NOW CLOSED Love to Learn online course feedback thread

I tried the digital photography course and really enjoyed it. It was easy to navigate and I enjoyed the mix of formats information was presented in. The content was well thought out and it was easy to follow tips and techniques and see improvent in the shots taken as a result.
I enjoyed the excercises and workbook but did keep written notes as well to refresh my memory when out and about taking pictures!
I did post some of my photos on a website as suggested but would have benefitted from some comment /feedback on before course and after course pics.
Doing an online course allows you to work at your own pace around other commitments which is acreal benefit. I also think a course like this could encouragevpeople to join a local photography group by increasing skills and confidence as well as interest in the subject.

I would certainly encourage friends to dip into on line learning . The experience was fun and I believe my photographs have improved so many thanks for the learning opportunity.

I have been trialling the Family History Course. It has been easy to use. The quizzes at the end of a section are a useful learning aid.
Watching the video of how to find certain information made it easier than doing it alone.
If I was buying the course I would like to have access to ancestry or another site free for a short time.
It is enjoyable and has given me the kick to start researching my family tree.
Thank you.

I had a go at the art appreciation course as I do water colour paintings. I was interested in what I did, but it didn't hold my attention. Not the courses fault, just the place in my life at this time.

I tried the Family History course. For the most part it was easy to navigate between sections via the buttons on the bottom, and it was good to know what was coming up via the left-hand menu. However, I felt that some of the most important information was in the collapsible boxes (mauve headers with plus marks) which could easily be mistaken for titles/dividers and so missed entirely.

One example where it wasn't straightforward to navigate is you were asked to search in the 1911 census, then your next step depended on whether or not you got any results from the search. It wasn't clear if you would get the other set of information afterwards. Your first search may yield results, but a later search for another relative may give no results, so you need to know both approaches.

I didn't like the videos. I found the presenter patronising and apt to make sweeping statements such as 'my promise to you' is that you will find a relative in the 1911 census. So even if my relatives were all from Sweden, I'll definitely find someone in the English census? (Silly example, but don't think it's good idea to give false hope as census searching can be tricksy, and dependent on the amount/quality of information the budding family historian has to start off with.)

The videos actually put me off starting the course as I have limited data on my broadband plan and I thought the whole course was delivered that way. It was only when I got started I found that the information I wanted was mainly delivered in writing, and I gradually found myself ignoring the videos. To avoid the music, apart from anything - felt like I was back at primary school watching those lame educational programs or Tony Hart or something! I'd suggest providing a transcript of the videos so that people with data limits or accessibility requirements can access the content too.

Although I didn't like the videos, I can see how the conversational style would be good for someone that hasn't studied for a long time, or finds lots of text intimidating. Also while I found it a bit irritating to hear so much about the presenter's family, I can see that for some people it would help them start their own search.

I thought the workbook was a great idea, in theory, as a way to accomplish simple tasks to easily build up a store of information ready for further research. Also a great use of technology to provided added value as compared to a standard in-person course. However, I would have liked it to be much more stripped down. Without any user-added data it is already 83 pages long, with lots of photographs of other people's families and information about the presenter's family tree. So not exactly something you would print out to take with you to the National Archives.

I wasn't keen on the question and answer approach as a way of reviewing the units. While this would be the right thing for courses with right or wrong answers (science, maths etc), it didn't seem appropriate for the family history course. Similarly, I found the fill gap exercises patronising and inappropriate for an adult learning course. I would have preferred to see a summary/fact sheet at the end of each unit as a memory aid for continuing research. It is not really a subject area that requires instant recall, more likely you will have lots of files and folders so would be good to have something tangible to add to your records. An example being the acronyms/shorthand used in family trees - a summarized print out that i could keep referring back to would be handy.

Where I think the course really excelled was the little tips and tricks that can take ages to figure out by trial and error. Such as, information can come for nontraditional resources such as gravestones and life insurance policies, don't assume you have the right person even if they are the only one that appears in the search result, and bear in mind that your relatives might have lied to the census enumerators so don't rule search results out even if the information looks 'wrong'!!

It also helped to reassure me about some things I had come across in my own research, for instance I didn't understand why I was finding it so difficult to find a computer program to easily make a comprehensive family tree. Turns out there isn't one yet, for the time being it is better to do it by hand.

