as effective, if not more so, than face-to-face sessions IF the right methodology is employed.

Think about the Webinars you have attended. Does the speaker present talking points only? Do you view long lists of bullet points? Do you engage in the training by asking questions or participating interactively? If not, why?

The one-way nature of most Webinars often misses an opportunity to engage the audience and draw on the wisdom of the group, as well as the knowledge of the trainer. However, often this cannot be done in a one-shot inoculation session. The new multi-session patent series "Developing Patent Research Expertise" is designed to create more effective collaborative learning events—brainstorming, problem-solving and team exercises. The opportunity presented by this approach to Webinars is to incorporate the many learning methods used in face-to-face workshops and adapt them for a virtual environment.

The patent series will include both synchronous (the real online time) and asynchronous (pre- and post-) portions to enhance learning. Interactivity, social networking and collaboration are main goals of this patent series so that synchronous and asynchronous activities support each other and maximize learning outcomes.

Some planned activities include:

• Materials and information participants can read and review on their own, prior to and after online sessions
• Problem-solving search exercises
• Online brainstorming and prioritizing of ideas for later discussion
• Team-building discussions
• Polling
• Shared knowledge and experiential learning that benefits from interaction among participants
• Partnering activities in small groups
• Social networking

The series of Webinars offers more opportunities for connection and depth than only one event, so here's what to expect:

• Content. Learn more about content from Dialog experts
• Participation. Think about the material ahead of time and how it applies to your work
• Collaboration. Get to know one another and share and explore ideas together
• Interactivity. Work together with the trainer to solve problems.

Throughout these sessions from virtual introductions and pre-work to the real-time sessions where you will connect, share experiences and learn from one another and from the subject-matter expert, to the post-session exercises and problem-solving, you will be exploring ideas and learning together in a trustworthy environment.

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