As a provider of further education courses based in Manchester, we have chosen to differentiate ourselves from rest of the pack.  I think a lot of tier 4 college jumped onto the online bandwagon and are again providing a compromised experience for genuine users wanting to gain British Education via the online route. Lots of learners who are deciding to study online for the first time are being let down by unprofessional service, false promises and all of them seem to be competing on price. Anyone who has ever attended a training or studied a course online knows that there are tremendous benefits of studying online, but you have to choose wisely and be wary of operators which charge hidden costs once you have enrolled on to a course.

Why consider Courses 4 U to Study Online?

Firstly, the cliched advantages which everyone talks about - Study anytime, anywhere. Well, this is fine if you're are self-motivated, passionate about learning and are able to set clear goals and achieve them. What if you're one of them who isn't and let face it, most of all with fall in the second category as juggling personal life, jobs, friends, and family is not easy. So how is Courses 4 U different?  When you study online with Courses 4 U, our VLE, combined with the central calendaring and webinar platform, allows you can set reminders and set the pace of study.

Secondly, let's talk about accessibility. There are providers which will drip feed the learning material and that kills off the flexibility of learning online. Also, the learning material is not downloadable, has to be viewed online and the VLE does not allow any interactivity.  At Courses 4 U, we make the entire course material available to learners at the start of the course. It is downloadable and can be viewed offline. The VLE allows for different types of content which includes PowerPoint, Word Document, E-books, Videos and Handout and offers the traditional experience of studying at the University.  You decide which module to study and when to study, thereby offering 100% accessibility and flexibility to online learning.

Thirdly, most providers charge for the extra services like e-books, tutorial sessions, assessment, and certification. Courses 4 U believes that there should be no HIDDEN costs, So what you see is what you pay. We don't charge any extra cost for e-books or tutorials session or for any external quality assurance processes. Direct claims allow for assessment and certification to happen concurrently thereby allowing learners to achieve certification within 2 weeks of course completion.

Fourth, with everyone claiming that they have an interactive and superior platform, how do you decide? Here I would like to offer some advice. Courses 4 U uses a standard VLE which has been customised to meet the needs of learners. There is a combination of teaching and learning material available which allows for interactivity and tracking for completion. The VLE is accessible from all smart devices like smartphones, Windows PC, Mac, and tablets. The responsive nature of the platform allows you to take the course with you on everywhere. The assessments are via Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ), written assignments and there are no exams.

Lastly, Flexibility to choose and configure your own programme modules. One of the main advantages of study online is that you should be able to choose the modules to study within a particular course. This is something which Courses 4 U offers to all its learners. All courses taught and delivered by Courses 4 U Online are Ofqual accredited and offered as a qualification from the most recognised awarding organisations. These include Awards for Training in Higher Education ATHE, OTHM. We allow our learners to decide the optional modules basis for study thereby giving total flexibility to be able to choose the modules for study.