2. Teach transparently. Even companies that understand the potential of online education fall prey to the "cathedral of knowledge" syndrome. Corporate universities should be delivery mechanisms, not destinations. If you have information to share, get out of the way. Deliver what people need to their desktop and in the context of their work.

3. Teach skills, not concepts. People don't want to learn abstract ideas. They want skills that they can use now. Instead of teaching "quality customer service," break it into a series of skills: "how to make anyone feel welcome," "how to respond to complaints."

4. Test implementation, not assimilation. The ultimate goal of corporate learning isn't to get people to know something -- it's to get them to use that knowledge. Most training programs measure retention. Instead, you should set up metrics that kick in after the period of instruction: Ask people to show how they've put their new knowledge to work.

Coordinates: Jason Roberts, jroberts@panmedia.com; Panmedia Corp., www.panmedia.com; Learn2.com, www.learn2.com

Sidebar: How to Learn by Design

Marc Mishkind has spent much of his professional life teaching people how to become better teachers. After earning a master's degree in psychology from Yale in 1984, Mishkind started working with Kaplan Educational Centers, where he became national director of training. In 1994, he took a job at the Learning Company -- now part of Mattel Inc. -- where he designed and produced such award-winning CD-ROM titles as Score Builder (for the SAT and ACT), Grade Builder, and Math Rabbit Classic.

Mishkind, 37, is now vice president of product development for Yipinet LLC ("Your Interactive Personal Instructor on the Net"), a Los Angeles-based company that focuses on creating high-quality instructional design. Its first product involved a series of online courses offered in conjunction with the California CPA Education Foundation. As the company expands, Yipinet's Web-based Knowledge Hub will offer training in other professions -- and also in business skills such as project management and sales.

What makes Yipinet's courses different? For one thing, course development starts by pairing experts with instructional designers to create interactive curricula. "Online learners are facing the same problems that people faced when desktop publishing took off," says Mishkind. "Anyone can put up content on the Web -- but that's not teaching."

Mishkind also brings to Yipinet a heightened focus on ease of use. The Web site tracks each student's progress and keeps tabs on his or her education credits -- even if those credits were earned using another online tool or in an actual classroom. "People need products that are friendly, responsive, and intuitive," Mishkind says.

The company's learning tools are also highly entertaining. Yipinet's senior software architect used to work as technical director for Berkeley Systems's JackNetShow, and he has created a design for Yipinet that is sleek and stylish. "The more senses that you involve, the more people are going to learn," Mishkind says.

Coordinates: Marc Mishkind, marcm@yipinet.com; Yipinet LLC, www.yipinet.com