Newsroom

Judiciary Employees Take Classes Online

October 24, 2006 — A growing number of federal court system employees are learning online, taking Judiciary Online University (JOU) classes.

The JOU distance education program was launched on August 1, 2005, as the judiciary's first permanent off-the-shelf Internet based training program. It offers a wide range of traditional education courses - in management, grammar, communication, desktop applications, and more.

About 400 court staff members participated in its first month, but by the end of 2005 there were more than 900 JOU users.

Participation has continued to grow. By the end of August 2006, nearly 2,400 JOU users in some 355 court locations had taken advantage of almost 11,000 hours of training-related activities.

"Online training can be very interesting and engaging," said JOU Program Manager Mark Salters. "Online training has come clear advantages because it is web-based, on-demand, and self-paced. These advantages help court staff balance busy lives between work, home, and the need for continuing education."