Online courses directory (801)

In this free online course Managing Customers Using Technology you will be introduced to customer relationship management (CRM) and how it can help your business grow. You will learn how CRM technology can let you manage customers on the go. You will also learn about nurturing your customers and the importance of replying to customer queries and requests in a reasonable time. <br /><br />The course begins by introducing you to Customer Relationship Management (CRM) fundamentals and why the customer must be at the centre of any business. You will learn about the four stages of CRM and what is involved in each of the stages. <br /><br />Next, the course teaches you about campaign management, what it is for and how it can help your business. You will learn about leveraging technology to add value to your customers' experience and how technology can enable your corporate strategy. You will learn about managing your customers’ expectations of your response time.<br /><br />This free Alison course will be of great interest to small businesses, start-ups and entrepreneurs looking for effective ways to manage customer relationships.<br />

In this free online course Introduction to Computer Network Security you will learn about security in your computer network. You will learn about the core principles of security and physical security. You will learn about the different authentication process your system. You will learn about user rights and permissions. You will learn about tracking users in the system. You will learn about creating proper passwords and common attacks used by hacker to get your passwords.<br /><br />The course begins by introducing you to the core principles of computer network security. You will learn about privilege levels and what the attack surfaces involve. You will learn about social engineering and people gaining access to system through that. The course teaches you about the four parts of risk management, and about physical security as the first line of defence. You will also learn about the different layers of physical security.<br /><br />Next, the course reviews authentication. You will learn about the different methods of authentication, setting rights and permissions for users. You will also learn about sharing folders and files. You will learn about tracking user with auditing and about encrypting your data.<br /><br />Finally, the course reviews issues around password security. You will learn about common password attacks, what a keylogger and sniffers are, and how to create complex passwords that increase security. You will learn about setting up an account lockout for when a user incorrectly attempts to login to your system.<br /><br />This course would be of great interest to IT specialists, computing students, computer network engineers and those who wish to learn more about network and computer security.

In this free online course Network Server Security - Protecting the Server and Client Computers you will be introduced to practices and procedures for securing your computer network. <br /><br />The course begins by introducing you to firewalls in a computer system and/or network. You will learn about the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model and its seven layers. The course then teaches you about the different types of firewalls. You will learn about different network access methods and technologies to help secure them. You will also be introduced to traps for hackers and isolating computers from the network with VLANs. You will learn about different protocols for securing communications within and outside the network.<br /><br />Next, you will be introduced to different malicious software that can attack your computer/network. You will learn about malware, viruses, worms and more. The course teaches you about protecting your computer/network from malicious software, and what you can do to protect your email from spam and malicious intent. You will learn about Internet Explorer’s security features and how they can help protect your system.<br /><br />This course will be of great interest to those who wish to further their knowledge of network and server security.<br />

This free online course Communication Skills - Persuasion and Motivation will introduce you to the art of persuasion, and motivation techniques for both yourself and others. The course will look at how persuasion impacts our daily lives, and discusses the differences between persuasion and manipulation. The course will also guide you through motivation theories.<br /><br />The course begins by introducing you to persuasion, how it impacts our daily lives, and the differences between persuasion and manipulation. Theories surrounding the art of persuasion will be examined in detail including manipulation, brainwashing, and Stockholm syndrome. You will also look at the role which persuasion plays in negotiation, and the difference between the two.<br /><br />Next, the course will introduce you to motivation theories, and you will also review techniques for motivating both yourself and others. You will look at the importance of motivation in leadership, and the motivation techniques which team leaders can utilize.<br /><br />This course will be of great interest to professionals who need to develop and use effective communication skills as part of their job, either with their customers or work colleagues. It will also be of interest to anyone who is hoping to enhance their daily lives through improving their persuasion and motivation skills. <br />

