I was in looking at the toils of the Half-baked gang at UVic again over the past couple of days. The Hot Potatoes suite continues to evolve very nicely.

They've added a certification program for trainers that is unlike any other I've seen. I told a colleague today that the certification process itself represents extremely effective instructional design. Competencies are clearly defined and a "fill in the blanks" web form allows the prospective trainer to list the URLs of exhibit sites for evaluation. Paolo Cutini -- a certified trainer -- has done a great job with Hot Potatoes.

I'm especially impressed with the evolution of the Hot Potatoes. The developers have done, and are doing, a great job of keeping their product effective and relevant. No mean feat in the 'net world of the last few years ;-) For instance, I found the following on their site this afternoon:

Export to XML formats compliant with IMS e-learning specifications (if and when these become stable and practical)

The thing is ... they're not joking; their medium is constantly changing -- I remain very impressed by the way they're keeping up.