A couple years ago only few people out of the former Soviet Union knew about TRIZ. Now TRIZ, being the systematic technique for solution of inventory problems, is well known all over the world. Several US fortune 100 companies cite a phenomenal increase in the productivity and quality of solutions of engineering problems through the use of TRIZ. Our group "The TRIZ Experts" has received a lot of requests for TRIZ training form USA, Japan, Korea, Germany, Brasilia, Great Britain, Sweden, Australia, Italy, Spain, France, Canada, Israel, and many others.

Usual 1-3-day-long TRIZ seminars make possible the introduction to TRIZ, but unfortunately, it is not enough to allow students to use TRIZ in practice. The existing software also cannot help, because the computer programs were designed for people already being able to use TRIZ [1,2]. Similarly,e.g., it is impossible to become an architect having watched several movies about beautiful buildings and purchased the corresponding software, such as ArchiCAD .Let us cite one of the e-mail I have receive from people who are interested in TRIZ:

"I am a mechanical engineer. The story of my interest in TRIZ began after reading a brief citation of a new software, Invention Machine, based on a theory developed 40 years ago by a Russian engineer, appeared in an issue of CAE magazine in 1993. The first thing I did - I went and bought a copy of IM 1.4 and the English translation of Altshuller's books "Creativity as an exact science." In 1995 in Machine Design appeared another article describing TRIZ as the implementation of a set of software tools developed by Ideation International. Due to the lack of written information about TRIZ I decided to buy two software tools from Ideation: first Improver and then Innovator. Now, thanks to web sites dedicated to TRIZ, the situation is better than only a few years ago. By my experience using the above software I can say you that I agree with the opinion of S. Savransky. In the evolution of IM, from version 1.4 to version 2.11, I have found many improvements: a new windows user's interface, more and colorful illustration of the data base examples, a totally new organization of Inventive Standard, but the software is far from what IM Inc. claims: "IM Lab the software that invents." Nothing can I say about the latest version, Technical Optimizer, because I have just seen only a demo. About the software approach to TRIZ of Ideation International, in the software I own, I have noticed a more dialectical approach to the problem definition phase than IM 2.11, and network like organization of the classical TRIZ tools and examples. In conclusion, my experiences suggest me that all the above software are not IDEAL. Without a lack of solid background in TRIZ theory, the main value is their collection of examples from many technical and scientific domains that is useful for triggering new idea by mean of analogy. A background in the theory, and new software based on CBR can be more useful in the practical application of TRIZ concepts."

At present, the number of TRIZ experts is insufficient to meet numerous requests in TRIZ training of engineers from different firms and different countries. What's more, most TRIZ specialists speak only Russian and practically all books on TRIZ are in Russian. There are several different types of TRIZ education programs in Russia starting form the introduction 40-hour course and up to 240-hour training for TRIZ consultants and trainers. There are also TRIZ programs for school children of different age [3].

On the other hand, engineers of leading firms have no time for deep and detailed TRIZ training, they cannot leave their projects for 1-2 months.

Finally, TRIZ being a general engineering discipline supposes creative imagination and broad views, which unfortunately are not inherent in all specialists. That is why training should start from solution of problems close in their theme to students' knowledge and only then pass to problems far from students' every-day practice.

So we have the welter of contradictions: for high-quality TRIZ training of specialists from different countries, there must be many qualified trainers speaking different languages, training courses must be conducted suitable for everybody, training programs must be adapted to starting level of all students. Note that the last two requirements are interrelated within the framework of traditional group full-time training: they suppose similar specialization of students studying in the same class. Let us try to solve these problems with TRIZ methods using the principles of solving contradictions and the conception of Ideality. The ideal training process likely must:

1. be important for a student

1.1. Form the training aim in a student.

1.2. Continuously support the motivation and progress.

2. be individual.

2.1. Create individual-adapted textbooks.

2.2. Create individual training schedule for every student.

3. include direct and back relations between student and trainer

3.1. Give the information about student's knowledge and skills to a trainer.

3.2. Create such a system of testing tasks and their evaluation, that gives the most objective pattern of student's progress.

It follows from these criteria, that ideal training is individual full-time training. But the main problem is that such training requires a comparable number of trainers and students. To solve this problem, we can use the popular now method of group full-time training having a long history. However, traditional process of full-time group training cannot meet all the above requirements 1-3. Up to date, all these requirements were met only in individual full-time training. However, due to the present number of TRIZ trainers and potential students, as well as due to the language barrier, individual full-time training is practically inapplicable for engineers from different countries.

Let us try to solve this mass of problems in such a way to obtain the result close to ideal, i.e., to individual full-time training.

A. Language barrier. There are two subjects: trainer and student, but there is no good information transfer between them. This contradiction can be solved with TRIZ methods: "mediator lead-in" or "use of a copy" of trainer, i.e. by completing Su-Field at the expense of adding the third subject: interpreter (or translator).

B. Course adaptation to student's skills. It is easy to do in individual training, and it can be done by task differentiation in group training. In TRIZ training, resources can be used, namely, real problems a student faces and their solution under the supervision of experienced TRIZ specialist. Certainly, it requires a longer time than solution of typical training problems, but it increases student's motivation in training.

C. Synchronization of trainer's and students' possibilities. Separation of the processes of information transfer and receiving in time and space [4] by the TRIZ method of "pillow put in advance." In this case, it means that trainer in collaboration with translator prepares textbooks prior to training and then progressively sends lectures and tasks to students as they master previous material. At the same time, students study lectures and do tasks in their free time, not stopping their work.