For the most part, I think the course succeeded - it struck the right balance between being welcoming and accessible for people who have been long out of formal education, while not being too simplistic for others. It also seemed like it would work for people with no background in the subject without alienating people who have already made a start. Although I disliked the videos I can see how other people would like them, so it is good that there are different ways of delivering the material. I suppose the main concern came with the formula of the format - I'm guessing it's standard to have a unit followed by question & answers or a fill-box exercise, whereas I wish it had been a bit more tailored to the topic of the course.

I hope this is helpful.

I am taking 'Learn to Read Art'. It took a while to actually log onto the course with a lot of back and forth with the Love to Learn help desk but got there eventually.

I have not gone very far into the course as bad health took over but like what I have seen so far and it is easy to use and a relaxed tuition. I'm looking forward to continuing with it and would recommend Love to Learn to friends. Thank you for the opportunity to try it out.

I am currently trialling the Turning Points in History course.
It is very easy to access the different sections and there is a nice balance between video tutorials and reading matter. The videos are interesting and easy to understand.
The questions are thought provoking and the 'checks' are a good idea as you can see if you are on the right track with your answer.
Due to a holiday and family commitments I have only completed the first part but will definitely finish this course, and maybe start another.
Thank you Pearson, (and Gransnet!)

I am doing the Vegtable Growing course - which of course is not ideal for this time of the year but hopefully I am picking up a few tips.

Do find it a bit labourious - the general commentary is very uninspiring!!!

However, I have not yet finished and will continue to go through it and hopefully add further feedback

I did the setting up your own business course. I enjoyed the course and enjoyed learning at my own pace and when convenient to me. I would recommend this course as it was informative and practical. The approach was unhurried and not patronising .

Thanks, jeni - I don't think there's much wrong with my memory - most of my contemporaries also have problems remembering names!

It shouldn't do. It's autoimmune.

I haven't heard that Polymyalgia (not the same thing as Fibromyalgia) causes any memory problems. I've been absent-minded since childhood. Anyway, I shall check it out with other sufferers/

vohn Oh my goodness! I do have Fibromyalgia. I do have "brain fog" & short-term memory loss. I had no idea that the two might be connected.

I tried the Memory Training course. I've had some problems with my short-term memory this year due to illness and though it'd be a worthwhile one to try.

The course was really easy to navigate through, with all the links and steps being very clear. It was easy to follow, in that it was clear what you were supposed to do.

I can't say it was easy to actually do, as some of the tasks were very challenging for my addled brain. However that really is the point of the course - to exercise your brain and get it working in a different way. I would liken it to a new fitness/exercise programme - some aspects might be very easy, some very challenging and some you think - "What - I'll never be able to do that!" - but with a bit of practice & perserverence you finally make it & those underused muscles start to feel a bit more toned.

I would highly rate the course. Some of the concepts are really very simple but can be challenging to put into practice. I really enjoyed meeting those challenges and have been surprised how much I've found myself using them in day-to-day life.

I'd recommend this course to everyone, especially anyone with an illness like Fibromyalgia, which causes a certain amount of brain fog & short-term memory loss.

I tried the Family History course.
The course was very easy to access and then to navigate. It had a linear structure which took you easily through each page.
The content was very good. It was entry level to Family History so I found it a bit basic for my purposes as I have some experience. The videos were very good but I would have preferred them to have subtitles as, sometimes, I wanted to access the course when my partner was watching TV and, in fairness the videos didn't really add anything that couldn't have been put forward in text.
I enjoyed the activities the most. It was good to refresh my skills in researching family history.
Overall the experience was good. I think the course content was good for beginners so anyone looking to start from scratch researching their family history.
If a frriend asked me I would recommend the course to them, if they had no prior knowledge it is a very good introduction and I expect that they would be able to achieve quite a lot by using the course.
One point that I really think should be made clear to those accessing the course is that you will need a membership to a family history website. Most have free trials but, I think, in order to gain the maximum for the course you would have to pay for membership. I already have a subscription so this wasn't an issue for me but for anyone new the extra cost may be a factor.

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.

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 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 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.

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'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

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.