Your starter pack 0800 101 901 learndirect.co.uk
Contents Welcome to learndirect 3 Your learning planner 4 Logging in 5 Setting up your computer 6 My first steps 7 Introduction to learndirect 7 Your level checker 8 Your skills checkers 8 Call us to discuss your results 9 Submit your learning agreement 9 My learning 10 Starting your learning 10 Keeping on track 11 Other ways to get help and support 12 The learndirect community 13 My next steps 14 How to contact us 15 2
Welcome to learndirect Thanks for choosing to learn online with learndirect. Whether you want to get a job, get ahead at work or achieve a qualification to boost your CV, we re here to help. Now that you ve signed up with learndirect we can start finding out more about you. This will help us work out which qualification is right for you and which courses best match your learning needs. Remember, online learning is fast paced. This is because we want to help you achieve your qualification in as little as three months. The best way for you to do this is to plan your learning around your life, so that you can learn at least two and a half hours each week, at times that suit you. This way you ll always keep on track. Help is at hand You ll get help and support from us throughout your learning. In your learning planner there are answers to frequently asked questions and helpful how to guides. These show you how to carry out certain tasks, such as setting up your computer for learning. You can also get support from other learners in the learndirect community and as well as all this, you ll get tutor support by email and over the phone. Using your starter pack Your starter pack shows what you can expect from your learning and gives you useful information to help you along the way. This starter pack guides you through the three key areas of your learning: My first steps My learning My next steps 3
Welcome to learndirect Your learning planner This is your own online space which you ll come back to every time you log in. Here you can find everything you need to learn including your courses and any useful information we may send you. From your learning planner, you can keep in touch with your tutor and us, and also use the learndirect community to chat to other learners. Your learning planner will help keep you on track so that you reach your goals and achieve your qualification on your agreed date. You can update your photo and personal details here if they change Your personal goal reminds you why you re learning Use My messages to keep in touch with your tutor and us, and also find out about your progress Unsure about what to do in your learning planner? Just click on the Show me how button and we ll suggest what to do next From My first steps you can access your level checker and skills checkers and also the introduction to learndirect My learning is where you ll find all your courses and lots of useful resources In My next steps take a look at what other learners have gone on to do and find out about the real benefits of learning The learndirect community is where you can see what other learners are talking about and join in the chat too why not swap useful hints and tips about your learning? Find useful how to guides and answers to frequently asked questions in the Help and support panel 4
Welcome to learndirect Top tip You might like to save or print off a copy of this starter pack to help you as you learn and remind you where to find help and support. Logging in Whenever you want to log into your learning planner, just click the Access your learning button in the top right-hand corner of the learndirect website. Keep forgetting your password? The good news is you don t need to call us to reset your password. Just click I ve forgotten my password on the login page, enter some details about yourself, and type in your new password. That s it! Top tip Unsure what to do in your learning planner? Just click on the Show me how button in the top right corner and we ll tell you more about the section you re in and suggest what to do next. 5
Welcome to learndirect Setting up your computer Before you begin learning with learndirect you need to make sure your computer is set up in the right way. This helps our courses work properly for you and lets you get the most from your learning. We recommend that your computer uses anti-virus and firewall software when it connects to the internet. Our courses work with most anti-virus and firewall software, however we aren t able to give technical support on specific packages. Check your computer is set up to run our courses You can do this by using Update My PC: If there s anything that needs updating, it ll do it for you with just a few clicks! It takes a few minutes to run Update My PC and then up to 15 minutes to update your computer You ll find a link to Update My PC on the homepage of your learning planner. Jason Churchill: I felt a lot more relaxed at learndirect than I did at school because I could work at my own pace and I didn t feel under as much pressure. I really enjoyed the courses and found them easy to understand. 6
My first steps In this section we ll talk about: The introduction to learndirect Your level checker and skills checkers Discussing your level and skills checkers results Submitting your learning agreement In My first steps you find out more about us and we find out more about you. Because we all have different levels and skills, it s important that we work out what you re good at, where you need a bit more help and which learndirect courses are right for you. Introduction to learndirect In the My first steps section you will see the introduction to learndirect. This shows you what it s like to learn with us and includes modules on how to become a successful learner, the help and support you ll get, and what we expect from you in return. The introduction is a great start to your learning so try to watch it as soon as you can remember, you can watch it as many times as you like. You ll find the introduction to learndirect really useful, so plan some time to watch it. 7
My first steps My first steps 1 Your level checker This is just a series of questions to help us work out which qualification is right for you and is also sometimes called an initial assessment. It only takes about 30 minutes to do. 2 Your skills checkers A skills checker is a set of questions that take about 30 60 minutes to do. They are sometimes called diagnostics. They help us work out the courses you ll need to do to get your qualification. 3 Call us to discuss your results After you ve completed all your level and skills checkers please call us on 08000 925 101. We ll discuss your level and skills checkers results and also talk to you about things like: The right courses and qualification for you Learning at least two and a half hours each week Setting a target date to achieve your qualification in as little as three months We ll make a note of what we discuss and some of these details will be included in your learning agreement. 8
