NOW CLOSED Love to Learn online course feedback thread

i took the setting up own business course. It was user friendly, but moved at a slow pace for smn who is used to computers.

Yes

6/10

I did not get enough time to complete and when I returned i got a ather abrupt message to say I now had to buy teh course.

Fairly innovative.

I tried the Turning Points in Modern History course. It was excellent, easy to navigate between screens, and nicely varied between videos of the tutor, plus text, references to follow up on the internet, and break-out tasks to do a little research. I completed the whole course as it was so enjoyable. It was good to be actively learning and I think more history courses would prove popular. I would certainly recommend it to a friend. Well done Pearson.

I did How to read paintings. It was easy to access the course and the hyperlinks worked with one exception. However the iPad on which I work does not support Flash so one or two parts were inaccessible.

I found the course extremely well structured and its use of mainly representational paintings made it possible to give my responses without feeling that I was stabbing in the dark. I enjoyed the technical language of Art being clearly explained and defined, especially semiotics which was demystified efficiently.

I would have liked some suggestions for background reading as some of my suggestions in the question prompts were off kilter, while where I was knowledgable, for example, in the symbolism of religious life, the reading of symbols was easy.

I felt the balance of different ways of delivering the content was excellent, and kept interest high.

The best part of the course for me was being introduced to paintings I was not familiar with from galleries overseas.

All in all I have really enjoyed it so far. I haven't finished it yet as some assignments mean that I need to find time to visit galleries and spend time with paintings to apply the skills I have learned and note my responses.

I would certainly recommend this to a friend, and indeed have done. We recently went to the Pre-Raphaelite exhibition and it was good to be apply some of the knowledge that I had acquired. It does however make one aware of the gaps in one's learning and is a spur to further study.

I did the 'Turning Points in History' course - my first choice and as it turned out, the right one for me.

Once I had accessed the unit I wanted, it was very easy to navigate from there. Once I had logged out, I did not find a direct way to return to where I had left off, but I have wondered whether that was because I had failed to find a quicker way in - I always had to start from the beginning and click my way through - no great hardship. Was it a way of getting me to refresh my memory, I wondered?

The content of the course was excellent. Friendly video introductions which did not patronise; interesting texts to read through because of careful selection of relevant material; good positioning of questions, allowing me to check my progress and comprehension; workbook exercises which could be as brief or as detailed as one wanted and of course the 'checks' which allowed one to know if one was on the right track.

The links to other sources of information added to the depth of the course and increased my interest in the whole subject.

I enjoyed the whole learning process afforded by the course, but most of all I loved the fact that I was plugging gaps in my knowledge. I have always believed in the European Union and what it stands for. Learning about the rivalry, national egotism and above all the deep mistrust that pervaded the relationships between the European countries (they did not really trust their so-called friends). It confirmed my belief in the value of the EU. I applaud the Union for all its weaknesses

My overall experience of the course is that it was interesting, well thought out in terms of content and delivery and above all it was fun.

Yes. I would certainly encourage anyone to consider doing a Love to Learn course.

I am doing the History course starting with WW1 which I wanted to do, as the centenary is coming up soon and a relative of mine who enlisted at 17 was gassed in this war and lived well into their 80's. His son was in the second world war signing up at 17 yrs also.The course is easy to navigate and the videos work well, I give it 9/10. I am enjoying it and will carry on to the end. It fits in with my busy lifestyle as I can access the course as and when I want to.
I would certainly reccomend it to friends who were interested in doing an online course.

Hello and Thank you Pearson,I took the Basic Internet course and found it easy to access and navigate through I do not class myself as Internet savvy being able to only find my way around site such as Gransnet previously and just generally search the Internet and open mail.
I thought the work book keeping me up to date was very good and it enebled me to go back and check on things if I was not to sure on a particular way of doing things.
Feeling at ease almost at once I found the learning experience easy to use and it gave me confidence to trust my self in my thinking things through before answering questions.
I enjoyed the comparison excercises within the Internet Shopping and was very impressed with regard to information about checking 'https'information which I do not know about,also about saving money on the cheaper deliveries advice something everyone who buys on line would be glad of.
So to friends I would say give it a go even if you think you know the basics there are topic's on there that you will find of interest and well worth knowing I am going to recommend that the over 55s group that I go to join for their next Internet Basic's course as it is so user friendly.
Thanks glamma

I am trying the Turning Points in Modern History course. I agree with all that the above posters have said.
Just one little point. It would be nice to somehow have a way to asks questions and receive answers.
Having said that, I am enjoying it regardless!

