Online courses directory (801)

This free Business Skills course introduces the learner to the world of corporate management. Using an interactive presentation style, the lessons go through the characteristics of large businesses, management functions within a business, and the corporate business environment.<br /><br /><br />This free management course also covers large business structures, management styles, and approaches to managing change in a large, dynamic organisation. <br /><br /><br />The course is a useful introduction to those who wish to learn and understand more about how large businesses and organisations operate.<br />

The free online course General Duty Assistant introduces you to the role of a General Duty Assistant and what it involves. <br /><br />As a General Duty Assistant your role involves assistance to nurses and doctors delivering medical care to patients being treated in the hospital. In addition to the assistance to the doctors, you also a play a crucial role in patient care. You will be supporting the patient in the management of their day to day activities during their stay in the hospital.<br /><br />This course gives you all the information you need in order to perform effectively as a General Duty Assistant. You will be introduced to the hospital system with a focus on the structure and services that are delivered in the hospital. You will learn the necessary precautions you will need to follow while delivering patient care. <br /><br />This free online course is designed to equip you with the basic knowledge with a focus on skills to manage the patient.<br /><br />You will be introduced to the different areas of the role of the General Duty Assistant including: <br />- Transportation of the patient into the hospital and from one ward to the other as needed.<br />- Aid and support the patient in managing personal hygiene.<br />- Support the nurses while administering drugs and drawing samples.<br />- Handling and management of hospital equipment including medical and surgical equipment.<br />- Help the patient while feeding and eliminating wastes excreted.<br />- Note and report clinical observations such as body temperature, breathing rate.<br />- Ensure that patients are kept as comfortable as possible.<br /><br />This free online course will be of great interest to you if you would like to learn more about the role of the General Duty Assistant. It is also beneficial to you if you would like to learn more about how a hospital operates and serves patients.

The free online course C# Programming - Coding with C# Classes and Methods shows you in a step-by-step manner how to use methods and classes in C# code. You will also learn about namespaces and accessibility modifiers.<br /><br />The course begins by showing you how to use classes and methods in C# programming and how to declare a new instance of a class. You will also learn how to work with classes and inheritances in the .NET Framework class library. You will learn about constructors which have the same name as the class, and usually initialize the data members of the new object. You will learn about constructor overloading, the name given to constructors with different sets of parameters. You will learn about inheritance which is the ability to create a class from another class, the &quot;parent&quot; class, extending the functionality and state of the parent in the derived or &quot;child&quot; class.<br /><br />You will learn about the FileStream class, which supports both synchronous and asynchronous read and write operations. You will learn how to code in C# using namespaces which are C# program elements designed to help you organize your programs. You will learn about the StreamReader class which implements a TextReader that reads characters from a byte stream in a particular encoding. You will also learn about scope and its use in C# programming. Finally, you will learn how to utilize the accessibility modifiers Public and Private.<br /><br />This free C# programming course will be of great interest to all learners who would like study a step-by-step introduction to coding using C# classes and methods and how to use Visual Studio Express for programming software applications.<br />

In the free online course Advertising Your Business Online you will learn about the different options available for advertising businesses online. You will learn about ways in which online advertising can be used to promote a business and reach a wider audience compared with traditional advertising approaches. Advertising online can help your business reach new customers and increase brand awareness. <br /><br />The course begins by introducing you to the process of social advertising. You will learn how using social networks for advertising can be an effective and relatively cheap way to market your business. You will learn different rules that need to be followed when conducting social advertising. You will be introduced to suitable social advertising platforms that you can use to promote your business.<br /><br />Next, you will learn about online display advertising. You will learn how to use online display advertising as part of your business’s advertising campaign. You will learn about a number of different approaches that you can take which all have different areas that need to be considered before deciding the best approach for you.<br /><br />Finally, you will be introduced to the process of search engine optimization (SEO). You will learn how to use search engine optimization to maximize the number of relevant visitors to your website. You will also learn about many pitfalls and barriers that are involved with search engine optimization. You will learn how to test how effective search engine optimization has been in promoting your website. <br /><br />This free course will be of great interest to business professionals, entrepreneurs, and anyone who wants to start advertising their business online.<br />

