I'm a learndirect learner

If you don’t know your Adobe from your RAM then read this to find the meaning of common technical terms.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

Adobe Reader
Adobe Reader allows you to view and print Portable Document Format (PDF) files.
To download Adobe Reader for free

Anti-Spam
Software designed to block or filter spam from your inbox. 

Anti-Virus
Software designed to protect your computer from viruses. 

Attachment
An additional file sent as part of an email, commonly used to send documents.

Authorware
A programme for Windows from Adobe used for creating interactive material for CDs, DVDs and the Web. For example, the software allows integration of Microsoft PowerPoint presentations into other media.

To check if this software is required for your course use the search function on the learndirect course catalogue.

To download Authorware Player v5.2 for free  
To download Authorware Player v7 for free  

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B

Bandwidth
Bandwidth refers to the amount of data or information that your Internet connection can cope with. The more bandwidth you have the faster you can receive data from the Internet.

Broadband
Term used to describe high-speed Internet access.

Browser
A web browser is software which enables you to view web pages on the internet. Commonly used browsers are Internet Explorer, Google, Firefox, etc.

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C

Cache
When viewing a web site, your browser will store a copy of the site in its cache/ storage space which stores all visited web pages. This removes the need to download files multiple times and allows sites to be displayed quickly on the next visit. Sometimes when a web site updates, you need to clear your browsers cache before the new content will display properly.

Community
A place where you can find help from staff and other learners, read blogs from learndirect or chat to like-minded learners on the forums.

Cookie
A cookie is a tracking file stored on your computer, used to keep information about preferences or history relating to specific sites.

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D

Download
When you transfer any document or information from the Internet to your own computer this is known as a 'download'.

Download speed
The time it takes for the data you are requesting (a web page, an mp3 etc) to load onto your computer.

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E

Emoticons
Short for 'emotion-icons' - these are symbols used in email, instant messaging and text messages to indicate emotions. For example :) is a smile and :( is a frown! (Look at them sideways to see the facial expression.)

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F

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
A list of common questions and their answers.

Firewall
A firewall is a computer program that acts like a barrier, protecting your computer from unauthorised external access, for example, viruses. 

Flash Player
A file format used to deliver video and interactive applications over the Internet.

To check if this software is required for your course use the search function on the learndirect course catalogue.

To download Flash for free.

Forum
Area of a website that hosts discussion and user-generated content. Learners and staff are encouraged to post their thoughts and feedback on anything to do with learndirect and learning.

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H

Hard disk drive
A hard drive (or hard disk) is the part of your machine that is used for storing programs and data.

Hyperlink
Text or images on a webpage that direct you to another webpage (or area of the same webpage) when clicked.

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I

Internet Explorer
A web browser installed as standard on Microsoft Windows machines.  The most commonly used browser in the world today.

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J

Java
A computer language used in web pages to add interactive features. For example, images that change or highlight when you "roll over" them with a mouse.

To check if this software is required for your course use the search function on the learndirect course catalogue.

To download Java for free.

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K

Kilobyte (KB)
A measure of computer memory or storage, a kilobyte is made up 1024 bytes.

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M

Megabyte (Mb)
A measure of computer memory or storage, a Megabyte is made up of 1024 kilobytes.

Microsoft Windows (XP, Vista etc)
The most common operating system available today, believed to be installed on up to 90% of the worlds computers.

Multimedia
Multimedia is used to describe content which uses different forms of media, for example, text, video, and animation, audio.

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O

Online
If you are connected to the Internet, you are online.

Operating System
Refers to the main software of a computer system, all installed programs run under the control of the operating system. The most common operating system available is Microsoft Windows.

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P

Players
Software that "plays" audio, video or animations directly from the Web. e.g flash. Also referred to as ‘webplayers’.

Plug in
Some learndirect courses require plug-ins so they can work successfully. These plug ins are usually specific software, for example, Flash or Quicktime. When these are on a computer they will allow you to view web pages which have videos or audio.

Processor
(aka CPU or microprocessor) is the brain of your computer. It reads instructions from your software and tells your computer what to do.