I'm doing How To Read Paintings

The course was easy to follow and navigation between screens worked fine - several times I was directed to Wikipedia via links were also fine.

I like the idea of the course. I do go to art galleries but often find myself just saying 'that's nice' (such an anodyne word!) or 'I like that'. I don't want to start entering the Laing or the Shipley and being the resident art bore by doing an in depth analysis of the artist's intention but I would like to be aware of what I might look out for.
It is reminiscent of an excellent TV series years ago with John Berger called 'Ways of Seeing'. I guess I want to find some other ways of seeing art.

A few impressions:-

In the first unit there is a revolting image of the first paintings of Judith slaying Holofernes. Okay, I am ultra squeamish but would have preferred a more gentle introduction!

I didn't really want to use the 'hints' sections when putting comments in my workbook. It felt a bit like cheating! I did look at some afterwards to see if I was on the right track.

I would have liked a bit more background to the classical myths or biblical episodes depicted in some of the paintings. Although I had a fairly 'classical' education, it was a long time ago and we did not cover all myths/episodes! This occurs in Unit 2 as well as Unit 1, e.g.
"Venus, goddess of love, is recognisable by the golden apple she holds. This alludes to the myth of The Judgement of Paris where Paris had to award the golden apple to the fairest goddess"
Another eg
"The statue of Saint Margaret is an allusion to fertility. She was the patron saint of childbirth"

As I got further through the course I found myself having to 'cheat' and recourse to the hints, e.g. in the section about linear and painterly. I found the hints made the description and definition more clear than the preceding text. Surely this is a flaw? There should be enough explanatory text to help the student answer the question.

I am enjoying the course despite these odd 'gripes', just hope my contribution might help Love to Learn to fine tune what is basically an interesting concept.

I would recommend people to have a look at the selection of courses on offer.

Good Morning!
I tried the Digital Photography course.
I found the course content easy to follow and navigate between various components of the site.
Content and exercises were clearly explained and it was enjoyable and interesting to carry out the exercises and use the pointers given to improve my photographs.
I felt that this course meant you had to be fairly disciplined in keeping the camera handy for unscheduled photo opportunities.....something I'm not very good at!
Overall an interesting course, though some form of feedback on the photos taken might prove helpful. Didn't use the work book as much as I probably should have, tended to write tips down so I could take them with me on photography expeditions!
I have to admit, that due to outside pressures, I did not manage to finish the course, but I learned quite a bit from the parts I did manage to get done.
Have my photos improved ? I like to think so!
I'm tempted to have a look at the other courses on offer and try one of those. I'd certainly mention the site to others as it's a fairly painless way of increasing your knowledge.
Thanks for the opportunity to try it out.

I'm doing 'Setting up your own business'
This is a whole new area for me and I am finding it fascinating and enjoyable.
The course is easy to follow and the videos calming and motivating.The reviews are particularly helpful and have made me think of problems I had not contemplated and made me appreciate the need to have a business plan.
I have particularly enjoyed carrying out research for my project from the pointers provided in the units.
To some extent, the course has opened my eyes to the pitfalls of running a business and has almost put me off.This may be one of the real values of the course!
I have discussed the course with friends and recommended it.

I am doing the Turning Points in History course and am really enjoying it. The content is excellent and varied. It is easy to navigate but a bookmark would be appreciated, rather than having to go to the beginning and navigate through each time I log on. Still, that isn't much of a hardship and its good for a bit of revision. The course has really renewed my interest in history and made me want to do further reading. Perhaps a book list and video recommendations would be a good idea. I'm only half way through the course so maybe there are some referral lists at the end. Anyway, I would recommend anyone interested in modern history to do the course and I would love to do another history course

I am about halfway through the Family History Course. Although I've been researching my Family History for a few years I've found different ways of finding information that I feel will be really useful to me. I've found the course very user friendly and a complete Family History novice should find it easy to understand particularly with the opportunity to repeat a unit if need be. Am looking forward to continuing the Course particularly as it has inspired me to further my Ancestry research. I would certainly recommend it to anyone who was thinking of researching their Family History as it really does point you in the right direction.

I have completed the internet basic course. It was extremely easy to navigate between the various screens and the links were very useful. I would give the course top marks; my favourite unit was to do with memory training. I am a fairly confident internet user but was given a few excellent pointers in particular regarding protecting personal details whilst ordering on-line.

I've always be wary of social network sites like facebook and twitter and this course unfortunately did not change my views although I do learn so much from youtube.

Excellent to have the workbook in order to jot down my own comments in order to refer back to at a later date. I would certainly mention to my friends the variety of interesting courses that the Pearson website offer and the fact that they can be taken at your own speed.

