"Human-resources people at most companies would be scared to death to do what we do on Employee Appraiser," Coné says. "They're afraid that if they let managers write appraisals without going through hours of classroom time about theories and models -- not to mention the difference between good and evil -- that they'll be turning managers loose to do horrible things. We don't believe that. We're a company of smart people. Most companies are made up of smart people. If managers need help, they'll ask for it."

This year, Dell University won both the George Land World Class Innovator Award and the National Alliance of Business's Corporate University of the Year Award. So is Coné satisfied with what he's created? Hardly. He's already at work on other projects, trying to create the next learning model.

Coné's work is getting lots of attention -- and attracting heaps of praise. "The old model of learning was entirely front-end-loaded," Coné says. "You go to school, learn everything you need to know, and get on with the rest of your life. Now we're into continuous learning: You learn what you need to know as you go. I think the premise behind continuous learning has already expired. There's going to be a radical shift from the importance of knowing something to the importance of knowing how to find out.

"Creating the new curriculum means showing people how to access information if and when it's needed," he continues. "It means creating tools designed to teach you something you need to know, as well as tools that say, 'Don't bother to learn this.' More and more of what we know today is disposable. So don't fill up your short-term or long-term memory with stuff that doesn't matter. Just know how to get it when you need it."

What's Fast

John Coné is rewriting the curriculum of business education at Dell University. His goal is what he calls "just-in-time, just-enough" training. Here are three attributes of this teaching style.

1. Learning should be synchronous with work. Coné wants "the right people, with the right training, at the right time."

2. Less is more. Coné is developing "microbyte" tools -- tools that enable people to "learn just enough to complete the task."

3. The best learning happens fast. The goal of Dell's "Know the Net" course is to have employees "online, at their desks, in 20 minutes or less."

Cheryl Dahle (cdahle@fastcompany.com) is Fast Company's Web editor. Contact John Coné by email (john_Coné@dell.com) or visit Dell University on the Web (www.dell.com).