Teaching Resources

As discussed in last weeks Click, today and next week we will be looking at the resources available to all groups of people in Torbay when it comes to computer tuition, either for people who have never used a PC before or those who want a refresher course. As you probably know, learning the basics of computing can dramatically extend your career prospects as knowledge of computer systems is one of the most sought after qualities employers look for nowadays and the good news is that it doesn´t cost as much as one might think.

The first education centre we will look at is South Devon College, Torquay, the reason being as this is the biggest centre of its type in the whole of Torbay. The advantages offered by a College such as this is that there are two distinctly different ways of learning; Practical Lectures and Open Learning. In terms of the facilities offered, the college has a wide range of computing resources available. For example, all students have access to the Internet as well as Industry standard applications; Word, Excel and Sage Line 50 etc., selected machines also boast web cams, scanners and digital cameras.
The college has a reputation for catering for the disabled; all upper floors have lift access for those in wheelchairs and several machines have devices to allow the visually impaired to use them.

The first mentioned method of learning is pretty much self explanatory, you have set lesson times and turn up to be tutored and, unless the lesson is completely theory based, you have complete use of a computer for the duration. Such lessons are usually around 3 hours a week for part timers and at the end of the course you attain a certificate of completion which can conform to a standard such as CLAIT, NFCE or IBT depending on the course selected. All ages of people are welcome on any of these courses and the subject areas available cover all aspects of basic computing such as Word Processing, Internet and Spreadsheets. One of the most popular classes for older learners is on a Saturday morning, 9:30-12:30, this course was formed by a group of enthusiasts who wanted to learn the very basics of computing and they convinced the college that it was a good idea to run a regular taught practical sessions for them so that an experienced computer teacher was always on hand to offer advice and solutions to any problems.

The second learning style I mentioned, Open Learning is a very different approach. The rooms on the main computer block at South Devon College are very rarely closed and so it is possible to register with the college so that when you have a couple of free hours you simply turn up and work through the syllabus at your own pace. Again, all ages and backgrounds of people are welcome on these courses, and the subject area covers everything covered in the basic practical classes, as well as more detailed syllabuses such as web-design, business technology etc.

The good news for many people is that due to a large amount of government support available for those who are willing to learn at any age or in any career, subsidised or even free tuition may be available for certain people, such as the unemployed or those in a low wage bracket. Please ask for details from either the college or a local employment centre and for those who don´t qualify, the total unsubsidized cost of any of the courses detailed above will be unlikely to be over around £200, including the examination fees.

Obviously, this article is only designed to be a guide of what is available, for further details of specific courses including times and costs, you can contact the computer learning centre at South Devon College on 01803 406459.

Computer Articles 2007

As discussed in last week´s edition of Click, there is a great deal of computer learning resources available for all people in Torbay. These series of articles focussing around this subject are designed to try and assist you in finding the right course at the right college to suit your particular needs.

Last week we talked about the different ways of teaching a course, either through Open Learning or by practical classes held with a lecturer always available to help out. This week we´ll contend with another problem associated with returning to education and details of another college that is available for a whole range of older students to study at.

Having spoken to several people while researching this subject, I have found that one of the main problems older learners associate with returning to education is that they often feel that they may be intimidated, having not been to a school or college for possibly the best part of 50-60 years. Even people in their 30´s still feel as though they would be embarrassed at the prospect of being taught a subject that they have no idea about. It is therefore helpful to keep in mind that all people attending the courses detailed over this 3 part series are in exactly the same position as you are and that the lecturers are usually specially trained to work with adults and can therefore provide a lively and supportive atmosphere.

As mentioned last week, computer tuition need not be expensive either; this week we will be looking at Paignton Community College who offer several free courses for the over 65´s and for anybody under this age bracket the price is a set sum of only £23. This colleges courses run through-out the year; however each course is only 5 weeks long. Obviously, it would be difficult to start one of these courses half way through and therefore I have only listed the details of courses that start from the beginning after the June half-term.

In terms of location, the Bishops Place Centre is used for all the day and several of the evening courses and the remainder of the subjects set to be taught in the evening will take place in the Borough Road Centre. In all instances, it would be necessary to contact the Bishops Place Centre on 01803 403007 for further information and bookings, this number is available Mondays to Fridays only.


At present, the list of planned courses is as follows; however I cannot guarantee that all details are 100% accurate so please check with the institution for further details of any courses you are interested in.

Monday Afternoons, 1pm - 3pm - An Internet based course entitled `Internet for Web Warriors´, the course starts 11th June.

Monday Evenings, 7pm - 9pm - A course focusing on computing for beginners, `Easy as ABC´, starting date is currently 11th June.

Tuesday Afternoon, 1pm - 3pm - Another introductory course for those new to computing, `Computers for the absolute beginner´, starts 5th June.