I'm coming to the last couple of modules of the Turning Points in History course.

It's really easy to follow and navigate. No problems at all.

The content is really interesting, moving through the 20th century from events leading to WW1 right up to the Twin Towers in 2001. I knew quite a lot about the World Wars, having taught them, but the approach was more adult and detailed so I did learn a lot more. The teacher talking on the videos was rather nice (I love a brainy man!!), but seriously, the videos were good introductions and thoughtful pauses, pulling things together and offering a viewpoint. Did I detect some very faint music in the background? It was hardly there at all which was annoying and distracting.
Musical accompaniment not necessary thanks.
The activities were sometimes a bit too easy, but always made you analyse what you had just read, heard or seen.
The pictures and links provided extra depth and understanding.
The text was clear and well set out and I liked the workbook, especially the ability to check and add to what was written.

I am thoroughly enjoying the course, but what I enjoy most is being encouraged to think around each topic and discover what lies behind all the historical facts which are often well known. The causes and effects, the part that chance had to play and the consequences for the future. History certainly does inform the present in unforeseen ways and often what was intended is not what comes to pass. This is very clearly discussed throughout the course.

The learning experience is relaxed, interesting and pleasant.
The course is well thought out. I like the choice of Turning Points and the way they link and progress through the century. I also like the way I am challenged to think and analyse. For example, I thought my views on the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima were clear. It was wrong. But now I see things less simplistically and appreciate the difficult decision which was made, I suspect in ignorance and without the benefit of hindsight.

What would I tell a friend about the Love to Learn course?
Well just that. If you have time and you genuinely love to learn and find out, to engage your brain, to go at your own pace and you don't need a certificate or a qualification, then go for it. It'll do you good!

I tried the 'Starting your Own Enterprise' course and still have some units to work through.

The course is very easy to follow and simple to navigate between screens.

I'd give the course an 8/10 for the videos, content, workbook, text etc. It is always hard to get the balance right on a course like this because people come to it with very different backgrounds and experience.

The interactive quizzes, the video summaries and the ability to access the workbook and dip in and out of the course at your own pace was a benefit. You are in control of your own learning.

Overall the course provides a good overview on how to start your own business, showing things to consider. The workbook really helps for reflection and reference. Initially you are asked to think about your personality, skills and strengths and then you are pointed to which type of businesses would suit those.

Areas to improve:

Video - The tinkling bell music which accompanied the tutor's videos was extremely irritating and distracting. It was like some bad beauty salon music. Don't think it adds anything and would suggest removing.

Unit 1 - The quiz would work better if you were just required to select 3 of your strengths because you could select all of them all the time which means you are not really making a conscious decision on what your real strengths are.

On the feedback under the quiz there are double bullet points displaying instead of single.

I would prefer to be able to see an online summary of the workbook so far instead of having to download it as a pdf. This could put newbie pc users off.

There are some 'tips' given but these don't spring out. Would suggest finding some way to highlight these e.g. lightbulb.

There is an error on Unit 1 re calculating your expected turnover. It mentions boxes C and D but these do not appear on the screen. Plus it assumes that you need to increase your desired turnover by 150% to cover your overheads. This isn't really helpful for people who might be working from home and starting up a service business. I'd also say that that section jumps into business financial terminology without an introduction, e.g. gross margin, turnover v profit. People who are coming to this completely new would probably find all this fairly daunting yet they might have an excellent business idea.

Haven't yet completely Section 5 so this might well be covered but I feel this should come earlier in the units.

I'd certainly recommend it - it's a very good interactive business course and helps you form a business plan. The tutor just needs to smile a bit . I'm looking forward to finishing off the final units. The price is very good. You would not be able to get the summary insight without buying several costly business books and there'd be no assistance with the business plan. Excellent value.

Final Note - I used Google Chrome browser to carry out the test.

I have been trialling the Family History course even though I had already done a certain amount of research prior to this.
I still found the course very easy to navigate and though I did initially think that it was rather more basic than I thought it would be, I soon discovered tips and hints that will now encourage me to review some of my previous research and possibly discover other details that I had missed.
The videos and the course notes were clear and concise and the review exercises help to reinforce each of the modules.
I found it very helpful to follow the tutors research before attempting to trace the same facts for my own family.
I found the course very enjoyable and despite the fact that I have not completed it, due only to the fact that doing your own research as part of the course can be quite time consuming, I feel sure that it would continue to hold my interest to the end, and I would love to complete it.
I would be happy to recommend the course to friends whether or not they have ever tried to trace their family history as I believe it has something to offer whatever level your research is at.