This free online course Diploma in Communication Skills will help you to understand the art of communication, perception, group dynamics, and persuasion. The course will look at the impact which these soft skills can have upon your daily life if used effectively.<br /><br />First, you will be introduced to the basics of communication. Concepts such as communication channels, interpretation, and barriers will be explained to you. You will also explore the basics of body language, and the context’s which affects your communications. <br /><br />You will also examine the important aspects of conversation. Listening is an important skill, and you will be walked through effective listening. You will also be shown techniques to help improve your listening ability and concentration. Speaking is also a vital part of conversation and the course will show you how to speak considerately and politely. The importance of silence within conversation is discussed, as is the importance of culture, context, and body language. <br /><br />You will be introduced to the basics of perception. Concepts such as visual culture and perception will be explored. You will also explore the basics of aural perception, and the impact which it can have upon your communicative relationships. <br /><br />You will also examine the important aspects of nonverbal communications. Nonverbal communication is an important skill, and you will be walked through its importance to communication. You will be look at the ways in which the body communicates, including concepts such as space and gestures. Facial expressions are also a vital part of nonverbal communication and the course will show you how to interpret facial expressions effectively. <br /><br />You will be introduced to the basics of building and maintaining relationships. Theories surrounding group dynamics will be examined in detail, including group structures and different types of group. You will also look at the different factors which can affect groups. <br /><br />You will also examine the important aspects of conflicts, including conflicts within groups. You will look at verbal and nonverbal communication strategies, as well as looking at conflict handling styles. Networking is a vital part of today’s society, and this course will walk you through networking in relation to social media. <br /><br />You will be introduced to the basics of persuasion. Theories surrounding the art of persuasion will be examined in detail including manipulation, brainwashing, and Stockholm syndrome. You will also look at the role which persuasion plays in negotiation, and the difference between the two. <br /><br />You will also examine the importance of motivating both oneself and others. You will look at the importance of motivation to leadership, and the motivation techniques which team leaders can utilize. <br /><br />This course will be of interest to professionals who are required to communicate as part of their job, either to customers or colleagues. It will also be of interest to anyone who is hoping to enhance their daily lives through improving their soft skills.<br />

In this free online course Introduction to Design Thinking and People Centred Design you will learn what design involves, how to examine design problems, and frame problems from a design point of view.<br /><br />The course begins by introducing you to design thinking for people centred design. You will learn about the seven mindsets for designers. You will learn about being people centred with your designs and how there is more than aesthetics to design, such as the perceived value that people place on what they see.<br /><br />Next, you will learn how to examine and reflect on design problems. You will be introduced to the questions you should ask when facing a design problem and how to examine a problem by looking at it from different angles. You will learn the importance of asking 'why' to explore a problem and its different aspects. Finally, you will learn about framing your problem from a design point of view.<br /><br />This free Alison Course will be of great interest to professionals working in the areas of product and service design and who would like to learn more about design thinking for people centred design. <br />

In the free online course Design Thinking - Design Research and Analysis you will learn about research and analysis as part of the design process. You will learn about interviewing techniques as part of the design research phase and techniques you can use to analyse user stories.<br /><br />The course begins by introducing you to research for design. You will learn about the main difference between market research and design research. You will learn about questions you should consider when designing and how to frame these questions for interviewing. You will also learn about a user's mental model and what it is.<br /><br />Next, you will learn how to analyse the information obtained during the research phase. You will learn about seeing themes from user stories and about a customer journey map. You will learn what a persona is, what it represents and why you need to create one. You will learn about scenarios and how they complement personas. You will learn about insight statements and why the 'How might we' questions can help reframe your insight statements. Finally, you will learn about what a design strategy statement is and how it can be used.<br /><br />This free online course would be of great interest to those looking to learn more about designing with a people centred mind set.<br /><br />Perquisites: You will need to have completed the previous course Introduction to Design Thinking and People Centred Design. <br />

In this free online course Design Thinking - Generating Ideas, Stories and Prototypes you will learn about innovating products from ideas and idea generation techniques. You will also learn about creating concepts and storyboards, and about prototyping your design. <br /><br />The course begins by introducing you to methods used by designers for generating ideas. You will learn about the top 5 idea generating techniques such as brainstorming and how they work. You will learn about bundling your ideas together and creating a concept.<br /><br />Next, you will be introduced to the storytelling approach to design. You will learn about creating storyboards to visualize your concept and how storyboards can help you with the design process. Finally, you will learn about prototyping, what it is and how it helps your design development. You will learn about paper prototyping and how helpful it is as part of the design process.<br /><br />This free Alison Course will be of great interest to professionals working in the areas of product and service design and who would like to learn more about generating ideas, stories and prototypes as part of the design process.<br /><br />Prerequisites: The learner will need to have completed the previous course in 'Introduction to Design Thinking and People Centred Design' and 'Design Thinking - Design Research and Analysis'.