My first steps 4 Submit your learning agreement After we ve discussed your results, we ll create your learning agreement, which you will find in your learning planner. It is an agreement between you and us and includes things like which courses you ll do, which qualification you ll work towards and the date by which you ll achieve it. To submit your learning agreement, log into your learning planner and you ll see a message reminding you to send us your learning agreement. Click the link in that message and follow the on screen instructions. If you ve any problems finding your learning agreement please call us on 08000 925 101. 5 Complete your learning We ll explain everything you need to do to gain your qualification in the My learning section of your learning planner. Top tip If it costs to call 0800/08000 numbers from your mobile, then just give us a call on 0116 366 7500. 9
My learning In this section we ll talk about: Starting your learning Help and support Keeping in touch The learndirect community Starting your learning From the My learning area you can access all your courses. When you want to start your course or continue your learning, just click on the course bar and your course will appear. When you finish your session, make sure you save your work and leave by clicking the Log off button in the top right, so you don t lose all your hard work. You can keep track of where you re up to with your learning by checking the start and finish times. If you don t think you ll finish your course on time, you ll need to contact your tutor who will keep you on track with your learning. You can send an email through My messages or call us on 08000 925 101. When you open up a course, you ll see a Resource section. This is where you ll find useful hints and tips sheets, to help you with your learning. There s also a More practice section where your tutor will add worksheets if you re finding any part of your course difficult. 10
My learning Keeping on track To achieve your qualification it s important to stay on track so you complete all your courses and meet your end date. Staying in touch with your tutor Keeping touch with your tutor is very important as this way they ll always know how you re doing. If there s anything you re struggling with or not sure of, just contact your tutor and they ll provide all the help and support you need to keep you on track. Top tips Plan to learn at least two and a half hours each week. Remember, you need to keep in touch with your tutor every week so they can support you with your learning. It s also important to reply to messages your tutor sends you so they know how you re getting on. Meeting your end date means you could achieve your qualification in as little as three months! Progress reviews To help you keep on track, your tutor will send you progress review messages to show you how you re doing. These will show up green in your inbox. To open them just click on the green strip. Remember, it s important that you re happy with everything in your progress review. After reading through, please tick the box at the bottom of the progress review and then click Agree. 11
My learning Other ways to get help and support Like everyone else, you ll have times when you feel you need a helping hand, but don t worry. With learndirect, getting support for your learning couldn t be simpler. Have a look below to see the different ways to get help and support. Help and support panel Click on the online Help and support panel on the right-hand side of your learning planner. This panel shows useful how to guides which are step-by-step videos that take you through tasks such as how to email attachments, and also answers to frequently asked questions. learndirect community Got a question? Try asking the learndirect community. Other learners may have the answers you re looking for. 12
My learning The learndirect community As a learndirect learner you can get in touch with lots of other people who are doing the same thing as you. You can chat to other learners about your course, swap handy learning tips and share all your challenges and successes. Use the community whenever you need support, and to share useful information and news. To use the community, click on the community links which appear on the right of the learning planner and also in the My messages green box. Top tips Don t forget to visit the Learning Library. Here you ll find lots of resources to help you with your learning. There s a blog, videos and guides all to help you with subjects you might be finding difficult, like long division or grammar. 13
My next steps Whether you re about to start learning or you re well on your way to gaining a qualification, you ll find some useful ideas and information in My next steps. The My next steps section of your learning planner tells you about the real benefits of learning. You can discover how learndirect courses have helped other learners to improve their lives. You ll also find information, ideas and links to other useful websites that can help you decide what to do next. Another qualification? A new or better job? Not sure what to do? My next steps helps keep you motivated to achieve your goals and move forward. There s lots of useful information in My next steps to help you decide what to do next or keep you motivated throughout your learning. When you achieve your qualification, why not celebrate your success and share your good news, tips and ideas with other learners in the learndirect community? Top tip Have a look at the My next steps section of your learning planner as you progress through your learning. It ll keep you informed, inspire you with ideas and encourage you to keep going when your goal seems a long way off! 14
How to contact us Got a question about your course? Call us on 08000 925 101 if you ve got any questions about your learning, or if you re stuck on your course and need a hand. Got computer problems while trying to do your learning? Call us on 0800 101 901 if you ve got a question about using your computer for learning. If it costs to call 0800/08000 numbers from your mobile, then just give us a call on 0116 366 7500. Our helplines are open: Monday to Friday 8am 9pm. Saturday 9am 6pm. Sunday 10am 6pm. Typetalk service is available for learners who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired. Information available in different formats Information may be available in different formats on request. If you have a question or would like to request a different format please email translation@learndirect.co.uk Many internet users with disabilities find websites difficult to use simply because of the way websites are designed. We have a responsibility under the Disability Discrimination Act to ensure our pages are accessible to all and we take this responsibility very seriously. The learndirect website is designed to comply with the World Wide Web Consortium s Web Accessibility Initiative (W3CWAI) Level 2 (AA) guidelines as a minimum, but where possible we comply with the Higher Level 3 (AAA) guidelines. Online survey Don t forget to give us your feedback We want to make sure you always have a great experience learning with us. We ll send you regular emails throughout your learning so you can take part in our surveys. This way you can let us know what s good and what we may need to do better. Each survey is very short (it only takes a few minutes), anonymous and really helpful to us, so please give us your feedback. 15
0800 101 901 learndirect.co.uk learndirect Ltd. August 2012. All rights reserved. learndirect is a registered trademark of learndirect Ltd. IH/467/V05 All information correct at time of going to press. *Subject to minimum PC/Mac specification, see our website for up-to-date information on learndirect minimum specifications.