(ANSI: Washington) -- Constituents looking to learn more about the voluntary consensus standards system are encouraged to take a new online course module offered by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI): An Introduction to Standards: Why, where, and how are they developed.

The module, a prerequisite for ANSI instructor-led courses, provides a brief overview of standards, defining types as well as key definitions and terms. It also details ANSI’s role in the standardization process. Additionally, the process by which ANSI participates in the international standardization arena is covered, along with an overview of regional and international organizations.

Material in the course is divided into the following modules:

• Introduction to standards
• ANSI’s role in U.S. standardization
• ANSI’s role in international standardization

After completing the online course, participants are invited to take a quiz on what they learned to test their newfound knowledge. Certificates of completion of the course are available upon request to Lisa Rajchel (training@ansi.org).

The course is available for $25 at ANSI’s webstore. Upon request it is also available free of charge to universities for use in course curricula. Contact Lisa Rajchel (training@ansi.org) for details.

An Introduction to Standards is the latest example of ANSI’s education and training services for the U.S. standards and conformity assessment community. Instructor-led courses and accreditation workshops are offered quarterly in New York and Washington D.C. A number of web-based training modules are available for free at www.StandardsLearn.org, ANSI’s portal to online standards and conformity-assessment education.