The free online course Alternative Dispute Resolution: How ADR Programs Succeed introduces you to the broad range of systems that operate under the rubric of alternative dispute resolution (ADR). This course presents you with the potential uses and benefits of ADR and the conditions under which ADR programs can succeed. <br /><br />This course begins by introducing you to ADR and shows you the different ways in which ADR can help accomplish rule of law objectives, such as supporting court reform and by-passing ineffective or discredited courts. The course will present the limitations associated with ADR programs and will then explain to you the background conditions necessary for ADR programs to succeed. <br /><br />The course will then focus on the program design considerations that are important for ADR programs. Within this section of the course, you will learn about planning and preparing an effective ADR program with regard to dispute resolution needs, ADR goals, and many more features that may arise during this phase of preparing for ADR. In this section, you will also learn about operations and implementations associated with ADR programs including why you should create support services to overcome user barriers and establish effective procedures for program evaluation. You will also learn how cultural norms may influence the design of appropriate evaluation systems.<br /><br />The course will conclude by explaining taxonomy in ADR including basic ADR models and examples of hybrid ADR models. This section will also provide you with relevant case studies that will show you concrete examples of ADR in action and different strategies used to cater to different situations. <br />

The free online course Nursing Studies - Clinical Skills: Caring for Cardiovascular Patients introduces you to the knowledge and skills necessary to provide effective clinical care and assistance to cardiovascular surgical patients that you may find in your care. The course begins by examining the anatomy and physiology of the cardiovascular system. You will learn about the role that each organ has in cardiovascular function and examine the most common factors that cause these organs to become diseased within the body. You will study a range of procedures which doctors use to determine whether or not a patient is in need of cardiovascular surgery. You will then review the duties that nurses must perform to ensure that their patients are both physically and mentally prepared for such clinical procedures and are comfortable after they are carried out. This section concludes by examining a range of cardiovascular disorders which you are likely to encounter as part of your clinical nursing career. The course then introduces you to the most common complications experienced by patients after cardiovascular surgery. Here you will learn how to identify the signs and symptoms of a variety of complications and the clinical action that is needed after the symptoms have been identified. You will also examine the clinical implications that such complications can have on the nursing care you provide to your patients. This free online nursing studies course will be of great interest to all health care professionals who would like to learn more about the clinical care of cardiovascular patients. The course will also be of great interest to any learner who is planning a career in the area of nursing or other areas of the health care sector.<br />

A good understanding of Information Technology (IT) is of vital importance for any manager in today’s modern workplace. Effective management and implementation of IT resources have now become routine tasks for many middle and senior managers. The impact of IT is constantly changing the structure of business organisations and new forms of technology can mean new customer relationships and new forms of commerce. Information is now a major asset to business corporations and information management affects both daily decision making and the implementation of major strategies within a business. This free online course introduces the learner to IT and information systems in the workplace. The course outlines the nature of IT and the uses and systems IT presents in the workplace. The course also explains the changes that technology brings to the workplace, and the manager’s role in creating and controlling these changes. This course will be of great interest to management professionals who would like a better understanding of the role IT plays in business organisations, and it will also be of interest to learners who would like to learn more about managing information systems.<br />

Installing electrical wiring is an integral part of an electrician's job. Working with electrical wiring involves working with device boxes, raceways, conductors, and cables. This free online course will introduce the learner to the basics of the electrical wiring system. From explaining the key installation procedures for electrical device boxes and raceways to outlining the correct technique for using hand-benders to bend conduits, this course covers the essential requirements of the job. The course also provides information on metal conduit fittings and some common types of fasteners used to attach raceway supports. Besides this, the course includes a list of commonly used terms associated with electrical wiring. The course will be of great interest to all professionals who would like to learn about the electrical wiring system. It will also be of interest to all learners who are interested in developing a career in the field and learning the practical aspects of the trade. If you are interested in a career in construction, you may find this course of general professional interest. If you always thought you would like to know more about electrical systems, then this might just be the opportunity you have been waiting for to learn more.<br />

The free online course Journalism and Print Media introduces you to the editorial and journalistic practices used in gathering and publishing news articles for print media.<br /><br />The course begins by introducing the history and development of print media with a focus on newspapers and their impact as mass media. You will learn about the different factors affecting newspaper circulation and profitability, and how modern media organizations are combating this with newspaper ownership chains and Joint Operating Agreements (JOAs). You will learn how a decline in readership can be traced to competition with blogs and online newspapers. The course also describes different journalism styles such as objective journalism, interpretive journalism, and literary journalism, and how they influence reporting styles.<br /><br />Next, you will learn about the different magazine types and the developmental history of the magazine industry. You will learn about the specialization of different magazine publications, how they target certain population demographics and how they influence popular trends and culture. Also covered is the way magazine publications dictate not only which articles and stories get published but also how they are presented. <br /><br />Finally, you are introduced to the role editors play in the print media industry, the different types of editor and their function in the newsroom. You will learn about editorial manipulation and its impact on the functioning of a fair and just society. You will learn about editorial bias which is the suppression or distortion of important facts, and how it should be fought by media organizations through a process of checks and balances. The function of producers and sub-editors in the newsroom is also explored.<br /><br />This course will be of great interest to journalists and publishing professionals who want to develop their understanding of the print media industry and how they can develop the skills needed to research, prepare and publish news articles.<br />

