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Influences on participation in learning

Experiences of learning

Technology and learning

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Experiences of IT courses

The people we talked to for Getting IT right had done a range of different courses.  Some had done ECDL, RSA's or Clait, whilst others had done non- accredited courses as well as program specific courses (e.g. Introduction to MS Word).  The vast majority had been completed within the last 5 years, and had been done at a wide variety of locations including colleges, adult education centres, workplaces and community centres.  There were four issues raised by people about their experiences.

Facilities looks at the IT equipment and other facilities where people were taught.  The main issue raised related to computers and software, as in some places the computers tended to break down, and software was out of date.

Tutors looks at the importance of tutors on an IT course, and what people thought of them.  Most people were happy with their tutors, but a minority felt there were too few tutors for the number of learners, making it difficult to get help when necessary.

Teaching Methods looks at the different ways that people were taught, and at what they liked or did not like about those different ways.

Other students emphasises the role of other learners in creating a successful learning experience.  People talked about how easy it was to get to know the rest of the group, and how this affected their learning.