Abstract
TRAINER©, a computer-mediated learning aid for users of DIALOG or ORBIT retrieval services, is available via TELENET or EDUNET, from Carnegie-Mellon University. The environment of its present use at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh, as a major component of computer competence for professionals in specialized knowledge fields, is outlined. The content and learning goals are summarized and experience in use is reviewed. An experiment with sixty-one graduate student trainees is reported: skill levels achieved and online training time show positive correlation; non-western cultural backgrounds do not relate to success; age and typing skills correlate with success, but older trainees spend more time online whereas good typists are quicker to complete the training.