The free online course Introduction to Conflict Management and Negotiation introduces you to the different types of conflict that can occur in your work and personal life, reasons why conflict can arise, and various conflict-handling styles to help you effectively manage conflict. This course will also present you with the knowledge and skills necessary to have successful negotiations including how to avoid common mistakes in negotiation.<br /><br />The course begins by explaining what conflict is. You will learn about the various types of conflict that can occur and the level of conflict that is most effective for high performance. You will study potential root causes of conflict arising within a workplace and the positive and negative outcomes of this conflict. You will then learn multiple ways on how to resolve organizational conflict and the most common styles people have for handling conflict. This section concludes by explaining how an awareness of our emotions and thoughts are important for the success of managing conflict and the key to keeping disagreements healthy. <br /><br />The course then introduces you to the five stages of negotiation. You will study a detailed description of each stage including examples highlighting the relevance of each stage. You will learn about negotiation strategies as well as how to avoid common mistakes that could negatively impact the result of your negotiation. From here, you will learn about third-party negotiations and alternative dispute resolutions recognising when it is time to enlist a third-party negotiator. You will then learn about ethics and negotiations. This section will explain how you can effectively negotiate with people from around the world and different cultures without insulting cultural traditions. To conclude this section of the course, you will learn about tips for negotiating success and also steps you can take to negotiate for a higher salary.<br /><br />This course will be of great interest to professionals working in the areas of conflict management, negotiations and human resources. It will also be of great interest to all learners who would like to learn more about the various types of conflict that can occur and the negotiation skills that can be used to manage conflict.

In this course you will learn how to account for and manage receivables and payables. For the receivables you will learn how to calculate a bad debt provision amount based on a company’s history using both the aging schedule and the allowance method. The bad debt amount for the financial reports is then managed by posting that provision, and then processing the realized loss of revenue when it becomes overdue. On the payables side you will learn how to make provision for known liabilities, estimate liabilities such as warranty liabilities and how to plan for the contingent liabilities mostly resulting from legal issues. The course also looks at raising short term finance through the use of promissory notes – distinguishing between interest bearing notes and discounted notes with examples of calculations of the postings for each. You will also learn about accounting for notes that are dishonored. The final section explains the use of the accounts receivable turnover and the number of days’ sales in accounts receivables ratios and the relevance of the level of liquidity they represent. This free online accounting course will be of great interest to entrepreneurs and business professionals who would like to better understand, manage and account for the receivables and payables, and to any learner who is interested in accounting as a future career.<br />

This is a continuation of our series of accounting courses that will greatly increase your knowledge and understanding of the theory of accounting and accounting practices. This free online accounting course explains the processes used to close your accounts at the end of an accounting period, from creating a worksheet that facilitates the generation of the Income Statement and Retained Earnings statement to the generation of the Balance sheet. You will also be shown how a Classified Balance sheet is broken down into current and long-term assets and liabilities. The important Current Ratio figure is calculated and explained in context. You will also learn a little about the history of accounting systems and the impact of computerization on the process. This free online accounting course will be of great interest to entrepreneurs and business professionals who would like to get a thorough introduction to accounting principles, and to any learner who is interested in accounting as a future career.<br />

English is the international language of business and opens up many opportunities to non-native speakers. Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) instructors provide a valuable service to immigrants in English-speaking countries. This free online course introduces the essential learning theories and practices needed to be a TESL instructor. The course details the needs of adult ESL learners, the learning styles of students, and how to facilitate intercultural communication in the classroom. Following this, it describes the activities and exercises that increase student comprehension of the English language. Finally it explains how to prepare for and conduct a lesson including creating a lesson plan, classroom management, and conducting tests. This free online course is ideal for fluent English speakers who wish to teach the English language in an English-speaking country. It will also be of interest to people who are considering teaching English as a foreign language or anyone who wants to know more about teaching and learning theories. <br />

An Information System is a man-made system that facilitates an organization’s operational functions and supports management decision making by providing information that managers can use to plan and control the activities of the firm. This free online course in Information Systems enables the learner to explore the system’s components, explain elements in the study of Information Systems, identify what a business process is and explain the features of quality information. The course will be of interest to business professionals who would like to gain a basic knowledge and understanding of Information Systems.<br />

