The online learning center, also available to non-members, was created to "provide professional development opportunities for the industry," says Kim Fossey, IFMA's instructional program manager. "It's any time, anywhere."

The center will feature educational products, including competency courses, just-in-time workshops and on-demand audio seminars. In addition to professional development, the center boasts a helpful module for online collaboration and communication among members as well as access to third-party content via CyberU, IFMA's online LMS provider.

Fossey tells GlobeSt.com that member surveys indicated that members were looking for more flexibility in participating in workshops and coursework. "There are three issues that the online learning center address--geographic, time and economics," she says. For example, for international members it may be inconvenient and too costly to travel to attend workshops or seminars. "We're hoping to eliminate the challenges," Fossey says.