I hope, the reader has already a good idea what is the possibility to joint all these solutions: it is the distance training via Internet. Just this technique was recently put into practice by the group of leading TRIZ specialists headed by Genrich Saulovich Altshuller. You can know details by sending the request to TRIZexperts@hotmail.com or visiting our site at World Wide Web.

Distance training arises from a rapid growth of communication and increased requirements of people being always very busy and living far from educational institutions to receive a professional education. Distance training means self-education under external control. Self-education is independent acquiring knowledge, mastering skills and methods with strong motivation for receiving education. Originally, such training was a letter exchange between a trainer and a student. It is just the way, in which the TRIZ author, G. S. Altshuller, trained his first students, when USSR communist power did not recognize TRIZ.

Thus, distance training is the synthesis of the group and individual training, since trainer's contacts with members of student group are separated in time and space. Let us consider in details every requirement 1-3 and the ways to meet them via Internet.

Requirement 1.

1.1. Formation of training aim in a student.

A point that a student understands the aims of training is important by the following reasons: - at the stage of making a decision to start training or not, it decreases the probability to give a wrong answer; - during training, orientation to the final aim allows a student to continuously check his or her progress; - if the material structure is complicated, intermediate aims give the possibility to arrange priorities.

Prior to training students receive the review of TRIZ [5]; during the training process, intermediate aims are neatly stated, namely, the solution of technical problems with different degree of complexity according to 5-level classification of inventions accepted in TRIZ [6, 5]. General and intermediate training aims are formed in a student through contacts with a trainer and due to structure of the training material.

1.2. Formation of training motivation

Formation of the interest in training process and its results is one of the most important conditions of efficient and successful training. The following factors very often decrease or even destroy the motivation:

- absence of immediate results; - indifference of other people, especially closest ones, to the fact of training; - inefficient planning of time and, as a consequence, lagging behind the plans.

An educational institution can try to allay the effect of the first and third causes at the expense of organization of the training material. After most lectures on TRIZ course, students solve problems, and these solutions are often at the patent level.

To solve the second problem means to create the circle of people interested in this training. When studying via Internet, the problem can be solved by forming the virtual student group with students contacting with each other through the cyberspace [7], having similar aims and problems in both individual and group activity, as well as similar ideas about ways to solve them, which form the base for students interaction.

The significant factor to meet the requirement 1 may be consideration of a real technical problem a student faced in real practice.

Requirement 2.

2.1. Production of individual textbooks. Because distance training is mainly based on individual contacts with student, this aim can be reached.

2.2. Creation of individual training schedule. There exist obligatory training measures and recommended terms for studying the material or some its parts. With due regard to this, a student chooses the training schedule himself.

Requirement 3.

3.1. Trainer must have the information about student's knowledge and skill.

A student gives the information to a trainer prior to starting the course by filling the registration form and answering all the questions in it.

3.2. Creation of the objective evaluation system.

Evaluation can be considered as really objective if it: - is not only quantitative, but also qualitative [8], i.e., has some additional comments to student's work; - shows the student's progress, i.e., every training stage must be evaluated. Within our course, the evaluation mark and comments to a testing work done by a student are inserted into the work text and sent back to a student by e-mail.

Usually, good TRIZ solution to a problem not only solves original contradictions but also gives some additional super-effect, invisible in the beginning of solution process. In this case, we obtain the following super-effect: Each trainer has more or less favorite sections in the course. When training via Internet, a student receive each course section from a trainer most competent in it, and in the form being in accord with all previous and next materials. That is to say, the inversion of the group method takes place - the group of trainers work individually with every student!

Thus, studying TRIZ via Internet [5], you will obtain the lectures of best specialists and individual tasks to be solved in time convenient for you. As a result of TRIZ training, you will become able to solve your old and new real technical problems, which seem very difficult for you now. In last several years of the TRIZ activity the author permanently faces the following problem: In most TRIZ books and courses numerous examples are provided for explanation of TRIZ ideas. It is known that there is no precise border between a set of examples illustrating some ideas, and a proof of thes ideas. From how many grains does a heap begin? From how many examples is it possible to say that some rule is proven ? Are these examples familiar to the student ? Would the student be satisfied with such approach ? After several years of research the authors have found (as they believes) the most logical way to represent TRIZ that combines straightforward reasoning, mathematics-like evidences and illustrative examples. This scientific approach already gave very emphatic results that are recorded in inventive activities of our former students. We have several positive feedback results from our students, some of them have filed for few patents just during and 3 months after the TRIZ training at Internet.

REFERENCES

1. V.M. Tsurikov, Journal of TRIZ, 1991 v.2 N 1, p. 17 /in Russian/

2. B. L. Zlotin, A.V. Zusman, Journal of TRIZ, 1994 v.4 N 1, p. 19 /in Russian/

3. Journal of TRIZ, 1992 v.3 N 4 (Special Issue: Pedagogics of TRIZ) /in Russian/

4. Note that it is the main way to solve so-called physical contradictions in TRIZ.

5. http://www.trizexperts.net

6. G. S. Altshuller "Find the Idea" (Novosibirsk. Nauka. 1991), 221 pp. /in Russian/

7. To create a virtual student group in Internet, we can use IRC, list-servers, users-group, massage board at WWWeb-pages, etc. In the future video-conferences in a group could be used.

8. Qualitative evaluation is more important for a student, because it allows better self-control.