Author: Tariq Bitar

CPD – What Does it Mean and Do I Need It?

by Tariq Bitar, posted in E-Learning, Online Courses, VLE Software

CPD stands for Continuing Professional Development.  It is the intentional maintenance and development of knowledge and skills which are needed to perform your job successfully.  This might mean brushing up on current skills, or increasing the knowledge you have, or even learning new skills which will allow you to progress up the career ladder.

Most professions require their employees to take part in CPD courses to ensure their staff are fully trained in the necessary skills they require.

A good CDP structure gives employees a clear path to success with their current role and shows the potential progression to future jobs.  If you work in a regulated industry such as the healthcare, accountancy or legal industries, employers can get in a lot of trouble if they do not keep their staff up with their CPD!

CPD activities could include formal educational activities like instructor led training courses, workshops and seminars, or CPD could include self directed learning through online courses and structured reading.

What Makes a Great E-Learning Course? Things to Look Out For!

by Tariq Bitar, posted in Online Courses

Good E-Learning usually features at least some of the below items, demonstrating it’s awesomeness!

It grabs your attention – a good course will let you know what you’ll be doing and what you’ll get out of it, to inspire you to take the course

It makes you think – a good course will get you to really think properly and feature interesting questions

It is presented in small chunks – if you’ve done online courses before, you’ll know that a large block of text just turns you off!  A good course will be broken down into bite sized chunks for you to read easily.

It frequently checks your knowledge – this could be through little questions or quizzes, but a good course will periodically check you understand what you’ve just learnt, that way you know you’ve got it!

It tells stories – everyone loves a good story, and a great e-learning course will deliver information through relatable stories

They summarise information clearly and show you where to look for more information – being able to clearly sum up the key points is a great e-learning tool, and even better if they point you in the direction of further reading on the topic!

Learning Resources Include Video Conferencing

by Tariq Bitar, posted in E-Learning, Online Courses, VLE Software

The world of learning is so vast these days.  No longer do we just go through juior then senior school and if we’re very bright, get a place at University.  Everyone has the opportunity to study at university and get that batchelors or masters degree in almost any subject we care to study.    However it is not always necessary, in fact, rarely absolutely necessary, for the student to up sticks to move right away to study.  There are so many absolutely fantastic onlune learinng resources.  Almost every university of note will have a massive online presence these days.  They offer everything that lecture room based learning offers but with no need to travel and a chance to learn in your own time, at your own pace.   The online learning tools are vast now.  They have been developed to enhance the learning experience and to ensure you benefit from the craft of the course designers.  Video conference gives distance learning students equal high quality tutoring, connecting staff and students at any and all of their campuses or elsewhere – worldwide.