Online Education Resource Center

Adult education and computer literacy

voonkiong@gmail.com (Dr.Liew Voon Kiong) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 15:10:00 +0000

Since personal computers were developed and popularised, they have become important tools in making life easier for human beings in conducting their daily work and activities . With the help of computers, we can perform our tasks faster and better. Computer is especially efficient in number crunching; it can process data billion times faster than human being does. Computers today have artificial intelligence, because not only they can perform mathematical calculations, they can also perform much more complex tasks like words processing, translation, database management, managing communications through networks, handling multimedia applications and games, architectural design and more. Computers are also widely used in the education sector to assist learning. Educators around the globe are using computers to teach their students. With the advent of the Internet, people are able to learn at home through the use of online courseware. Therefore, computer literacy is a must for students today in order to acquire knowledge. It is even so for adult students as they often learn online without the physical presence of their lecturers or teachers.

Some people might wonder are books in printed form still relevant in this ICT age? Do books still play an important role in education? To me, the answer is a big "YES". Books are still popular and still are important sources of knowledge for academic studies. However, in this Internet age, a lot of books are being converted into digital form and distributed in electronic media like the CD ROM and the Internet, which make knowledge more easily accessible and affordable too. So, there is no question that computer literacy is a must for adult education; the question is to what extent should adult know about computer? There are many levels of computer literacy, from basic skills like using the computer as a typewriter, surfing the Internet, burning DVD, downloading files, playing online games to more advanced skills like computer programming, graphics design, hardware maintenance, website development and much more. To make things easier for adults to learn how to use the computer, I think they just need to learn some basic skills. I would recommend that they should know the following skills:

(i) Basic windows skills like looking for a file in a particular folder.

(ii) Words processing using MS Words or other text editors.

(iii) Spreadsheet like MS Excel for automated calculations.

(iv) Scanning and Printing

v) Surfing the Internet using a browser like the IE, Firefox or Chrome.

(vi) Emailing and instant messaging.

(vii) Downloading and uploading files.

(viii) Scanning and Printing digital documents.

(ix) Burning CD or DVD

All the above skills are essential for online and offline learning. For example, an adult learner should know how to download lecture notes and other reference materials from the Internet. He or she also should know how to communicate with his or her lecturer through emails or instant messaging. Besides, the adult learner should know how to do the assignments using a word processor or a spreadsheet, and upload them to the lecturer for assessment. Scanning and printing documents are also important skills in academic studies today, because while most of the documents are in digital form, most of the colleges or universities still require students to submit assignments in printed form, particularly the final thesis or dissertation.

Mastering the ICT skills is not difficult, but it is not easy either. So how should an adult who is going back to school or college to study again prepare himself or herself in terms of computer skills? From my own experience, I think the most important ingredient is to have a positive attitude in learning new skills, including computer knowledge. I have gone back to universities to study for my master degree at the age of 43 and later PHD at the age of 47. Both programs required considerable ICT skills and knowledge. From searching for online journals, conducting online survey to analysis of data using statistical software such as SPSS is not for the faint hearted people. I would not have pulled through with flying colours if I have not made efforts earlier in learning computer skills.

I started learning computer at the age of about 37 years old, back in 1994, where the Internet was just picking up its momentum. In the beginning, I had computer phobia not unlike most people who are starting to learn computer. However, I was willing to ASK questions whenever I encounter problems. I was not afraid to learn from people much younger than me, even from my students. I might be a teacher but in terms of computer knowledge the students are my teachers. Over a period of about five years I have learned how to assemble a PC, handle words processing, creating web site, doing Visual Basic programming, database management, multimedia presentation and even written a book on computer programming. And those efforts paid off. Now, my computer knowledge is comparable to most youngsters, if not better, and certainly it has helped me a lot in achieving the pinnacle in my academic studies.

