Simple Skill Set Helps Distance Learners
Distance learners need to be computer savvy if they're going to succeed in their pursuit of an online degree. Think you're ready to get started? Compare your computer know-how with the following list of essential skills to see how well prepared you are for an online degree.
The first step is to ensure that you have a good understanding of Internet navigation. Make certain that you can open and close your Internet browser, that you can navigate between Web pages using your browser's forward and back buttons, and that you're able to maximize and minimize the browser window. If you need help with these basic concepts, both Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox have exhaustive Help files that can answer your questions about navigating the Net.
Next, check that you understand the basics of managing files on your computer. Make sure you know how to find folders and files using Windows Explorer. Practice creating, copying, deleting and saving files until you're sure you know how. If you're in doubt about your skills, select "Help" from the Windows Explorer menu bar and then search for information about "files".
If you don't know how to Copy and Paste, learn. Mastery of these basic Clipboard functions will save you tons of time when working online. This skill set includes the ability to left click and drag to highlight information in a document, to copy that information to the clipboard, and then to paste that information from the clipboard into a new document or spreadsheet. If you don't feel confident about copy-and-paste, search for a free copy-and-paste tutorial on any of the major search engines.
Fourth, make sure you're familiar with sending and receiving email. Because you're likely to receive course materials and other documentation by email, you'll need to know how to handle email attachments and how to open them or save them on your computer. If you're not familiar with attachments, check the Help file of your email program for instructions on how to handle attachments.
Finally, as an online learner you'll need to know your way around some kind of word processing software. Microsoft Word is considered the standard here and most new computers come with Word already installed. If you don't have Word, you don't have to shell out big bucks to get a very capable word processing program. Try OpenOffice, a free, easy-to-use software suite available at openoffice.org that comes with a robust word processor called OpenOffice Writer. It offers all the functionality of Word, including the ability to open and create files in Microsoft Word format.
Even if all of your online learning skills have been carefully honed, don't forget to check your computer system to make sure it can participate in the online learning experience. Most online universities, for example, recommend users have a computer equipped with Windows XP or MAC OS 9 (or higher) as their operating system. Also, many online universities have found that AOL users can't properly access online courses, so make sure you have a recent free version of Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox on your computer. You'll also want to have a minimum monitor resolution of 800 x 600 and a DSL or cable modem for best performance. Last but not least, say leading online universities, don't forget to enable java script and cookies for the optimal learning experience.
About the Author
Matt Paolini works from home as a distance learner. Visit University of Phenix or University of Pheonix for free distance learning info.
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