Computer Training - e-Learning the PC and Web

Laragh Courseware offers a range of disc-based training programs with titles such as "Discovering Linux", "The Office Administration Series", "The Quality Assurance Series" and, in this case, "PC and Internet Tutor".

Put to use, PC and Internet Tutor is likely to best serve an organization where technology literacy may be a problem, or perhaps the first-time PC owner who is looking to get to grips with computer jargon and technology. The idea, of course, is to equip "trainees" with the kind of information and confidence that will allow them to start using their computers more efficiently.

Designed as a standalone course, PC and Internet Tutor includes 12 hours of multimedia training organized into eight sections with various sub-sections therein. The course has a great logical flow to it, starting with an introduction to the PC, and then moving into hardware territory covering, in the process, motherboards, storage, and input/output devices.

From there it's on to the fundamentals of using your computer, most notably the Windows 98 operating system and files, before delving into the various applications. Here, Laragh provides a basic grounding in the application software that underlies Windows 98 including modules on using a spreadsheet and how to get the best out of the graphics and multimedia programs that come with most Windows-based systems.

And that, in a brief nutshell, is the PC part of PC and Internet Tutor. The rest is devoted to the Internet and the World Wide Web. There's a section on Internet basics, one on starting out on the Web (with lessons on browsing and Net security), and one on communicating on the Net with information on using Email, Net etiquette, and video conferencing.

The last section, creating Web pages, is probably the most advanced and possibly also the most impressive. Among other things, it features Web site design guidelines, and a practical guide to using HTML.

So, we know what PC and Internet Tutor does, but how well does it do it?

Placed in its context as a guide for the novice user, the answer is very well indeed. The content - narrated and text based - is both comprehensive and comprehensible. Want to know the difference between a bit and a byte? Or where the processor sits inside the computer case? It's all there, stripped of the unnecessary jargon that tends to abound in this industry. It's up to date (the course covers Pentium IIIs, although not Windows 2000) and well illustrated, with diagrams and images designed to consolidate your theoretical learning curve.

Also, the interface is intuitively designed and easy to navigate, which means that you can skip certain sections that you may be familiar with and move on to others. Most impressive, though, is its interactivity. Each section includes a number of exercises that the user must complete before moving on. These vary from multiple choice questions and single answer queries, to assigning the correct components to a diagram of a motherboard.

Of course, you don't have to worry if you get things wrong, or if you don't know the answer to a question - all the answers are covered once the questions have been asked. The course itself ends with a Course Test that covers everything discussed in the previous sections. Get something wrong, simply go back to the relevant section, and go over it again. All in all, it's a great way of learning and identifying any problem areas.

Any shortcomings? Nothing serious really. It is almost entirely Windows-based and pays only lip service to Linux or any other alternative operating system. Then again, if you're new to computing, you're unlikely to be running Linux, anyway.

Still, this hardly detracts from its solid content and great use of multimedia.