Online is an overused word in the world of education – it gets used to describe everything from MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) through to correspondence courses which have their DNA back in the early 1990s. Then there is everything in between, including highly-templated courses through to high-end, high-impact game based models of learning. 

This is confusing and must be difficult for a potential student or industry client to comprehend if they haven’t either a) grown up in the industry or b) conducted a significant amount of purchaser diligence. So, for those who don’t meet either a) or b) of the above here are a few tips to consider when looking at Online (that word again!) courses:

1. Is the organisation offering the course the same as the one who actually delivers the training? This doesn’t necessarily have to be the same but I’d want to know who the training partner behind the brochure is. That way, I know where my real time is going to be spent and with whom.

2. What does the training partner promote first? If it is study now, pay later then fine, but what about the outcomes? (Personally I’m more interested in the effort/reward relationship of study and the opportunities that come out of this rather than whether I can add to my debt pile.)

3. What is the student experience like? Can I talk to an existing student and/or online teacher? If not, how many complete the course/qualification? If it’s low, why?

Once these areas are understood the decision between course types, Online vs other types of study, becomes that bit clearer: know what questions to ask and the decisions should in theory become easier to make.​

For our own business – Chisholm Online – we’ve taken the view that the learning content and support are key ingredients for a good student experience. Likewise, the high impact learning often comes from the students’ online tutor. That’s why we spend a lot of time on each part – recruiting the best available tutors and making sure that students’ get the level of support they need within a structured and open learning environment. Our 2015 New Year’s resolution could be summarised as looking to grow bigger but only if we can also grow better.​