In a nutshell, computer literacy is crucial in adult education, as the education sector has increasingly integrated ICT in delivering courses, either off-line or online. With many libraries going online and the emergence of blogging, the Internet has become a huge repository of knowledge and information, and you must be computer literate to access those knowledge and information. This is especially true for adults who are going back to college to study; you need ICT skills to conduct online research, because most likely you have no access to a physical library. And the amount of scholarly articles is more abundant in the Internet than a physical library, and it is much easier to search for the articles too. So, my advice to those friends who are going to study again, invest some time and money in learning computer skills before registering for an academic program, it will pay off later.

Online Degree Courses

voonkiong@gmail.com (Dr.Liew Voon Kiong) — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 08:31:00 +0000

Welcome 2009! Happy new year everyone!

The year 2008 has not been a very encouraging year, particularly in the financial sector. The sub prime loans issues and the subsequent economic crisis have made life difficult for many people worldwide. Stock markets are down and many big companies and individuals gone bankrupt overnight. The surviving corporations are struggling with huge debts. As a result, retrenchment become a common cost cutting strategy, thus resulting in high unemployment rate!

So, for those of who are jobless now, what should you do? I believe having positive thinking is very important in facing this difficult situation. Better still if you can take steps to add value to yourself because by the time the economy improves, you will be in a good position to get a better job. And I am sure the economy with definitely improve, it is a matter of time.What better way to add value to yourself than going back to college again to earn a degree !

Many might argue that you have no money to pay for the fees as you are not earning an income now. However, I believe many of you have enough savings to pull you through the crisis. Moreover, you could get some part-time or contract jobs to earn some money. The good news is joining a degree program is no longer as costly as the olden days, where only the elite few can attend colleges. The Internet has made education more accessible and more affordable. You can earn a degree now in the comfort of your home while paying only a fraction of the fees compare the traditional degree courses.

On the other hand, you should be careful when searching for an online course. Some people got cheated of their hard earned money after paying fees to an online university only to find out that it was a scam. So you must do a thorough research before registering for an online program.

I have done some research the other day and found some resources that could be useful for those of you who are interested to do an online course. One of them is the Full Sail university. If you're looking for a career in music, film, video games, design, animation, entertainment business, or Internet marketing, you can join one of their programs. However, not all their programs are online. Check it out yourself at Full Sail University. Another is a directory that lists universities and colleges that offer online courses, this might be a good starting point for you, the website is

http://www.worldwidelearn.com

This one is very interesting , it has a list of many FREE online courses, including the free course from Massachusetts Institute of Technology! The website is

http://education-portal.com/articles/Universities_with_the_Best_Free_Online_Courses.html

If you want to go straight to the MIT free course website , click MITOPENCOURSEWARE

That much for today, hope you will be successful in joining an online course.

Tips for Going Back to School at an Older Age

voonkiong@gmail.com (Dr.Liew Voon Kiong) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 14:31:00 +0000

As the average life span of human beings is being extended due to better health care today, the world is facing a lot of challenges brought about by the aging population. One of the biggest problems is to find enough employments for the senior people, because they need to remain productive as well as to earn a living for themselves. In order for a senior person to be employable, he needs to have relevant skills and knowledge. Therefore, a lot of older folks are going back to schools and colleges to acquire latest knowledge and skills so that they will remain relevant in the latest job market, particularly in the field of ICT. Although going back to learn new knowledge at an older age might sounds very interesting to many people, actually doing it is not easy, it could be an uphill task for many people because older people are generally weaker physically, they might not have enough energy to complete the whole program. However, as a person who has obtained a master degree and a doctoral degree at a relative older age(I got my master of management degree at 43 and my doctor of business administration degree at the age of 47),I dare to say that we older people can perform just as well as the younger folks. So, let me share with you the tips and secrets for older people to succeed in an academic program normally designed for the younger folks.

To me, the most important ingredient we older folks must have is to be physically and mentally prepared before we join any academic program, be it an undergraduate or a post-graduate program. Keeping fit physically and mentally is very important because it will allow us to have energy to pull through the whole program. I keep myself physically fit by playing tennis almost everyday and that made me nearly as fit as those twenty something people. On the other hand, I keep myself mentally alert by playing chess, reading, designing web site, writing and mix around with young people. So for those of you who are forty something and above and thinking of going back to school or college to study, and you have not been exercising and involving in mental activities for quite sometime, you better do something now. In addition, you must also be psychologically ready to join any academic program. If you are not prepared psychologically, you might face a lot of stress later. So, you need to persuade yourself to think positive and believe that you can succeed in the program.

