• The first page you will see for any course is the Overview , which provides a brief introduction to the basic content of the course, together with an indication of how much continuing education credit the course is worth.
  
• The Learning Objectives page lists 3 to 5 key lessons that will be learned by taking the course.
  
• The Multimedia Lecture is a streaming video presentation designed to enhance and expand the information contained in the reading. Some of the lectures were created specifically for the online training program, others were "captured" at special events elsewhere, in particular a one-day workshop organized by the Collaborative for High Performance Schools in California. Whatever way they were developed, the lectures provide valuable information and insight intended to enhance - but not substitute for - the reading assignment. To optimally view the lectures you will need a high speed internet connection (Cable or DSL). A slower connection will work, but be prepared to wait while the information downloads.
  
• The Reading Assignment provides the core content of the course. Each assignment is taken directly from the National Best Practices Manual for Building High Performance Schools - a 450-page document published by the U.S. Department of Energy - which serves as the primary text for the online training program. The assignment is provided as a .pdf file that can be downloaded and saved on your computer or printed out directly online. Either way, the material should be studied carefully, because it is the basis for the interactive test included with the course.
  
• Additional Resources are provided for you to explore a topic in more depth in order to expand your learning experience. These are links to web-based publications, web sites, and other information that is relevant to that course. These resources are not required reading and are not addressed in the test.
  
• The Interactive Test is a straightforward, 10-15 question quiz - multiple choice and true/false - that can be taken completely online. You will need to answer at least 80% of the questions correctly in order to pass. If you do pass, and you are an AIA or NSPE member, verification of your continuing education credit for that course will be forwarded to the continuing education organization that you designated when you signed in for the course. For others, you will be able to print out verification of successful course completion, which you may submit to other professional organizations and/or to state licensing boards. If you do not pass the test, a screen will appear indicating the questions you got wrong and indicating where in the reading you will find the correct answers. You may take the test again as many times as you wish, but you must wait a minimum of 24 hours before each re-test.
  
• The Discussion Forum provides an opportunity to pursue additional knowledge on the course topic by interacting with peers who have also taken the course. You can review discussion threads already underway or post a question and start a new thread of your own. Either way, you are encouraged to use the Forum to extend your knowledge of the course topic.
  
• Finally, there is the Feedback and Comments page where you can post emails concerning the course to the hosts of the online program.

Individually, each course in the curriculum provides in-depth training on a particular aspect or component of a high performance school. Collectively, the 25 courses in the curriculum provide the most comprehensive training program available anywhere on how to design high performance schools. We hope that architects and engineers across the U.S. will use this unique resource and the information it provides to create a new generation of high performance schools that will be a lasting legacy for their communities and for the country as a whole.