Wednesday Afternoon, 1pm - 3pm - The same course as described above, but a different date in case the above class is fully booked or for people that cannot make Tuesday Afternoons, starts 6th June.

Wednesday Evening, 7pm - 9pm - Another date for the `Easy as ABC´ course that also runs on a Monday evening, starts 6th June.

Thursday Afternoon, 1pm - 3pm - `Computing for the Older and Bolder´, a course especially tailored to those that want to get into computing at a later age, starts 7th June.

Thursday Evening, 7pm - 9pm, two courses are to be run on this date: `Easy as ABC´, as described above and `Surfing the Net´, an Internet oriented course. Both courses start 7th June.

Friday Afternoon, 1pm - 3pm, another day for the course `Computing for the Older and Bolder´. Course starting date is currently 8th June.

With computing becoming such an important part of everybodys lives, it would be worthwhile to attend one of these courses to see what you think of it and whether you would like to continue it to a higher level after the 5 week period is complete, this is especially true when you consider the cheap price of these courses. In addition, as well as the education aspect of the course, it is also a great opportunity to meet people in similar circumstances and with similar interests to your own.

Next week we will delve deeper into a subject that we touched on last week; the financial help that is available for all learners and also look at the facilities available at Brixham Community College.

Some of my more regular readers may recall that over the past 2 weeks we have been covering the teaching resources available to all people in Torbay, last week we did Paignton and the week before Torquay and so it only seems natural that this week I should cover Brixham. For those of you that live in Paignton or Torquay and missed those respective articles, I should point out that all previous articles are available on the Webwise section of the Herald Express´s website at [ برای مشاهده لینک ، با نام کاربری خود وارد شوید یا ثبت نام کنید ] />
This week I will also cover the subject of Individual Learning Accounts (ILA´s) which are available for all people over the age of 19 to support their return to education. In addition to some of the courses that I will detail today, several of those we´ve discussed in past weeks are available for support via an Individual Learning Account, the purpose of them being to make it easier and cheaper to get access to tuition. For example many courses, not just those in the computing field will be discounted by up to 80% and others by 20%. In addition the first million applicants for an account will receive up to £150 off their learning as long as they put in £25 of their own money. For more information and to apply call 0800 072 5678 or go to the website [ برای مشاهده لینک ، با نام کاربری خود وارد شوید یا ثبت نام کنید ] />
Shooting back to look at Brixham Community College, not only do they have a large number of interesting and cheap courses that I´ll divulge in just a second, but a large amount of the resources at Brixham seem to be tailored to helping the less able bodied. Such courses include `Photos´ (using Scanners, digital cameras and colour printer to improve your photos), `Next Step: Word-processing´, `Cards & Fancy Types´ and `Tame Your Computer´ (Learn to create folders, delete files etc). Sometime in the future we should be following up these courses in more depth to look exactly what equipment is available and how the centres are equipped to assist the less able bodied.

In terms of their other courses, Brixham College has a number to choose from, with several starting from only £5. In addition, most also include some form of certification when complete. I was unable to find out the full details of starting dates for all courses; however the next batch will start around the beginning of June and last for around 5-6 weeks. Details of those included are as follows:

Computing for Beginners: As the name suggests, this course dispels the fears for those new to computers, touching subjects such as opening programs and using their basic functions.

Scanning & Digital Photos: Brixham Community College has facilities available such as digital cameras, scanners and colour printers that you are free to experiment with on this course. It is a somewhat more involved than many of the others, as reflected in the £32 price tag however for your money you learn how to apply Special Effects to images, clone and layer them, using Colour Correction etc. In addition, the tutor, Anita Wren is a columnist in "Digital Photo" magazine so you can be assured that she is an expert in her field.

OCR CLAIT (Desktop Publishing): This course focuses on what some readers may be familiar with, Desktop Publishing (DTP). This software is used to design pages for newspapers, adverts etc., and can be studied practically on this course as part of a nationally recognised CLAIT certification.

Computing, Lets move on: Focussing on the slightly more advanced aspects of Windows, for example learning to customise the Desktop, create shortcuts etc., as well as learning about associated programs such as Microsoft Word.

Computing for the Older & Bolder: As the name suggests this class is suited for the older learner. This course allows you to learn at your own pace in a small, relaxed class.

For more information on any of these courses, or others available, please contact Brixham Community College on 01803 853302. Also ask about other concessions available, outside of the Individual Learning Account we looked at earlier, such concessions can allow you to obtain up to 50% off certain classes obviously depending on your financial or age status. I have tried to ensure all information is accurate, but please check with the institution prior to making any special arrangements.

I hope this series of articles has shown you that returning College to study computing is not as expensive or daunting as you thought it may be, in addition I hope this it has inspired you to perhaps try one of the courses for yourself.
END

Computer Articles 2007