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The pace of life and the manner in which we access information has changed substantially in the last decade. This change is occurring so fast that it is difficult to keep track of what is real, worthwhile and lasting. This is especially the case in online computer courses. Computer skills are crucial to any career and change so rapidly that updating these skills regularly is highly advisable. However, Google “computer courses online” and about 74 million results come back. Choosing the right course is tricky.
Online teaching is still a very new field and good teaching tools are still being developed. Fortunately, there are a number of ways in which a potential online student can identify which courses are legitimate and which should be skipped over entirely.
Identifying a good quality course
The first and most obvious identifying feature is that the course be accredited by the national accreditation agency in the specific country. The qualification itself should also be recognised as a valid qualification in the IT industry. Once it has been established that this is a recognised course and is respected in the field then it is time to assess the quality of the course.
Teachers
Teachers of the course should have professional online teacher training skills. It requires a very different manner of teaching. If an institution’s teachers are expected to go straight from the classroom to the online teaching environment there will be complications and a lower standard of learning.
As with a standard classroom based course a good teacher to student ratio is a contributing factor to a good quality course. There is great debate about the optimum ratio but a general rule of thumb would be that under 20 students for one teacher is preferable. This varies but the teacher should have time to provide the necessary support and feedback to every student taking the course. Computer courses tend to be very hands on and practical so a lower student to teacher ratio is preferable.
Time Management
The manner in which the online learning course is scheduled should assist the student with effective time management. Good time management is always a challenge. A well-planned course with a daily schedule where students have allotted times for work and are prepared well in advance for due dates for projects make an online computer course substantially more manageable.
Peer Support
Finally, peer support is a crucial element to a strong online computer course. It can be very isolating for students and the institution providing the course should try to help bring the students together so they do not feel that they are operating within a vacuum. Ensuring that there is ease of interaction and connecting stronger students with weaker students makes the experience much easier for those trying to learn new computer skills.
Good computer skills have become a crucial tool in almost any career. Companies save money in the long run by ensuring that they have these skills in-house instead of outsourcing to expensive companies. However, it is very disappointing to spend money to upskill either yourself or employees only to be let down by a poor quality or badly managed online computer course. Checking that the elements above are in place before signing up for a course is valuable.
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