 Frequently
Asked Questions
The list of FAQ's is shown to the left, with the related questions and answers shown
below. Scroll down the page to view questions and answers, or click on the
question of interest in the list on the left.
Q: What does "Powered by EduPlex" Mean?
A: EduPlex provides us with the web application platform to provide a cutting-edge
Relational education experience that we can then offer to you. We have
carefully selected courses that we believe you will find valuable in your personal
and spiritual life. Also note that EduPlex handles our e-commerce transactions
for all course sales. We then receive payment for the courses per our agreement
with EduPlex. Note that the funds you provide when you purchase a course help
our organization as well as helping EduPlex provide these same courses overseas
in the developing world for at no charge.
Q: Where can I get help if I need it?
A: If you are having technical difficulties, please use the contact form provided
(contact us in the menu above), or even better, use the Messaging System
to contact the course author, your life coach, or the system administrator.
Q: What is Relational Education?
A: Relational education is based on the simple principle that retention and life
application of material is best achieved when the student is drawn into meaningful
relationships during the educational process. The student experiences the
course through a series of key planned interactions with other students and with
an assigned personal success coach. Interactions are managed using our built-in multi-interactive videoconferencing system, our messaging system, and our social
network system. Note that some courses do not offer coaching. Check the
icons associated with each course in the course catalog to determine which courses
use this feature.
Top of Page
Q: What is your privacy policy?
A: Your personal information is strictly protected, and is available on a need to
know basis. Your screen name, photo, and biography in your profile is visible
to students and your coach (but only students taking the same course at the same
time as you). Your email is only shared if you select that option, and only
to the same students and your coach. We do not share your information with other
organizations, and you will never receive spam or other uninvited communicatinos
from anyone based on information in our system. Our e-commerce provider is
also very secure. We do not maintain records of your credit card information,
and thus it is not available for viewing by anyone in our organization.
Q: How is this different from other online education systems?
A: There are many differences betwen our system and others you will find on the
Internet. Our system is is the premire Relational education system for the
21st century. That alone makes it unique. Because the system is shared
between many partners, many courses are available. We have selected what we
think are the courses of most interest to you, our students, from a master catalog.
Probably one of the biggest differences is that we include free video
conferencing and messaging for our students on our system. We believe
personal interaction, social networking, and relationship building are key to
effective education.
Relational education incorporates more than just the life coaching and multi-student
interaction and networking:
it also incorporates an exam and quiz model that is reviewed by your small group
leader.
It is one of the key ways that a coach can determine how you are progressing with
the course material. When you complete a formal, written exam, your coach
is notified. You will need to pause while the coach
reviews your work, and
contacts you for any discussion or review. Once that step is completed, your coach will enable you to continue taking the course.
This pause is not there to frustrate you. It serves other purposes, including
allowing time for material to sink in, and to give your coach an opportunity to
interact with you. If you need to get a course done by a specific time, always
factor in some time for your coach to review your work.
Our system is also designed to encourage the use of multimedia. Studies have
shown that using multiple forms of media dramatically increases the retention rate
and helps maintain student interest.
Our system also utilizes dynamic content. This is a technique where your response
to certain quiz questions will determine what course content you see. In effect,
the course presentation is personalized for you.
We offer all students access to our online social network, as well as our
messaging system and video conferencing system.
Our system is also unique in that it provides all of the courses to the developing
world at no charge. Our goal is to close the training and education
gap in the developing world.
Top of Page
Q: How do I take a free course?
A: A simple process...
- Go to the course catalog, click on the Free Courses link.
- Select a course from the list by clicking on the course title.
This will display the course details page, where you can read more about the course,
and access the course syllabus, the course outline, and the statement of faith from
the course author.
- Click on the Buy Now link.
- Log in or set up your new account. If you are already logged
in, you will bypass this step. Write down your account information so you
can log in again.
- Click on the Checkout button. Since the course is free,
you will not go through the normal checkout process, but instead, will be returned
to your "My Courses" page, where the free course you just bought is listed.
- If you just set up a new account, you will be automatically directed to the My
Profile page. Enter the required information and click the Create Profile
button.
