Product Line Comparison

These tables present the most common feature differences among Advantage, Partner, and Video On Demand courses.

Instructional Design
	Advantage Courses	Partner Courses	Video On Demand (VOD) Courses
Learner Navigation (Learner-controlled pace and direction)	Featured in all Advantage courses Standardized modular course structure and learner control features implemented by Mastery course shell and course player.	Implementation varies Course structure and learner control features vary by producer and possibly by course title. You must assess this characteristic for this course to determine if it meets your needs.	Basic Controls Basic video controls (pause, play, fast-forward, rewind) are included on all VOD courses.
Accountability for Objectives (Integrated Objective-referenced learning assessments)	Featured in all Advantage courses Standardized documentation of terminal and enabling objectives are integrated into the structure of each Advantage course. All learning assessments in quizzes are mapped to specific learning objectives to provide learning accountability for all objectives.	Availability and implementation varies Existence of documented learning objectives and their direct association to learning assessments varies by producer and possibly by course title. You must assess this characteristic for this course to determine if it meets your needs. Learning objectives are often documented to at least the terminal objective level in Partner courses. However to date, none have been mapped directly to learning assessments.	Implementation varies Higher level terminal learning objectives, when available, are documented on product pages.
Remediation (Specific and immediate remedial instruction)	Featured in all Advantage courses In addition to commonly offered learner feedback, remedial instruction is provided when a learner answers a quiz question incorrectly. Remediations are immediate and specific to each question.	Availability and implementation varies Most Partner courses offer learner feedback for questions. However specific and immediate remedial instruction is rarely found in Partner courses. You must assess each course for this feature to determine if it meets your needs.	Not Available for VOD Courses However, feedback is provided for each quiz question.
Follow-up Review (Delayed reinforcement of newly acquired knowledge)	Featured in all Advantage courses Standardized follow-up reviews are offered on all Advantage courses.	Not available in Partner courses	Not Available for VOD Courses
Topical index	Featured in most Advantage courses A standardized topical index feature is included in most Advantage courses. All Advantage courses feature modularized lesson designs. Consult the course’s product page for details.	Availability and implementation varies Most Partner courses have some implementation of a topical index. You must assess each course for this feature to determine if it meets your needs. Consult the course’s product page for details.	Featured in all VOD Courses
Narrated glossary	Featured in most Advantage courses Glossaries are almost always featured in Advantage courses and most glossaries are narrated. Consult the course’s product page for details.	Availability and implementation varies Most Partner courses have some implementation of a glossary of terms. They are usually not narrated. You must assess each course for this feature to determine if it meets your needs. Consult the course’s product page for details.	Not Available for VOD Courses

Video Performance
	Advantage Courses	Partner Courses	Video On Demand (VOD) Courses
Smooth, uninterrupted, quick-starting video	Highest performance quality available All Advantage courses use Mastery’s lesson caching technology to seamlessly download all course content in the background as the learner starts the course. Course startup is usually 10 or 15 seconds with good connections. After startup learners are not distracted by delays or disruptions to video playback normally experienced with file streaming technology.	Performance can vary widely Most of our Partner courses feature video or rich media Flash presentations. Playback of large multimedia files is accomplished with file streaming technology and can be delayed or disrupted due to line and traffic conditions over a user’ internet connection. Lesson caching, the best solution for these problems, is not available for Partner courses. If you are deploying this training to users with shared workplace (network) connections, you should test each course under various line conditions to be certain the course will perform adequately in your workplace.	Performance can vary All VOD courses provide large images that are sharp when viewed in a normal video window. Full screen display sizes are provided that deliver very good audio and video quality, even when projected or displayed on HDTV screens. Playback is accomplished with file streaming technology and can be delayed or disrupted due to line and traffic conditions over a user’s internet connection. Lesson caching, the best solution for these problems, is not available for VOD courses. If you are deploying this training to users with shared workplace (network) connections, you should test each course under various line conditions to be certain the course will perform adequately in your workplace.
Browser plugin/player requirements	Requires Mastery Course Player plugin for Internet Explorer The Mastery Course Player is installed automatically when a learner takes their first Advantage course. The player can be supplied from Mastery’s servers or with special arrangements, from the customer’s secured server. The player can also be installed manually or can be "pushed" to desktops by the employer’s IT department.	Most require Flash Player plugin or Windows Media Player Most Partner courses require the Adobe Flash Player plugin. Others may use the Windows Media Player. Consult the course’ product page for details.	No special requirements