Learning about Nutrition online
I realised a while back that people who have successfully changed what they eat to create healthier lifestyles, have invested some time in learning about nutrition.
I have taken note, and if you follow my Facebook page, you will know I have recently been learning about the basics of nutrition on the Shaw Academy Professional Diploma in Nutrition course.
I recently finished the first month; there are actually 4 months in total at the end of which you can get a full diploma with level 5 recognition on the European Qualification Framework. Check here if you are not sure what that means and want to know more.
My goal has been to learn about the basics, I don’t aim to become a fully qualified nutritionist, but I am now extremely tempted to just put in the extra 3 months to get a level 5 qualification. I don’t know anywhere else at all where you can get that kind of qualification for the price they are asking.
Where they really excel though, is that you don’t pay per course, you pay to become a member and that allows you to do all the other courses they offer. You can learn about photography, digital marketing, web design, financial trading and investment, and loads of other amazing topics.
I digress though, let me get back to the nutrition course. After doing a lot of research into online courses, one of the reasons I chose this one is that I know how I learn best; especially online. I need engagement, not just reading pdfs. I also like engaging with, and learning from others.
I have previously bought courses where I have just watched PowerPoints go by and read a few booklets. I usually last a few hours and give up. So let me tell you what I liked about this course.
What I liked
1. The course has classes that are called live webinars, so you have a ‘sense’ of engaging with a live teacher.
2. The webinar has a chat feature so you can ask questions. You can also talk to other students online directly via the chat feature. A sense of being in a group, learning with others really motivates me.
3. Most of the content was of interest, and I learned stuff that interested me.
4. The webinars are held at a regular time, twice a week. This is a stroke of genius for me, because so many online courses sell themselves as being ‘flexible’ – ‘Study anywhere, anytime!’
Well, having worked in education for 20 years, I can tell you this is a myth. You cannot study ‘anytime’, you have to study sometime!
Research tells us, and my personal experience backs this up, that most people end up studying at a similar time every week, because they need the routine so they can block off the time. Otherwise, it never happens. As it turns out, most people like the rigour of having a fixed, regular time to study.
This regular time of study has also been shown to be better for learning; it allows assimilation and consolidation. So, 1 hour twice a week over a month, is better than a burst of 8 hours once a month.
5. If you do happen to miss the webinar, you can watch it again in your own time. So best of both worlds!
6. The booklets and presentation slides that you get access to, were well presented and professionally made.
7. There are tasks to do and there is some assessment, so you are motivated to review the notes, and it is this reviewing that helps consolidate learning.
8. You have the option of doing a 30-day free trial to see if it is for you.
What could be slightly better
1. The chat box in the live webinars is usually answered by a bot (i.e. a robot), so you rarely get to engage with the teacher. I would like more engagement with the teacher.
2. The chat feature allows you to engage with other students. This aspect should be exploited even more, allowing us to do or discuss tasks together, maybe setting time to do this.
In fact, setting up some kind of a forum where students can either post or chat would be great, as there is so much to learn from other learners.
If you have ever done a MOOC, you will have experienced the learning and fun of engaging with other students. Admittedly, on MOOCS this is sometimes overwhelming because there can be too many other students. But when you are buddied up with someone to do a task, it’s great. When you get feedback from other students, it’s great.
You may have gathered by now, that I am not a believer that the teacher is the possessor of all knowledge whose job it is to pour that knowledge into the student’s head!
Far from it, learning really happens, not only when we get knowledge from experts, but also when we…
- Analyse and evaluate knowledge
- Discuss that knowledge with others
- Create new ideas, articulate and share them
- Reflect on what we are leaning
3. Although I was told I could email the teacher directly, I always got a reply from a support member of staff. More access to the teacher would be better, but of course, I realise this costs. I am sure they could not offer this course at such a cheap price if they included regular access to a teacher. This would put the price up, but it is something I would be prepared to pay for.
4. The fact that there is assessment is good, but it tends to be the multiple choice type test. Of course, this is easy to set up, and is cheap. Again, I am aware of this, but I would pay more to have a more effective assessment. Partly, because I know assessment, if done well, can be such a powerful drive to support learning, not just to test what you know.
Summary
I was pleased with my experience. The Shaw Academy offers excellent value for money. There are some areas for improvement for me, but I recognise that better features require more money.
Their support service was very good, and I was pleased to see they are continually evolving their model to improve it, based on feedback. This has to be one of the most important things for any company offering learning online. As such, I see a bright future for the Shaw Academy, so much so that I have chosen to become an affiliate for them.
For me, life-long learning is probably the best investment of money you can ever make. You learn, you grow, you can find new career paths and make friends on the way.
If you want to explore the courses The Shaw Academy have on offer, you can follow the link below, and find a course for you, sign up and you will engaging with great content and other students before you know it.
Find out more about the Shaw Academy!
Good luck!