In this free online course Design Thinking - Introduction to Usability Testing you will learn about usability testing, how to pitch a design and how to ensure prototype fidelity.<br /><br />The course begins by introducing you to usability testing, how it should be carried out and who should be your usability testers. You will learn about debriefing and recording the results of your usability tests. You will also learn about what design freedom is and who should evaluate your design.<br /><br />Next, you will learn about the importance of debriefing following the usability tests. You will learn about prototype fidelity and how it changes as the design progresses. You will learn about pitching your design and what a design rational is.<br /><br />This free Alison Course will be of great interest to professionals working in the areas of product and service design and who would like to learn more about testing, refining and pitching during the design process.

In this free online course Diploma in Design Thinking you will be introduced to design thinking and activities that designers apply during the process of designing. Design thinking is a methodology that's not exclusive for designers as it can help people understand and develop creative ways to solve a specific issue, generally business oriented.<br /><br />The course begins by introducing you to design thinking for people centred design. You will learn about the seven mindsets for designers, how there is more than aesthetics to design, and the perceived value that people place on what they see.<br /><br />Next, you will learn how to examine and reflect on design problems. You will learn about the questions you should ask and how to examine a problem by looking at it from different angles.<br /><br />The course then introduces you to research for design. You will learn about the main difference between market research and design research. You will learn about questions you should consider when designing and how to frame these questions for interviewing. You will also learn about a user's mental model and what it is.<br /><br />Next, you will be introduced to the storytelling approach to design. You will learn about creating storyboards to visualize your concept and how storyboards can help you with the design process. Finally, you will learn about prototyping, what it is and how it helps your design development. You will learn about paper prototyping and how helpful it is as part of the design process.<br /><br />The course then introduces you to usability testing, how it should be carried out and who should be your usability testers. You will learn about debriefing and recording the results of your usability tests. You will also learn about what design freedom is and who should evaluate your design.<br /><br />Finally, you will learn about prototype fidelity and how it changes as the design progresses. You will learn about pitching your design and what a design rational is.<br /><br />This free Alison Course will be of great interest to professionals working in the areas of product and service design and who would like to learn more about the techniques and methodologies that designers use during the design process. <br />

In this free online course Introduction to Operating Systems you will learn about operating systems and the role they play in a computer system. <br /><br />The course begins by introducing you to Operating Systems (OS) and their function. You will learn about where an OS occurs in the layers of a computer system. You will learn about different operating system types, about hardware addresses and the three types of addresses you can use. You will be introduced to the concept of hardware abstraction and the advantages of abstraction. You will also learn about an OS as a resource manager and what it involves. <br /><br />Next, you will be introduced to processes and system calls, and how they access the kernel for user processes. You will learn about an Operating System Structure, the modules of the structure and about two different types of OS structures. You will learn about the Central Processing Unit (CPU) and how it is considered the most critical resource in the computer system. You will learn how the CPU is shared between different applications. You will learn about multiprogramming and multitasking and how these methods work differently to sharing a single CPU.<br /><br />This free Alison course will be of great interest to any computer science and engineering students or any learner who wishes to learn more about operating systems.<br /><br />Perquisites: The learner will need a understanding of C programming and a good understanding of computer organisation and architecture. <br />

In this free online course Operating Systems - Introduction to Memory Management you will learn about the different models for memory management. You will learn about virtual memory and segmentation the more modern versions of memory management compared to the models. You will learn about booting up a computer system and how and what it loads up till it gets to the user’s process.<br /><br />The course begins by introducing you to memory management in a computer system. You will learn about the single contiguous model and the partition model for memory management. You will learn about virtual memory, its structure and how the virtual address is mapped to a physical one.<br /><br />Next, you will be introduced to segmentation. You will learn how segmentation is more logical in dividing up a process compared to virtual memory. You will also learn how segmentation maps to physical addresses. You will learn about the structure of the xv6 operating systems memory and about the booting process when a computer system is powered on.<br /><br />This course would be of great interest to computer science students and computer engineers, and anyone who wants to learn more about memory management in computer operating systems.<br /><br />Perquisites: Learner will need to have completed the previous course Introduction to Operating Systems.

