How to Find Your Way through a Learning Portal

Ever since Internet users discovered online courses, learning portals have been sprouting up like mushrooms all over the Web. A learning portal is an opening to a collection of off-the-shelf courses from different vendors. Individual learners can sign up, pay for and take a variety of courses at a single site.

Some learning portals focus on computer and technical courses while others offer a mix of topics related to corporate training and professional development. A few sites cover consumer topics. Brandon Hall, Ph.D. includes several links to learning portals in his article "One Stop Shopping: Learning Portals Proliferate."

A learning portal makes it easier for users to locate online courses. You can find tutorials, training programs and academic courses. Some learning portals offer books and discussion groups too.

However, there is something else you should know about learning portals. They are in business to sell vendors' courses. Just as competition exists in every marketplace, learning portals are competing for your money in the online marketplace. Individual courses can cost anywhere from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars.

Being well informed will help you make the best buying decision for your learning needs. Approach the buying of online learning just like anything else you would purchase on the Web.

Here are some things to consider in using a learning portal to find online courses:

Who are the learning portal's vendors/partners? Some portals have agreements with specific vendors or partners to resell their courses, while others may have a wider selection of vendor courses in their collection.

Who are the course providers? In the e-learning marketplace, you'll find major providers you've heard of as well as some smaller publishers that you haven't. Click2learn.com (formerly Asymetrix Learning Systems) provides individual course developers with free software and encourages them to sell their courses at its learning portal.

Do vendors provide demos of their course offerings? Can you try before you buy?

Does the vendor expect you to take the course within a specified time period? Do you have to take it now or within 30 days after purchase?

Does the vendor offer online technical support if you have problems while taking the course?

Hopefully, these tips will help you find your way through a learning portal without getting lost in the marketplace.

In my next article, I'll provide some tips on how to choose the right online course for you.

The copyright of the article How to Find Your Way through a Learning Portal in Training & Development is owned by Audrey Choden. Permission to republish How to Find Your Way through a Learning Portal in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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