eBrainz: Courses on new online learning site
“We’re wanting to create an online community of learning,” says eBrainz director Heather Sylvawood of Pohara, when asked about the new online learning website, eBrainz.
“Already courses in such things as flower essences and essential oils, mosaic-making, first-home buying, healthy computing at home and harakeke weaving are beginning to take shape.”
Heather ran a public meeting in Takaka last week for people interested in the idea of web-based learning.
“We were blown away by the response. When I started to explain the concept it was like, “My gosh, there really aren’t any barriers.
“I’ve got appointments with five people to start designing courses and there are others who are still thinking about it or planning to get started in a month or so.”
eBrainz is offering free support to the first 20 people who offer courses under its banner.
“After that, those 20 will continue to get free support for putting up any subsequent courses. We’re really grateful for the faith they’re showing in us,” says Heather.
The business will generate income by taking a share of the subscriptions paid by people who enrol on the courses. The more people who enrol, the more the tutors and eBrainz earn. As there are almost no limitations on class size or the locations from which participants choose to enrol, Heather says the possibilities of nationwide or worldwide growth are very exciting.
“We’ll handle all the admin and enrolments. If we get the kind of response I think is possible we’ll just adjust our hosting capabilities.”
Course providers are given intensive support to help them turn their expertise and knowledge into content that is arranged and presented in ways that are ideal for the online environment. The use of e-forums and video instruction are two good powerful examples of the advantages of learning online.
“In the course we have created for tutors we demonstrate resources that the tutors have found useful. There are so many cross links between resources anything is possible.”
Heather is hoping that the first courses will be up and running by the beginning of June.
“We’ll mount a big marketing campaign in June and that will hopefully produce plenty more course providers and participants.”
Heather says that plenty of possible course topics have been considered already.
“Things like fly-tying, pottery, mask-making, sewing projects for kids and adults, simple car maintenance, build your own home, creative jewellery, cheese-making, train a puppy, cake-decorating. They all lend themselves to the online environment. We’ll try to make courses that are stand-alone. The link, we hope, will happen between tutors and participants in all those ways that the internet makes possible.”
Ebrainz can be found at <www.ebrainz.net.nz>.
Neil Wilson
