Taking online classes...especially computer classes

[dvcfamily41801]

I was thinking of taking an online Word, Excel and Access class. Just wondering if anyone has done them and how they have worked out. It says that a lesson is released twice a week and the class runs 6 weeks and there is a 2 week grace period factored in as far as testing, etc. goes. My main questions are about how long does each lesson take to complete and were they easy to understand and complete without an instructor or classroom environment.

The classes are offered at the community college near us, but with my husbands work schedule I do not know that I could commit to when they are offered.

Thanks for any information

 

[lovemygoofy]

Lisa, do you also get a textbook? That is the biggest drawback to some of the classes is that you download the reading materials and not a real textbook. Make sure that you access to the professor either through BlackBoard or through email.

Is the class a college credit course or noncredit course? Is it offered through the university or just the host for the class to advertise?

Lastly, how familiar are you with the Microsoft components? Can you navigate each subject pretty decently now? I think that learning excel and possibly access might be hard online but not impossible.

 

[ckret01]

I took several online courses at my local community college one of them being a Miscrosoft Word, Excel, Access, and powerpoint. I found it very easy actually and got an A in the class. The book they provide you (or I should say purchase) as long as you follow the steps for each of the lessons you will be fine. Each lesson took me about 1/2 to an hour to do. But the class I was in had several lessons throughout the week so everyday I would do a lesson so I wouldn;t fall behind. I found that if I did get stuck on a question there is usually a message boards for your class that you can help eachother out or ask the instructor a question on the boards and they are supposed to check in daily incase there are any questions from the class. But for this particular Microsoft class I found that I didn;t really have to ask questions as long as I followed the book I was fine.

Good luck to you and let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[dvcfamily41801]

These are only $79.00 and it says it is 6 weeks and 2 lessons are released each week. It does not say anything about getting a text book to go along with it. They are non credit classes as well. There were some reviews of the 2003 Word and 2003 Excel classes and it just seems like they were from al over so they are not technically offered by our community college. The courses at the college are $140 for each and it is a 6 week 3 hours a night/day class. There is also a Microsoft Office class for $599 that includes text book and lab materials, but again that one is 7 Saturdays which is totally out for me.

As far as Word goes, I am *okay* with it. I get by using it, nothing fancy schmancy. As far as the others Access, Powerpoint and Excel I am clueless as to using it.

Thanks again for any feedback!!!

 

[dvcfamily41801]

bumping for anyone tonight. Thanks!

 

[schmitty]

I wouldnt think its that hard. If you get stuck in a certain part you can probably google to figure out how to do it.

 

[Piecey]

I took an online Word Class through WebCT.

It was one of the most miserable classes in my entire college experience. It was, honestly, because of the professor. She had three sets of instructions-- and whenever you told her you couldn't keep them straight her answer was to "Refer to all sheets of instructions"
I ran into several lessons where they contradicted each other and had no idea what to do.

After I figured out what she wanted the actual CLASS was pretty easy. Microsoft products have help menus that helped me out when I couldn't figure out what she wanted or how to complete the assignment.

I'd say go for it, though!

 

[escape]

My main questions are about how long does each lesson take to complete and were they easy to understand and complete without an instructor or classroom environment.

I teach an online MS Office class at a local university for college credit. To answer your questions above....

a) It's hard to say how long it will take you to complete each assignment without seeing what the assignment is. My class follows a lesson in a book. Each lesson may have 4 or 5 hands-on assignments associated with it along with an end of lesson quiz (multiple choice, T/F, Fill-in-the-blank). I think the average time to complete a lesson is around an hour to an hour and a half...depending on the person's comfort level with the material. I've had some students say it takes them longer to complete a lesson. Again, it depends on their comfort level. There are approximately 4-5 lessons per unit (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access).

b) Is it easy to understand without an instructor's lectures? Again, it depends on the material you are given. The book that we use is very self explanatory but I always show or report on line different ways of doing the same thing. Sometimes the book (that we use) will demonstrate a way that to me is a little more cumbersome. I also try to explain concepts that aren't listed in the book. If the students have trouble with the concepts or understanding the material, I always encourage them to call me or send me an email with a detail description of the problem or in some cases, meet with me at the school so that I can demonstrate the concept. In addition to my help, the students at our school can attend an optional lab to help with the concepts.

I will tell you, most students that I have had do pretty well with the class and the hands-on test that I give. The ones that struggle the most are the ones that don't keep up with the homework. My class is very labor intensive - read the lessons, do the assignments, take the quizzes and then take a hands-on and written test at the end of each unit. If the student doesn't keep up with the assignments, they generally don't do as well on the tests.

Personally, I think this class is one of the easiest on campus; however, if the student doesn't do the work, it can be very challenging.

Good luck with your class. If you need any help, I'll be more than happy to help you.

ETA: We're going to be teaching Office 2007 this fall. There's a lot of new features in this latest version.

 

[WatchinCaptKangaroo]

I attend school online. The biggest challenge is time management. While your courses are due at a specific time, you have no one there telling you when to do your work. There will be a bit more work than a traditional class because you have no lecture to attend and will need to absorb the material on your own time.

That said, I love online courses. I work full time in an industry where my work schedule does not allow me to attend traditional courses.

 

[Feralpeg]

I learned Word, Excel and Access from books I bought at the bookstore. Word and Excel are really pretty easy as long as you have something to follow. Access is a bit harder if you don't have a basic understanding of database design, but is manageable. I'm not saying you shouldn't take the course, but it is possible to learn all three programs (and probably in more depth) from a good book. I taught Word, Excel and Powerpoint last year to middle school students. They worked from a book where they just followed exercises. We did do projects, but a lot of it was just following the book.