Proper grammar is essential to communicating well in English. ALISON's free online English diploma course introduces the fundamental aspects of English grammar and explains how they should be applied in written and spoken English.<br /><br />The first section of this course explains the role of grammar in English. Following this, the importance of punctuation is described. The online English grammar course also explains the different parts of speech and the role they play in English sentences. Finally, the course introduces all of the tenses used in the English language through well-produced videos.<br /><br />This free online English grammar course is ideal for English language students who wish to complement their vocabulary and phrases with a greater understanding of grammar. It is also suitable for native English speakers who want to revise their grammar or learn to communicate more effectively.<br />

There is an old saying that the two certainties in life are death and taxes. In this free online course aspects of personal taxation and corporate taxation are reviewed with an emphasis on the US taxation system. In this course you will learn how to calculate tax rates on personal income and what the difference between tax deductions and tax credits is. You will also learn about estate tax and how it is calculated and how to calculate both federal and state taxes. You will also learn how the taxation system affects limited liability corporations. This course will be of great interest to all learners who would like more information about how the taxation system can affect both the private individual and corporations and businesses. <br />

Knowing your market accurately and completely is a prerequisite for successful marketing. In this free online course three important concepts related to the topic of markets are presented: Defining the nature of markets, identifying the types of markets, and a discussion of product differentiation and market segmentation. This course will be of great interest to marketing and business professionals who wish to refresh the basics of marketing and to learners who are interested in business and wish to have a greater knowledge and understanding of the role marketing plays in the modern business world.<br />

In this free online course Python Programming - Working with Complex Decisions and Events you will learn about creating and using if statements, and checking multiple conditions using elif statements. You will also learn about creating and using for loops and while loops, and the mistakes that can happen when creating and using loops.<br /><br />The course begins by introducing you to if statements which are used to check conditions and make decisions with your code. You will learn about the constraints when checking your if statements, different ways to write an if statement and using the else statement for when the if statement in not true. You will learn about adding an if statement to check multiple conditions with the elif statement. You will also learn how to order elif and if statements for your code to work correctly, and how to combine conditions with the logic operators and &amp; or.<br /><br />Next, you will learn about loops and how to create a for loop. You will learn about nesting loops in loops and using a variable as the condition in the loop. You will learn about accessing the loop values and manually assigning values for each step in the loop. <br /><br />Finally, you will learn about creating and constructing while loops. You will learn about how a while loop functions. You will learn the difference between using a for and while loop as well as mistakes that can happen when you use loops in your code.<br /><br />This free Alison course will be of great interest to those learners who wish to get started in programming and improve their ability to write programs using the Python programming language.<br /><br />Prerequisites: You should have completed the previous two courses on programming with Python: 'Programming Concepts with Python' and 'Python Programming - Working with Numbers, Dates and Time'.<br />

In this free online course Python Programming - Working with Numbers, Dates and Time you will introduced to mathematical operations, converting variable types and using dates in and time in your code.<br /><br />The course begins by introducing you to storing numeric variables in your code. You learn about the difference between creating a numeric variable compared to creating a string. You will learn about preforming mathematical operations in your code, and formatting your numbers and printing them on screen. You will also learn about getting the user to input numbers and converting that input to work with your numeric variables and mathematical operations. <br /><br />Next, you will learn about working with dates and time. You will learn about importing libraries into your project so you can use their functions and methods. You will learn about obtaining and displaying today's date. You will learn how to format your dates and the different date formats to display the dates. You will learn about the functions which are included in the Datetime library and converting user input to a date format. You will learn about working with time and how it uses many of the same functions dates would but with specific parameters for time.<br /><br />This free Alison course will be of great interest to those learners who wish to get started in programming and improve their ability to write programs using the Python programming language.<br /><br />Prerequisites: You should have completed previous course in this series: Introduction to Programming with Python.

Bitcoin is a type of digital currency that can be used in electronic payment systems. It is a crypto-currency that relies on sophisticated cryptographic methods to create and manage the currency. In this free online course you will be introduced to Bitcoin and you will be guided through the features and functions of this currency system. You will learn how cryptographic hash functions allow the secure transfer of bitcoins across the Internet and how transactions are secured using Bitcoin miners. This free online course will be of great interest to all entrepreneurs and business people who would like a greater understanding of how Bitcoin functions and how it may be used in electronic payment systems. The course will also be of interest to all learners who may have heard of Bitcoin and would like to learn more about it.<br />