Online TEFL (Not a normal case)

[TexasRanger]

Hi,
I am considering an online TEFL course but am not in a normal situation so have some specific questions that I hope someone could help me with. I am not a teacher, I am an engineer who spends a good portion of the year working on ships which have limited and sometimes no access to the internet. I have some time on my hands when offshore and would like to study TEFL as I live in an Asian country and it would help me teach my neices and other local kids who don't have much opportunity.

The main questions are about learning materials with online courses i.e.
1 Would I have to download stuff constantly or watch online videos?
2 Could I just download the material prior to leaving for my ship (if so are they big downloads)?
3 If I need to contact a tutor could I do so by email and not instant messaging?

I would love to hear from anyone who has actually done one of these önline"courses as the companies aren't being very forthcoming.
Thanks in advance.
Jack

[Loulou]

Yikes, if they're not being very forthcoming then I would watch out! It seems strange that they can't answer questions like this as they have probably had them lots of times before. I'm sorry but I have never done an online course so I can't help you there but I think you should go with the one that takes the time to answer your questions. It seems common courtesy and is a good indicator of how available they will be once you're signed up! Try and sign up with an accredited online course, that way you know that their course meets certain standards and that they are reputable at least.
Good luck!

[ICAL_Pete]

Regarding our own course, the ICAL Online TEFL Certificate:

1) You can download each module (there are 5) to your computer and work on it at your own pace. When you are ready there is a very short online test to complete and then you can email your fuller responses to your personal tutor who will grade them.

2) See above; they are not large downloads.

3) All contact with the tutor is done through email so throughout the course if you have any question regarding the material or query on teaching in general, you can email it to your tutor who will email their answer back.

There's a lot more information about our courses on our website here: http://icalweb.com

[Loulou]

There you go,look at how forthcoming he is! That's exactly what I was talking about. Seems to me like you can trust ICAL as oppsed to the others who didn't want to answer you...

[systematic]

Others have already offered some good replies, in support of which I offer mine -
The main answers are:
1. Would I have to download stuff constantly or watch online videos?
No - with the better courses, downloading one module will give you enough to be getting on with for many hours while you work at your own pace.

2. Could I just download the material prior to leaving for my ship (if so are they big downloads)?
Yes - with the better courses, downloading one module will give you enough to be getting on with for many hours while you work at your own pace. No - the modules are mainly text files and are not ungainly for Internet transfer. You may find that they also offer a CD-ROM as part of the package that can either be sent by snail mail, or downloaded quickly as a compressed DiskImage. This will reside on your computer and does not need further connection to the Internet.

3. If I need to contact a tutor could I do so by email and not instant messaging?
Yes - with the better courses, though in fact most courses will offer both options.

NOTE:
- Some courses will provide you with a required reading list. You would need to buy the books ashore then take them aboard with you.

- Among the many courses I have reviewed I have found that the ones that are heavily Internet based with a high frequency of interactive online stuff, are perhaps fun for people who spend their lives with a laptop strapped to their waist and live 24/7 within the range of WiFi hotspots or an always-on broadband connection. However, outside the US & the UK many countries have not yet progressed to full ADSL coverage, and moreover, the 'distance courses' that use the Internet simply as the postman, appear to have a higher academic content as they don't rely on MCQsamong other things, for your assignments. (Entirely my own opinions).

- Some course providers may even let you review the course first, befor you buy. They've got nothing to lose by doing so, as you can't do the course if you don't pay for it.