Food Security Information for Action Distance Learning Course GETTING STARTED TUTORIAL NOTE Please note that this PDF version does not have the interactive features offered through the courseware. We recommend that you take the tutorial using the interactive courseware environment, and use the PDF version for printing the tutorial and to use as a reference after you have completed the course. FAO, 2006
Summary Introduction...2 Starting the Course...3 Course Menu...4 General screen layout...5 Course Navigation Bar...6 Left-hand menu...7 Lesson structure...9 Icons... 12 Page 1
Introduction Why should you read this tutorial? The Getting Started tutorial will show you how to start using the course and how to make the most of your learning experience, by describing the many features available. What this tutorial is about? The tutorial will show you how to customize the course to meet your specific learning needs and allow you to keep track of which lessons you have completed, and where you are in the course. The tutorial describes a typical lesson so that you become familiar with how the lessons are structured, and what is required of you. All menu items, icons and navigation tools are identified and their features explained. Happy learning! Page 2
Starting the Course Learning more About this Course This course is part of the Food Security Information for Action E-learning series. Before starting the course, visit the About this Course section to learn more about the course contents, structure and workload. Start Learning Click on Start Learning from the Start Course section in order to start the course. Page 3
Course Menu What is the course menu for? The Course Menu provides a list of the lessons in the course, as well as their duration and a short description. To take a lesson, you can: double-click the lesson you wish to take; or select the lesson by clicking on it and then press the Go to Lesson button on the right side of the description box. When you complete a lesson, the completed icon will appear next to the lesson title in the lessons box. Page 4
General screen layout Screen Areas The screen layout consists of three main areas as follows: Course Navigation Bar This area contains the tabs required to move through a lesson and access the Course Menu. It also indicates where you are in the course. Left-hand menu The left-hand menu provides access to useful information about the course, where to get support, and access to offline and online resources. Lesson screen This screen contains the lesson content and exercises. Page 5
Course Navigation Bar What is the Course Navigation bar for? Orientation and Navigation: Module title Lesson title Exit from the course Current page Go to the Course Menu Reload the current page (if it contains animations and/or interactions) Go to the previous or next page of the lesson Page 6
Left-hand menu What does the left-hand menu contain? Following functions are available by clicking on the left-hand menu options. Option Sub Menus Description About this Module This section provides an overview of and general information about the course. My Course From the My Progress section, you can view your progress in the course. Resources The Resources section provides rapid access to a wide range of resources including online and offline resources, mini-lessons that expand on some of the subjects covered in the lessons, job aids, manuals, resources for trainers and other useful resources. Help and support This Help and Support section provides a list of FAQs. You can also find instructions for contacting us by e-mail. This tutorial is also available through this section. Page 7
Option Sub Menus Description Legal Information This section contains the User Agreement which states the legal terms and conditions for using this course and a statement concerning our use of trademarks and graphics. You can also view all the graphics and photo credits used in the course. Page 8
Lesson structure Learning objectives screen The first contains screen the learning objectives for the lesson. Lesson core The core of the lesson is a set of screens composed of text, illustrations, interactive and self-evaluation exercises and links to more resources. Page 9
Summary At the end of the lesson you will find a summary of the key-concepts, and Resources... a list of online resources and additional readings. Page 10
Job Aids Finally, some lessons provide a list of all the job aids included in the lesson. Page 11
Icons What are the icon functions? Name Symbol Function Information icon Example icon Tip icon Document Icon Mini-lesson icon Web Icon Opens a popup window on top of the main screen with additional information. The popup can be moved around. To close it, click on the close option ( ). Opens an example window on top of the main screen. The window can be moved around. To close it, click on the close option ( ). Opens a tip window on top of the main screen. The window can be moved around. To close it, click on the close option ( ). Opens a PDF or a Microsoft Word document in a separate window. These can be printed. You can close or minimize the window and return to the current screen of the lesson. Opens a mini-lesson in a separate window. You can browse the mini-lessons' screens and then close the window and return to the current screen of the lesson. Visits an external website. By clicking on the icon, your default Internet browser will open to a specific website. You can close or minimize the window and return to the current screen of the lesson. Links can also be shown as follows: www.fao.org Page 12
Thanks for taking this tutorial You can view the interactive version of this tutorial on the courseware. You can view the whole tutorial, or specific parts of the tutorial anytime by selecting Getting Started under Help & Support in the Left-hand menu. Page 13