- Once your new profile has been set up, click on My Courses in the menu.
- Click on the course title to start taking the course.
Top of Page
Q: How do I interact with my life coach or other students?
We provide a multi-interactive video conferencing system (VCS), messaging system, and
social networking system for interactions between you and your coach and other students. No telephone calls are required - it
all works over the internet. You can access the video conferencing system
from within your course. Simply click on the Interact button or link, usually
located in the control panel at the top of your course pages. A link to the social network is also provided on the
interaction page.
Additionally, you can send and receive text messages using the built-in Personal
Messaging System, available by clicking on messaging in the menu bar. Note
that you can only use this to communicate with your coach, other students taking
the same course, the course author, and the site administrators.
Top of Page
Q; How do I keep track of where I am in a course?
A: The course system keeps track of two important places - where you were in the
course when you last stopped working on the course, and the farthest point into
the course that you have progressed. When you go back to the course, the system
will automatically return you to the same place as when you left. Thus, if
you were reveiwing material before doing a quiz, that is where you will return.
If you want to get back to the farthest point into the course you have studied,
click on the Bookmark button in your course page control panel.
Top of Page
Q: Do I need to buy a webcam to interact with my life coach?
A: A webcam is the best way to interact with your coach. However, if you
cannot afford one, or your computer is not capable of supporting one, consider at
least adding a microphone to your computer. This will enable
you to talk with your coach and group, which is a whole lot better than typing. Of
course you will be able to see and hear your coach and other students in any case.
Top of Page
Q: What kind of webcam do I need?
A: If you have a microphone alrealdy, you can get a very inexpensive model that
only has the camera. We have seen successful use of webcams selling for as
little as $10. Look for one that can send video, not just still pictures.
Some webcams also include a microphone, and more expensive models may also include
echo suppression, to allow you to use your speakers rather than headphones. An inexpensive
webcam is shown on the left that includes a built-in mic.
One of the most important factors for using a webcam is positioning it correctly,
and making sure there is enough light. The position should be as close to
your monitor as possible - typically on top. Our multi-interactive video conferencing
system includes a setup mode where you can see yourself and test your camera and
mic volume level. Access VCS Setup
here
|
|
|
Top of Page
Q: How much time do I have to complete my course?
A: If you are taking a course for credit, you need to check with your coach about
this, because some degree or CEU programs do have time requirements. However,
if you are taking the course for personal enrichment (no credit), there is no specific
time limit.
Keep in mind that life coaches are not unlimited resources for you. They are normally
paid on a per hour basis, so if you take forever to take the course, don't expect
your coach to spend lots of time with you over very long period. That would
be an unfair expectation from you. Also, keep in mind that coaches are not
permenant fixtures - they have lives, and your coach may move on.
Frankly, the most effective use of our education system is to maintain a schedule
of working on your course, and getting it completed in a reasonable period of time.
You will benefit the most from this, and your coach will be able to remember who
you are, and thus be more effective in working with you.
Top of Page
Q: Can I access the course from more than one computer?
A: You can access your course from anywhere you have a computer with internet access.
However, make sure you set your connection speed correctly (in your profile) before
starting work. If your connection speed is set wrong, you will have either
very small and slow videos when you could have larger and faster ones, or you will
have trouble with large videos trying to play over a slow connection.
Top of Page
Q: What is broadband?
A: Broadband refers to a high-speed internet connection. This includes
connections such as DSL and cable, for example, and should be at least 256Kbps for
best results. On the other hand, dial-up connections max out at 56Kbps, and
require smaller and slower frame-rate videos.
Top of Page
Q: Can I take more than one course at once?
A: Yes, but we don't recommend it. Focus on one course, and complete it.
Then choose another course. Spreading yourself between multiple courses certainly
can work - virtually all schools of all types have you taking multiple courses at
the same time. The primary reason for this is a schedule issue: you need to
complete your education within a given number of semesters or years. If you
are under the same pressure taking courses from our system, then so be it.
Otherwise, focus on one course at a time.
Top of Page
|