Original Query from Beverly Hincks, Encore Seniors' Education Centre, St. Lawrence College
We have had many requests for beginner level computer classes that teach Internet and email basics. In our current program of computer classes internet and email is not covered until the more advanced courses where students have a better understanding of the windows environment and have a few basic computer skills. We think we our losing potential students that have said to us "I don't want to learn about computers. I just want to send a letter to my grandkids in Nova Scotia." Do any of you offer entry-level courses for computer-illiterate people that would meet their needs? I would be interested in seeing the course outline and discussing it with you. Thanks for your help!!

From Fiona Clark, McGill ILR, Montreal
E-mail is certainly the most popular application for seniors. I think you can start by learning e-mail only, but I think it would be on the assumption that people would not be purchasing and operating their own computer. A good introduction to computers would be to learn e-mail only and use someone else's computer, either a computer at a library or at the home of a friend or relative. This way they will find out if they really want to buy their own equipment and learn more about computers. In my experience, it becomes quite frustrating using the Internet if you haven't learnt the basics of Windows and file management. Also if you are buying a computer, you have to know the basics of managing it - even more so these days, with all the multimedia and plug in options, virus protection etc. People who are investing in computers should budget for some basic courses. Otherwise it's like buying a piano and not taking piano lessons.

From Tom Holloway, U3A Organization, UK
With absolute beginners we tell them to set their Windows Desktop to single-click operation (just go to Start/Settings/Folder options and click on 'Web-style') and we also instruct them how to put an icon for each of their relatives/friends on the desktop (or we call round for a cuppa and do it for them) as follows:----
- Right-click anywhere on the desktop
- Select 'Shortcut'
- On the command line type mailto:tom@holloways.org (or whatever the target address is)
- Click on Next >
- Select a name for the short cut (e.g. Tom)
- Click on Finish, and Bob's yer flippin Uncle!
Clicking once on the Desktop icon takes them straight into it.

From Nancy Merz Nordstrom, Program Manager, Elderhostel Institute Network
Talk about a timely question. Debbie just gave me the results of two recent studies about older adults and cyberspace. The first, a semi-annual study from United Business Media's Mediamark
Research, Inc. was released on May 24th and says that use of email by older Americans has risen 46% from 18 months ago and 20% in the last six months. It goes on to say that "While fewer older Americans engage in other Internet activities, they are growing in tracking their investments, making purchase, making travel plans and just browsing."

The second study, for AOL, and conducted by Digital Marketing Services, Inc. says that while 95% of older Americans said that they used the Web to email and instant message, about 77% also said they research travel and vacation options online and 58% look for medical and health information and resources. About 60% shop online and 44% play games online.

Based on these studies, it sounds like Beverly's question is very important. My guess is that once someone learns to use email, they will then want to make the leap into cyberspace. Email courses might be an excellent intro to computers and cyberspace for some people.

From Ann Burdett, Mohawk Valley Institute for Learning in Retirement, SUNY, NY
We have been offering at least 8 computer classes/session since we began, almost 5 years ago. We do this by using the Continuing Professional Ed. lab at SUNY Tech, our host, and also their teachers. We have to charge extra for these courses, but only the basic cost of lab and instructor from SUNY. We have taught hundreds of our members to use the computer----even some who
are in their late 80's. We insist that our members take Intro. to Computer as a prerequisite to the other courses including Surfing the Net. The courses with descriptions are listed on our web site: www.mvilr.sunyit.edu. I think it would be very difficult to teach a course on e-mail, or the
Internet without having a background in MSWindows. If people get into a course that is too challenging for them, we either refund their $ or switch them to a course appropriate for them.
We are proud of the success and satisfaction of our hundreds of computer students. Many have referred to this experience as "empowering".

From Dick Di Vecchio, Lifetime Learners Institute, Norwalk Community College, Norwalk CT
We have offered two courses per semester (Internet A and Internet B, which are exactly the same) for about three years. The course description reads: "Learn how to use the Internet. First we'll demonstrate email including for fun, how to send an email; greeting card. Then we consider the problems of finding information. We explore the biggest directory, Yahoo. We show you how to use some of the search engines such as, Altavista, Hotbot, Northern Light, as well as some of the metasearch engines. We visit some news sites, some indices for news, several e-zines and at least one investment site. We visit medical sites, including RxList, which gives practical and factual information about prescriptions, as well as the Mayo Clinic site and the Virtual Hospital, some disease specific sites, children's sites and senior sites. Other activities include learning to shop on-line, where to go for auctions and finding telephone numbers and driving directions. The courses are open to anyone, however, we have the following proviso for the basic courses: "Students must be able to use the mouse and navigate comfortably in the Windows operating system. One on one assistance is not available." We also have a second course called the "Internet Workshop", which is an advanced course. Many of our members have taken the course (it's only three weeks long), and most have enjoyed them.

From Marilyn Bakker, Lifetime Learners Institute, Norwalk
On the matter of computer instruction, I've been watching these threads with great interest. We are re-thinking our own approach, and it's good to know that we aren't alone. Dick Di Vecchio has already said that we replaced our own beginning computer classes with a professionally-taught 8-session course that the college provides for us. We ourselves offer two Internet courses: Internet for Beginners (essentially an intro to the wonders of the Web), and Internet Workshop (with shifting content). A key element of the Workshop is that the lessons are online: no printed handouts except for the URL of the LLI website: (www.lifetimelearners.org).

On the LLI main page, bottom right, there is a "secret door" that is actually a link to the online lessons at my own website. The lessons are in a continual state of revision, and they are in serious need of some housekeeping right now. This Spring, in addition to our standard Internet courses, we offered a course titled "Genealogy on the Internet." Our facilitator, a genealogy expert, had given a conventional genealogy course last year in a conventional classroom. This year we moved the class into a computer lab where each student could do his/her own exploration and research with the aid of specially prepared online course links (see link near bottom of LLI main page). The students were told to come to class with basic computer and Internet skills, but I was there to serve as a coach when individuals got stuck.

The course was quite wonderful, but doing genealogy on the Internet effectively requires Windows know-how that many students did not have. How to copy and paste? How to save a file? Where to save a file? So while the class was running, we offered a special two-hour Windows workshop to bring them up to speed. In a forum message the other day, Fiona Clark put the basic problem beautifully: "In my experience, it becomes quite frustrating using the Internet if you haven't learnt the basics of Windows and file management. Also if you are buying a computer, you have to know the basics of managing it - even more so these days, with all the multimedia and plug in options, virus protection etc. People who are investing in computers should budget for some basic courses. Otherwise it's like buying a piano and not taking piano lessons."

Yes! Since so many people don’t have that basic knowledge, our current thinking is that we must cover the basics of Windows and file management somewhere ... either as a first session of every course, or in special workshops. P.S. The Genealogy course was the first in what I hope will be a series of "targeted Internet courses." Someday, we won't have to do much teaching about the Internet itself. Instead, we'll offer courses like "Investment on the Internet," or "History on the Internet," or "The genome on the Internet," or Art Appreciation or whatever.

From Jean Thompson, Coordinator U3A Internetwork
We are already doing this. The Australian U3A now offer 12 online courses specially devised for our learners. See u3aonline.org.au and the UK U3A have just trialled an online Art History course. u3a.org.uk I've had several US students trying out my Design in your Life course on behalf of EIN. Surely no need for us to reinvent the wheel or duplicate each others' efforts?