At the risk of jumping on the proverbial Covid 19 band wagon, and waxing lyrical about how life has changed as we know it, the undeniable fact is that the current lifestyle we all find ourselves living, has changed the way we do most things. Due to this, thousands of us are rushing to the internet, for inspiration motivation and of course education.
Covid aside, even before we all got locked down, a lot of our learning happened on the World Wide Web. The days of popping down to the library for the answers are long gone. Instead we simply whip out our trusted iPhone (or android) and simply google it.
But, with the amount of content on the internet, with new courses and training providers popping up everywhere, how can do we what courses to look at, and invest in, and which ones will benefit us most? If you're ovewhelmed with the options and not sure what to chosoe, fear not! Here are three handy tips to help you decide.
#1 - Check the providers credibility
Whichever course you want to sign up for, from a workshop to a full on degree, start by looking at who is providing the course. By first looking at the credibility of the establishment you'll be able to determine if it's worth enrolling with this particular institution. Ask the questions, How long have they been operating? Are their graduates getting jobs? Also check out reviews they have got, and not just the ones they have quoted on their website, check out social media reviews and reviews on platforms like Hello Peter, where people are brutally honest. Also check who the facilitators are. Make sure they have industry experience which will add value to your learning. Also check which institution your particular chosen industry is hiring from.
#2 - Accredited or not?
If you're looking for a course that gets you a recognised qualification, then accreditation is a useful way to determine that the provider and program you are signing up for has been required to measure up to a standard. It also ensures they are governed/overseen by an awarding body with a quality management system in place. It gives the learner/consumer a higher authority to complain to, and recourse should the course not be delivered as promised. In an ideal world accreditation should act as a guarantee that what you are signing up to is legit. But like most things in life there are exceptions. Firstly, a company can be accredited, but it can offer non accredited courses. This means that you may end up studying a course and not have a recognised qualification at the end. If the paperwork is your required outcome, be sure to check that both the provider and the qualification are accredited. Secondly, just because a company has accreditation does not guarantee the integrity of learning. Not every institution has the learners interest upper most in their mind, and this will be evident in the training. To ensure your provider is learner centred go back to point one, and apply it again here. Finally, there are many, many workshops courses and institutions that aren't accredited that provide excellent teaching and learning in their specific industries. This does not mean that the training is not valuable, it simply means that the outcome won't be a recognised qualfication. In this case, determine whether the skill is more important than the paper work, and do your research to ensure the company is legit.
Do your research, Check the content, check credibility.
#3 Check the Content
A great tip when deciding on an online course is to check the content. You can usually do this by asking for further information and checking course modules. Take a good look that the content is relevant to what you want to learn and the skill you require. Also check if there is too much unnecessaryor irrelevent content or if the extra learning will add value to your learning. In all of the tips above, the main thing to bear in mind is does the undertaking of the course add value to you, whether it be the recognised qualification you need, or a new skill you acquire. This is a great foundation to choosing a course that’s right for you.
Established as a fully accredited training provider since 2006, Radio Active Productions Publishing offers accredited and non-credit bearing training in sound and radio.