Q: How long are your courses?
A: Unless otherwise specified, all courses run for six weeks. You will be granted access to two lessons each week for six weeks. Each lesson will be accompanied by a short, multiple-choice quiz. You are expected to try and complete each quiz within ten days of reading the lesson.
Some lessons will also be accompanied by an assignment that has been designed to give you a hands-on application of the skills taught in that lesson. You will be granted ten days to complete each assignment, you will be provided with the tools you'll need to self-evaluate your work. The course will conclude with a final exam. You will have ten days after your course ends to submit the final for evaluation.
Q: What happens if I'll be away on business/vacation during part of the class?
A: No problem! There's a ten-day grace period built right into each of our quizzes and final exams. As long as you can live with that ten-day time frame, you can read each lesson at your leisure, and complete each assignment when it is convenient for you. That's the beauty of taking an online course--they're designed to fit your schedule--not your instructor's!
If you start to fall behind, we are more than willing to grant you an automatic two-week extension at any time. You are not required to attach a reason to your extension request, but we can grant no more than one extension per course. You will be given instructions on how to request an extension when your course begins.
Q: How will I receive my lessons, quizzes and assignments?
A: Each course comes complete with an online classroom. You will be able to use your web browser to access the online classroom and obtain your lessons, tutorials, demonstrations, reference materials, quizzes, and assignments.
Q: What happens if I have a question?
A: Each of your lessons is accompanied by an interactive discussion area. When you need help with a lesson, all you have to do is post your question or inquiry in the appropriate course discussion area, where the instructor, his or her teaching assistant, or one of your fellow students will respond.
Q: May I respond to other students' discussion area questions?
A: We are firmly convinced that the best way to learn a new skill is to teach it to others. If you know the answer to a discussion area question, you are strongly encouraged to offer your assistance.
Q: When we miss a question on the quiz, you tell us why we missed it, but you don't tell us the right answer. Why not?
A: Our quizzes use a diminishing multiple choice format. When you miss a question, you will receive an explanation as to why your answer was incorrect. You are then expected to do the research needed to find the correct answer. You will retain the material much better if you take the responsibility for answering our questions instead of relying on us to answer them for you.
Q: Your classes all seem to require the Netscape Navigator, Netscape Communicator or Microsoft Internet Explorer web browser. What about the browser that comes with America Online?
A: If you're using America Online version 4 (or greater), you'll be fine. Otherwise, it depends on the class. The old browser that came with AOL version 3 is acceptable in most classes, except 'Creating Web Pages', 'Advanced Web Pages', 'JavaScript', 'Java Programming for the Web', and 'Creating Web Graphics'. If you plan on taking one of those classes, you should download the free Netscape or Microsoft browser or you can install the free version 4 upgrade that AOL should have sent you by now.
Q: Do we get a letter grade for our assignments and final?
A: No. This is a non-credit course, so no letter grades are given. You will either receive a "Complete" or an "Incomplete".
Q: How is taking an Internet course different from reading a computer book?
A: Like books, much of the information in our Internet courses will be conveyed to you in writing. But the similarities between books and our Internet workshops end there. In particular:
- We believe that computer skills are best acquired by coupling hands-on experience with information and expert advice. Each of our lessons comes complete with a quiz that has been carefully designed to reinforce the material covered in your lesson. Each quiz will be evaluated instantly and returned to you with meaningful feedback. In addition, many of your lessons will be accompanied with meaningful assignments that have been expertly crafted to give you practical hands-on experience with the material covered in your course. After you complete each assignment, you will be provided with all the information you need to self-evaluate your work and assess your own strengths and weaknesses.
- What’s more, our workshops are crafted to exploit the interactive nature of the Internet, virtually ensuring that all of your course-related questions are answered! During the course, you will remain in constant contact with your instructor, his or her teaching assistant, and your fellow students. Although most computer books are great at force-feeding you expert advice, none can give you the practical experience and level of interaction delivered by just one of our Internet workshops!
- Because of the frenzied rate of change in the computer industry, keeping up with technology is becoming exceedingly difficult. Since many computer books are written many months before they are published, much of the material in these books is often out-of-date by the time the books hit the store shelves. The dynamic nature of the Internet makes it easy for us to frequently update the material you receive so that our Internet workshops are as timely, topical, and up-to-date as today’s newspaper!
Q: How is taking an Internet course different from classroom instruction?
A: In today’s fast-paced world, many of us find it difficult to take time away from work and family to attend school. One of the primary advantages of our Internet workshops is that you can "attend class" in the comfort and convenience of your own home and office. All you have to do is log into your online classroom when you are good and ready to read your lessons, complete your quizzes and assignments, or communicate with your instructor and fellow students. Our Internet courses fit into your schedule: you can take them before breakfast, during lunch, late at night, or at any other time you find convenient--the choice is yours!
Please understand that online courses are not for everybody. Although you will remain in constant contact with your instructor and your classmates through the course discussion areas, learning over the Internet is essentially a solitary activity. If you crave face-to-face interaction or cannot take the responsibility to complete your lessons in a timely manner, you will probably fare better in a classroom environment.
Q: How is taking an Internet workshop different from video-based instruction?
A: Again, our Internet workshops are designed to exploit the dynamic and interactive nature of the Internet, ensuring that our courses are more up-to-date and more relevant to your needs than video-based instruction. In addition, the material covered in our six-week courses are far more detailed and comprehensive than any information that can be delivered in a one-hour videotape costing roughly the same amount.