I'm doing turning points in modern history as I only ever did Tudors & Stuarts at school & uni so am rather ignorant of this period.

Due to unfortunate circumstances I have not been able to complete it yet but am thoroughly enjoying what I have done.
I love the way it is broken down into manageable chunks so you can dip in and out of it . You are also encouraged to use other on-line resources to help further understand what you are looking into.

My only complaint is that the lecturer guy doesn't seem that enthusiastic and is rather monotone but he doesn't speak for long enough for it to be a major problem

The Internet Basics Course is exactly that. It wasn't the one I requested but I've had a quick flick through it and would recommend the course for complete beginners. It explains how to go about shopping on line and what to look for to avoid scams.

I didn't complete all the workbooks as I found the course too basic for my needs.

I am doing the Family History course. I have been researching my family history for some years but this gives me some fresh pointers. The lecturer is enthusiastic and pleasant to listen to. Since I apparently have to pay to access Ancestry.co.uk I am using the website for which I have a subscription. I haven't had much time yet to work through various parts but I will get there before the year is up.
Thankyou for allowing me to take part.

I am currently completing the Basic Internet course and have found it useful.
Although this was not my first choice ( and I do know a bit about computers) there have still been sections that I have learned from.
I would recommend this course to anyone who wants to learn or improve computer skills.
Thank you Pearsons and Gransnet.

I have just completed the Memory training course. Overall, I found it quite difficult as it involved me using my brain in a different way.

The structure of the course was good - the videos were friendly, and the course moved seamlessly from one unit to the next. The activities were well explained most of the time, and you were encouraged to repeat them if the first attempt had a low score. This worked well psychologically too, as it was taken into account that you might be struggling! The workbook provided a memento of the whole exercise, though maybe not an aide memoire of what you had been doing.

Unit 1 was a fascinating introduction of the history of memory training and was good and encouraging.
Unit 2, the beginning of whole brain thinking and the concept of putting things in 'rooms', had two little faults in the activities (you cannot correct a spelling or anything in the list once added - 'mophead' as one word didn't count as correct; and under the heading I want to remember , there are two 4s instead of a 4 and 5. Otherwise I found that this was the easiest of the middle units to work on.
Unit 3 I found difficult. I go the exercise totally wrong. I made lots of notes to reassure myself.
Unit 4 was the worst. I found myself cheating by using simple memory to remember the faces of the people and their personal information. I could not remember or apply the techniques that were described.
Unit 5 was a blessing - I was back on familiar ground with practical advice for how to improve my memory - diet, exercise, environment and calming situations and thoughts.

Some of this seems very negative, but I enjoyed the exercise as it was a real challenge. It wasn't my first choice of course to test, but it turned out to be one that I felt I wanted in a different way.

The challenge was the learning experience - something entirely new and quite different to the Brain Training apps on my smart phone.

I have already told my daughter about your courses and she said that she would look up the website (she's a Mumsnet fan). I would recommend the experience as a positive one, as the courses are well constructed and planned with good back-up if there are any problems.

I tried the Internet Basics course and found it to be an excellent on-line learning tool. Whilst I use the Internet I am in no way proficient and still a novice at many tasks. I thought that it did "what it says on the tin" and takes learners back to basics which is what is needed for beginners. Is also a useful "brush up " on some points which I was a bit rusty on such as navigating price comparison sites.

I found it very easy to navigate between screens. The door symbol was easy to spot and easyvto click through. I did the course on my IPad which can sometimes be fiddly switching between sites but I found no problems here. The course headings were well thought out and handy to dip into the area you wanted.
I thought the content was good- not too much information to swamp you, but enough to make you come away feeling you had made some good progress. I certainly felt more confident about using the price comparison sites. It was well thought out in that it's targeting areas people will have regular use of.
It is certainly more engaging to be able to watch videos and have the use of workbooks. I have tried traditional "paper" courses in the past and found them to be rather dry and uninspiring. I thought all the aspects were simple to click on and use.I should think it's no problem to be able to dip in and out and pick up where you left off.
The thing I enjoyed the most was being able to break out and try "live" on the Internet some of the things I was learning about. It is a fast and useful way to consolidate and gives you a sense of achievement.
I would definitely recommend this course to my friends and family ( in particular my elderly Father who is eager to get on-line but is very nervous about getting it wrong). I would like to see a follow up - perhaps an intermediate to advanced course? My only qualm would be whether people would be willing to pay the £ 25 price? It is cheaper than night school but the elderly ( who would benefit most from this course) may find it a bit steep.
Still, overall, was very impressed and will probably return to the site. Thank you.