AgLearn Goes Live, Providing More Efficient Options for USDA Training
On March 29th, 2004, Secretary Ann Veneman announced the launch of
AgLearn, USDA’s enterprise-wide Learning Management System (LMS).
Secretary Veneman stated, “USDA is committed to unleashing the
fuller potential of information technology for our employees and
customers. The launch of AgLearn is another important deliverable in
President Bush’s initiative to expand electronic government to
simplify and unify government-wide operations and leverage
investments to eliminate unnecessary duplication.”
The
initial AgLearn rollout involves 7,000 registered users from 12 USDA
agencies. Users have access to free online courses available on a
government-wide basis through the President’s GoLearn Initiative as
well as any of the extensive libraries of courseware available for
purchase through GoLearn.
USDA Chief Information Officer
(CIO) Scott Charbo said, “AgLearn provides a common infrastructure
for deploying and tracking USDA-specific courseware for use by
employees, partners, and customers.” Charbo also noted that, “USDA’s
Office of Homeland Security has already made plans to deploy two
courses on this common infrastructure, and USDA’s annual civil
rights training will be available on AgLearn.”
AgLearn
currently allows student users to:
• Search and access free GoLearn online courses;
• Search
and access additional agency purchased GoLearn online courses;
•
Register and enroll in USDA instructor-led training;;
• Search and access USDA online courses or reference material such
as Civil Rights annual training; and
• View and run reports
summarizing your own learning activities.
USDA training staff has access to the following features:
• Create other Administrator Users within the Agency Domain;
•
Ensure user data such as passwords and personnel data are current;;
• Assign training to users through their Development Plans;
•
Require training be completed by a certain time;
• Create courses
and certification requirements;
• Add agency custom courseware;
• Create online surveys/exams using AgLearn tools; and
• View and
run reports summarizing students’ learning needs and activities.
Future phases of AgLearn will allow users to create and manage
additional functions for competencies, skill assessments, and
certification programs. AgLearn currently only includes USDA
employees, but later phases will allow other Federal employees as
well as State and Local employees such as Wild Land Fire Fighters to
use AgLearn. Contractors and business partners, such as
nutritionists, farmers and Rural Housing Loan Officers, will be
given access in future releases also.
For additional
information on AgLearn contact Cynthia Bezz, USDA eLearning Project
Manager at (202) 694-0004 or cynthia.bezz@usda.gov. More information
about AgLearn can be found at http://aglearn.usda.gov
For more information on USDA’s involvement, please contact the
eGovernment team. 
