NCS Online College Launches Free Online Distance Learning Open Space for Adult Learners' Week 2008

PRLog (Press Release) – May 13, 2008 – The Scottish based NCS Online Distance Learning College will be launching a free Open Space during Adult Learners' Week 2008 (17th May to 23rd May). Visitors to the NCS website will be able to explore a sample of online distance learning courses, including:

Egyptian archaeology
Astronomy
AIDS awareness
Counselling
Journalism
Philosophy of the mind
Researching herbal remedies.


The aim is to let nervous adult learners try a sample of courses, and discover the fun and challenge of online learning. Each course snippet takes about half an hour of time to work through. Founding Partner Noel Chidwick explains: "we would not be surprised if visitors to our learning web site discover just  how addictive online learning can be and we hope it will give people confidence to enrol on one - or more - of our online courses. Silvers Surfers ar especially welcome!"

Open Space includes a forum for ideas exchange, and also a library of links to resources for learning.

During Adult Learners' Week there will also be an opportunity to talk to members of the NCS team who will be able to answer your questions about online learning.

Also at the NCS, they will also be opening a short course "How to Learn Online" for free during Adult Learners' Week. This course is a practical guide and support aimed to returning learners who need a little help getting back into the ways of learning.
All this will be available on the NCS learning web site from 17th May 2008 at http://www.newcurioshop.com.


What is the NCS?

The New Curiosity Shop (NCS) Online College was founded by Noel Chidwick and Dr. W. Arthur Chapman, two former Scottish FE senior lecturers. They believe in learning for the sake of learning and set up the NCS as they feared that education for leisure was disappearing from the prospectuses of colleges and universities. Using their experience in teaching, continuing education and elearning, they have taken their ideas to the next level with the creation of the NCS Online College.

The NCS Online College offers a variety of unique online courses, including: Astronomy for Beginners; Family History Begins at Home; Herbal Remedies: The Science Behind Old Wives’ Tales; HIV/AIDS and Society; How to Learn Online; Introduction to Archaeology; Introduction to Forensic Psychology; It’s a long way from Tipperary: Life in the Trenches; Italian for the Tourist: 1; Me, Myself and Others: An Introduction to the Philosophy of the Mind; Scotland in the 13th Century; The Ecology of Your Garden; and The Fire Balloon. There are even more in the development pot waiting to be released.


Students can enrol at any time, as courses start monthly. The lengths of the online classes vary, but are typically several weeks long. Courses are meant to be affordable and materials for most courses are included in the fees. A complete list of available courses, duration and fees is available online at http://www.newcurioshop.com.