In the free online course Introduction to Operating Systems Processes you will learn a how processes work in an operating system. You will learn about creating a process and the relationships between processes.<br /><br />The course begins by introducing you to processes in a computer system. You will learn what a process is and about the user space and kernel space. You will learn about how a process in stored in RAM and about the metadata the kernel keeps about each process. You will learn about how the operating system creates a process and about the fork system call for cloning processes. <br /><br />Next, you will learn about the parent-child relationship between cloned processes. You will learn about exiting a process and the different ways to do it. You will learn about how processes are created in the xv6 operating system and what happens when a process is terminated in a xv6 system. You will learn about an ELF executable what it is and contains.<br /><br />This course will be of great interest to computer science and engineering students who would like to learn more about operating system processes.<br /><br />Perquisites: Learner will need to have completed the previous courses in 'Introduction to Operating systems' and 'Introduction to Memory Management'.

In the free online course Operating Systems - Understanding Hardware and Software Interrupts you will be introduced to interrupts and will learn operating how systems handle interrupts. <br /><br />The course begins by introducing you to interrupts in an operating system. You will learn about the different types of interrupts and how a system handles a hardware interrupt. You will learn about a programable interrupt controller and how it handles hardware interrupts. You will learn about the advanced programable interrupt controller, and how it is used for modern system. You will learn about steps in handling an interrupt. You will learn about what the CPU and operating system do in each of the steps in handling an interrupt.<br /><br />Next, you will be introduced to software interrupts, and how they are used for implementing system calls. You will learn about how system calls work and about some of the different types of system calls you can use. You will learn about the parameters passed into a system call and where they come from. You will learn what a resource descriptor is used for in a system call. You will learn about CPU context switching and when the occur. You will learn about the trap frame and what happens when a software interrupt occurs. You will learn about context switch overheads and factors effecting context switching time.<br /><br />This course will be of great interest to computer science students and computer engineers, and anyone who wants to learn more about Interrupts in computer operating systems.<br /><br />Perquisites: The Learner will need to have completed the previous courses: Introduction to Operating Systems, Introduction to Memory Management, Introduction to Operating Systems Processes.

In the free online course Operating Systems - Introduction to Scheduling you will learn about scheduling processes in an operating system. The course also reviews methods for scheduling with a single processer, multi-processers, and scheduling in a Linux operating system.<br /><br />The course begins by introducing you to process scheduling. You will learn about the two types or classifications for processes: first come first serve scheduling and its advantages and disadvantages, and other scheduling techniques such as Shortest job first and Round Robin scheduling and what they involve. You will learn about priority based scheduling and about setting priorities for your processes, and techniques for multi-processer scheduling and how they work.<br /><br />Next, you will be introduced to scheduling in a Linux operating system. You will learn how Linux classifies processes into real time and normal processes, about the different schedulers Linux has used in their systems and how they work. The course also covers Completely fair scheduling (CFS), the main scheduler used in Linux currently, and how the CFS selects processes for running.<br /><br />This free Alison course will be of great interest to computer science students and computer engineers, and anyone who wants to learn about scheduling in computer operating systems<br /><br />Perquisites: The learner will need to have completed the previous courses: Introduction to Operating Systems, Introduction to Memory Management, Introduction to Operating Systems Processes and Introduction to Operating Systems Interrupts.

In the free online course Operating Systems - Introduction to Synchronization you will learn about Inter-process Communication (IPC) for process communication and data sharing. The course also introduces you to shared memory, message passing and signals all methods for IPC. <br /><br />You will learn about the critical section and problems accessing the critical section. You will learn about ways to access the critical section and how hardware can also help accessing it. <br /><br />The course begins by introducing you to Inter Process Communication (IPC). You will learn the main ways processes share data and communicate with each other. The course then introduces process synchronization and the Critical section, how to access the critical section using interrupts and build your own solution.<br /><br />Next, you will be introduced to the bakery algorithm, which is another method for accessing the critical section. You will learn about how hardware can help with accessing the critical section, and about the test &amp; set instruction, why Intel doesn’t support it but instead has its own xchg instruction. You will learn about Spinlocks, Mutexes and Semaphores and how they help with accessing the critical section. <br /><br />This free Alison course will be of great interest to computer science students and computer engineers, and anyone who wants to learn about Inter-process communication in computer operating systems.<br /><br />Perquisites: The learner will need to have completed the previous courses; Introduction to Operating Systems, Introduction to Memory Management, Introduction to Operating Systems Processes, Introduction to Operating Systems Interrupts and operating systems scheduling.

