Sorting the wood from the trees!
Autumn – St. Patrick’s College, Maynooth
(Photo: B. Gardiner)
My colleague Bernie has captured her experience of undertaking an online course. Bernie’s account of her involvement in this area is both interesting and informative as it offers an open-minded review of the online course she completed. Please read on and perhaps anyone who has completed other online courses may like to add a comment to get some more feedback on this style of learning.
***Posted on behalf of Bernie Mellon, Library Information Services, The Library, NUI Maynooth***
Last summer as part of a MOOCs project, I completed a Diploma in Customer Service using ALISON. ALISON is a free e learning provider based in Galway and has become quite a success story in this regard. An initial email/password sign up is all that is required to register. They offer an array of courses across many disciplines and levels. The content is offered through webinars, tutorials and interactive screens. A transcript of the course is available if required and can be printed out if necessary. Online assistance is also available.
Companies can also avail of courses for staff at a fee. While courses are advertised as ‘free’ there were a few surprises in that regard. Pop ups appeared on the screen at all times and a subscription was required to block these. These made navigating between modules difficult as you can find yourself inadvertently clicking on an advert button instead of the forward/back arrows. On completion of the course a fee is required to obtain a scroll certifying qualification. However, while checking the site before writing this piece I noticed that many improvements have been made since I last visited which offer the participant a more enhanced learning experience. I would certainly recommend checking out online courses. You’ll never know what you might discover!
Further reading: Can MOOCs and Universities Co-Exist?
Library Staff Development 