World Academy Online is a text-based business and finance learning resource. About 40 different courses are available; the first chapter of each course is free, while purchasing the remainder costs $29.99 apiece. The courses are more than just e-books, with progress tracking, two types of interactive evaluations for each chapter, and a helpful glossary of terms.
While the program's title could be clearer - apart from purchases, it doesn't require the Internet, and it ought to be clearer about its business focus - it's rather a strong and fully-featured application. Courses are organized by category in a launcher window, which provides a description of the course's breadth along with an attractive icon for each. Launching a course opens a new window with a list of the "articles" (subchapters) available in the introductory chapter. Articles are succinct and well-organized. They can also be bookmarked (although the icon is a star) for future reference.
Once you've made it through the chapter, it's time to explore the tab for the open book test, which asks multiple-choice questions about the chapter's content and provides instant feedback on your response. There's also the "Take an exam" option, which saves feedback for overall performance at the conclusion of a series of questions. Progress on each aspect of the course is tracked in a sidebar, and there's always a glossary for quick reference on the course's terminology.