The next thing you should do is to search for an academic program that you think you are interested in. Doing something you are not interested in could be very dull and boring, and you won't have the motivation to learn. Searching for an interesting program is very easy nowadays with the abundance amount of information available at the World Wide Web. You should also examine the feasibility of the program from your point of view, for instance the location of the school or college should not too far away from your home, and whether it can provides a distance learning option as well as affordability of the program as you might still need money to support your family and your children's education. As for me, I got a government scholarship to do master program and I was getting my full salary during that period, so affordability is not a problem then. Although it caused some inconvenience for my family, I managed to complete my master program with excellent results, scoring distinction in almost all the subjects as I was mentally and physically prepared. After finishing my master program, I spent about one year to search for a suitable doctoral program, I came across an offshore program offered by the University of South Australia (UniSA). Offshore program means that instead for the students go overseas, the university will send its lecturers here to conduct weekend classes every now and then, so it is very convenient for the working adults like us.

In addition, you should be prepared to put in a lot of hard works in your study. You should be 100% committed and you must be willing to learn from anybody and any sources, even from the younger people, don't let your ego becomes your mental block to learning. Asking questions can actually help you to learn a great deal as well as save time and effort. As for me, I learn by asking a lot of questions in the class, which allow me to acquire 80% of the knowledge taught by the lecturer, and I only need to acquire the other 20% by studying at home. In this way, I could find a lot of free time to relax myself, including playing tennis at the campus. Group discussion is also very important. Although your group members might be much younger, you should treat them as your peers so don't feel shy to participate actively in the discussion; you may find that you are much more knowledgeable than many of them. Other than working hard, you should also work smart. Working smart means try to find some ways that can help you to understand certain concepts better. I like to use diagrams to connect the concepts and that help me to grasp abstract ideas much better. On the other hand, if you are doing research and need to prepare a dissertation or thesis, you must work closely with your supervisor and you should be able to accept any comment from him or her without ill feeling, even though you might not feel nice, but patient is an important ingredient for success. On top of that, time management is very important for you as you might need to juggle between work, family and study.

Last but not least, you need a lot of family support in order to finish the program successfully, especially from your spouse. Your family can provide a cushion when you feel that you are down because you could not make any progress in your study, this is the time your family can give you the support. I got 100% support from my wife and my children while I was doing my master and doctoral program, so I am very grateful to them, without them I might have dropped out halfway. I hope that the tips mentioned above can motivate you to work harder if you are already following a program, and for those of you who are still indecisive whether to sign up for an academic program, you would sign up as soon as possible.

Welcome to Online Education Resource Center

voonkiong@gmail.com (Dr.Liew Voon Kiong) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 22:54:00 +0000

Hi, welcome to visit my blog.

Education is an important aspect of human society. With education, human race can overcome problems and prosper! And education today is no more exclusive, it is no more cater just for the elite groups. With the advent of the Internet, everyone can have access to education. It is also more affordable now for anyone to obtain a degree or diploma, and even free education. And It is very convenient now to join an educational program as you can do it online, in the comfort of your room.

I am starting this blog to share my experience as well as to guide anyone who need to know more information about education, particular the degree and postgraduate programs. I hope you can also help this blog to grow by providing your own info and experiences, and together we shall build a good online learning center for everyone!

I will start the blog by focusing on doing research. Research is an important part of any study, especially at the postgraduate level. Many students find it difficult to conduct a research in almost every stage , from preparing the research proposal to collection of data. Therefore, I will focus on this area will the aim to help more people to overcome the fear in doing research. Therefore, I am created an online research guide. You can view this guide at Academic Research Portal . It is still under construction but I will try my best to complete it as soon as possible.

Lastly, I wish everyone Happy learning!