By Susan Smith Nash, Ph.D.

Chances are, if you’re taking online courses, you’ve needed to learn new software.  The software may be a part of your technical education, or it may be needed in the production of course projects, or in anticipation of professional requirements.  Unfortunately, many students freeze in fear at the idea of skills-based training online.  They feel more comfortable with the idea of having one-on-one face-to-face training, or working with peers in a supervised lab environment.  With advances in teaching methods and software, there is really no reason to fear software classes.  In fact, you’ll probably enjoy the training.

First, let’s take a look at how most software courses are offered.  While some are synchronous and others are asynchronous, both have in common that they require active learning. 

1---Asynchronous:  Demonstrations, saved video conferences, tutorials, activities.  You can do these at your own pace, any time and at any place.  The ones that require you to sit back and observe are not as effective as those that ask you to start doing things with the software immediately.

2---Synchronous:  Webinars, video-conference, audio-conference, Elluminate.  If you’re not careful, this can be a passive experience.  Don’t stay on the sidelines.  The best training asks you to do things along with your guide.

Your approach to taking the course makes a significant difference to the outcome.  While some courses may you to take a relatively passive approach to learning the subject matter, you certainly can’t sit back and just be a sidelines observer when it comes to software.

 Notice that as you get involved in the course, you will find yourself applying the knowledge even as you seek to determine how to acquire it.  The way that your course is set up helps as well.  Kress (1996) has written extensively about the most effective way to learn, and has concluded that the design of the course is vitally important in guiding your steps as you learn how to negotiate the system, and to classify the information.

As you log in and begin to take the course, please be sure to follow these procedures: 

1---Read the instructions and follow the steps carefully.  However, don’t be afraid to experiment and jump ahead a few steps, just to take a look.  Think of how you learned how to use your cell phone or to set up a MySpace account.  Did you have a manual at your side, or did you just jump right in and start attempting to complete the tasks?  Chances are, you took the active learning approach.

2---Apply the knowledge you’ve gained to a project.  This will allow you to situated the knowledge, and keep it contextualized. You’re practicing what you’re learning. The fact that you apply abstract concepts to specific steps is critical in achieving deeper learning.  

3---Break the task down into its simplest, most basic steps and elements.  This will help you keep from feeling overwhelmed.  It will also allow you to develop a strategy for learning other software, which are, in essence a kind of generalized mental approach, or metacognitive framework that you can apply to all courses.

4---Envision the end results.  Don’t let yourself get distracted by perfecting one step or stage in the process.  Keep your eye on the outcome, and don’t stop making forward progress.

5---Develop a library of templates and use them for future applications.  One of the most valuable aspects of taking a formal course to learn software is that you’ll be required to work on a number of small projects.  The projects are often practical and have a direct bearing on what you’ll be doing with the software.  Thus, it makes sense to save your projects and to keep them for future use.  They make great templates and guides.

6---Connect with classmates. If your course has other students, be sure to connect with them.  Post your projects, and share your outcomes.  If you have questions, post them. Post suggestions and ideas as well.  Your fellow classmates will be a great help to you.

Learning new software is a great way to keep your skills sharp and your value high as a worker in today’s information and knowledge-based economy.  Even if you’re not required by your work or degree plan to take software courses, it’s not a bad idea to take them anyway.  Being proactive about your future is always a good idea. To sum up this article and recommendations, let’s list some of the programs that you might encounter.

What are a few of the software programs that are often taught online? 

Audio
Garageband
Audacity

Video
Windows MovieMaker
iMovie

Web Design
Dreamweaver
Frontpage

Image and Photo Optimization
Picasa
Irfanview
Photoshop
Corel PhotoPaint
Picasa

Draw and Design
Corel Draw
Fireworks

Animation
Flash

FTP
Cute Ftp
CoffeeCup
WSFTP

Presentation
Breeze
Powerpoint

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