Themes

Influences on participation in learning

Experiences of learning

Technology and learning

» Themes/Technology and learning/IT Courses

Finishing an IT Course

People had clear ideas of what they wanted out of their course, and these were linked to their motivations for starting it.  People wanted to gain qualifications, to increase their IT skills generally or in regard to specific software, and many also wanted what they learn to help them get a job, or be more skilled in their current job.  In general, people achieved what they wanted.

Although most people achieved all or most of what they wanted, others did not.  Some did not achieve the qualifications that they wanted, whilst others felt that they never really understood how to do the tasks that they had been taught.  Related to this is the fact that some didn't get the time they felt they needed to practice tasks in the class, and others weren't able to practice away from the class, making learning more difficult.

Respondents suggested that often there had not been enough time on the courses to cover all that they wanted, in terms of teaching and practice.  Others also found that the specific things that they wanted to learn were not covered by the course that they were on.

However, it must be remembered that these issues only affected a small number of people, and the majority got all, or nearly all that they wanted from a course.