In this free Alison course Operating Systems - Deadlocks and Threads you will be introduced to the important concepts of deadlocks and threads and their occurrence in operating systems. <br /><br />The course begins by introducing you to deadlocks. You will learn about the four conditions necessary for a deadlock to arise and how to prevent deadlocks from happening. The course also explains the concept semaphores and their role in deadlocks. You will also learn about the role of mutex in preventing deadlocks and be able to explain the dining philosopher’s problem. <br /><br />Next, this course will introduce you to threads. You will learn the difference between threads and processes and explain how different operating systems supports the use of threads. You will also learn about paralyzation and how threads are used in paralyzation. In addition, the course will also describe to you how threads are created and destroyed.<br /><br />This free course will be of great interest to computer science students and computer engineers, and anyone who wants to learn more about deadlocks and threads in computer operating systems.

In this free Alison course Operating Systems - System Security you will be introduced to methods and techniques that are used to secure operating systems from malicious bugs and viruses. Security has become extremely important in the modern digital age because systems are always on and are highly connected, and hackers and cyber-criminals are always looking for ways to insert malicious programs into vulnerable operating systems. <br /><br />The course begins by introducing you to secrecy, integrity, and availability with regard to security goals. You will learn about the denial of service attacks and the different access control techniques that can be used. This course will introduce you to information flow policies and leaky states and will also inform you about the difference between the Biba model and Bell-LaPadula module.<br /><br />Next, the course will provide you with in-depth knowledge on buffer overflows and stacks. You will learn about the use of buffer overflows and how an attacker can use these to create an exploit code. You will be able to implement different techniques to overcome buffer overflow vulnerability. This module will also explain libc and ‘how to return libc attacks’. Finally, you will learn what gadgets are in operating systems and how they can be used. <br /><br />This free course will be of great interest to computer science students and computer engineers, and anyone who wants to learn more about systems security in computer operating systems.<br />

In this free online course Diploma in Operating Systems you will learn about operating systems (OS) and how they manage computer hardware and software resources and provide common services for computer programs.<br /><br />The course begins by introducing you to operating systems, where an OS sits in a computers system, hardware abstraction and resource management. You will learn about processes and system calls, the structure of an OS and how different CPUs work. The course reviews memory management methods such as virtual memory, and how memory functions when booting up a computer system. <br /><br />You will be introduced to processes, how they are stored in the computer system, how new processes are created and what happens when they are terminated. You will learn about the different types of interrupts and about programmable interrupt controllers for hardware interrupts. You will learn about system calls and CPU context switching. <br /><br />Next, the course covers the two different types of processes for scheduling. You will learn about different scheduling methods for single CPU systems their advantages and disadvantages, about scheduling for multiprocessor systems and about scheduling methods for Linux systems. The course covers how processes communicate and share data with each other, also known as Inter-process communication (IPC). You will learn about different software techniques for IPC and the different ways hardware works with IPC. You will learn about deadlocks and threads in an operating system. <br /><br />Finally, you will learn about different security goals for an operating system. The course reviews access control techniques and the components for developing an access control system. You will also learn about information flow policies, leaky states, and the Biba and Bell-LaPadula models. <br /><br />This free Alison course will be of great interest to computer science students and computer engineers, and anyone who wants to learn about computer operating systems.<br /><br />Perquisites: The learner will need an understanding of C programming and an understanding of computer organisation and architecture. <br />

This free online course Psychology - Development of Its Major Areas, Methods and Schools of Thought will give you an overview of psychology and its history, showing many reasons why someone may choose to study psychology in greater detail. <br /><br />The course begins by discussing why people may choose to study psychology as a subject. You will learn how studying psychology can benefit you in many different areas. You will then be introduced to the divisions of the American Psychological Association and what areas related to psychology that they focus on. You will also learn about different fields of psychology including emerging fields that are becoming more prevalent. You will learn about the major milestones that have been made in psychology, going from hundreds of years ago, until the modern day. <br /><br />Next, you will be introduced to different methods and tools that can be used in psychology research. You will learn about a range of different schools of thought in psychology that have been popular in the past and the different people that popularized them. These include experimental psychology, structuralism, functionalism and behaviorism among others.<br /><br />This free course will be of great interest to those who are interested in studying psychology and would like an overview of psychology and its history.