What aren AVIs?
It is also important to understand what AVIs are not. They are not the same as Computer Based Training (CBT), although they can be incorporated into CBT courses, and can be combined with hardcopy users’ guides to further enhance learning. They do not, however, offer the interactive capabilities of true CBT. While they are excellent for providing demonstrations, and users can replay them as many times as necessary and, in some cases, control the speed of the replay, there is no interactivity. Watching an AVI clip on the computer is much the same as watching a tape on the VCR. You can replay it in fast or slow mode, or rerun it, but you can’t change the content or direct its movement to suit your need. In this respect, AVIs are more limited than CBT, sort of a “poor man’s” version of CBT. They offer enormous utility, but require a bit of planning and a thorough understanding of their capabilities and limitations. Like most other skills, creating AVIs requires practice, practice, practice