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Q

Quicktime
Video file format created by Apple. Video files found on the Internet are often stored in the QuickTime format, you'll need to install the Quicktime player to view them.

To check if this software is required for your course use the search function on the learndirect course catalogue.

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R

RAM
Memory (or RAM as it is also known) is the part of your PC that is used for short term storage of data. When you are using your PC, whatever you are working on at that time is stored in memory. Today's current PCs are normally fitted with between 256MB and 4GB of memory as standard

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S

Screen Resolution
The number of pixels displayed on your screen at once is referred to as its resolution. A screen's resolution is usually described in two numbers: Its width and its height, in pixels. Typical values for this are 1024x768 and 800x600. The higher the resolution the more information is displayed however the lower the resolution the easier it is to read.

Shockwave
This software allows interactive content to be displayed on web pages e.g animation, video,etc.

To check if this software is required for your course use the search function on the learndirect course catalogue.

Get the Shockwave Player (free download)
To test whether your computer already has the Shockwave player installed, please click the test link below. If the Shockwave player is setup correctly on your computer you will be able to load and play a Shockwave based game.
Test your Shockwave Player

Spam
Unwanted or unsolicited email that is distributed to huge lists of Internet users, usually as part of a marketing or advertising.

Surfing
The common name given to the practice of viewing web pages on a computer.

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T

Temporary Internet Files
This is a directory which is used to cache (or store) pages and content, such as video and audio files, from visited websites. This allows such websites to load more quickly the next time they are visited.

Thread
A thread is a series of messages in a newsgroup or forum that all relate to one particular topic. A newsgroup or forum will generally contain many different threads simultaneously.

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U

Upload
The opposite of download - an upload takes place when you send a file from your own computer to another computer on the Internet.

URL (Uniform Resource Locator)
The technical name for a web page address.

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V

Video Card
A Video Card or Graphics Card is used to help your computer to process and display the graphics. The more powerful your graphics card, the smoother and quicker your monitor will display images.

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W

Web Player
Software that "plays" audio, video or animations directly from the Web. e.g flash. Also referred to as ‘players’.

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Your learndirect centre

You can get in touch with your learndirect centre for any general queries you may have.

If you need the contact details for your learndirect centre, the ‘centre search' available on the website will provide this information.

Just enter your postcode or the name of the place you live and click ‘search’, and the results will list your local centres and the contact details.

Your tutor

If you need help at any stage of your learning your tutor is the first person to contact. The contact details for your tutor can be accessed via your online Learning Pages or you can get in touch with your centre for this information.

You can find out more information about your local centre such as opening times and directions by using the centre search, and then clicking on the ‘more details’ link for your chosen centre

If you need to rearrange or cancel an appointment at your learndirect centre you must contact your centre to let them know as soon as possible.

If you don’t have the contact details for your centre read ‘How can I contact my centre or tutor?’

If the learndirect centre where you have been doing your learning has closed, and you have not been provided with details of an alternative centre, you can contact the learndirect helpline on 0800 101 901 for advice on options available to you to help you continue your learning.

If your course has expired please contact your centre or tutor in the first instance and they will help you explore the options to carry on learning.

If you are unable to contact your centre, please contact the learndirect helpline on 0800 101 901 and they will provide you with the help you need.

If you have successfully completed your learning and not received your course certificate/statement before your learndirect centre closed, you have two options.

• For course certificates relating to external qualifications e.g. ECDL you can contact the course awarding body directly to arrange delivery. See below for a list of awarding bodies.
  
  Please note: Most awarding bodies charge a fee for sending out replacement certificates even if the certificate was sent to your centre and was not passed on to / picked up you. When making any payment to an awarding body you should request a receipt for the payment. We will reimburse any fees paid by learners to awarding bodies if we are satisfied that you did not receive the Certificate previously or you did not have reasonable opportunity to retrieve it from your Centre if it is now closed. No fees will be re-imbursed without proof of payment to the awarding body. If you need any further help then please call our helpline-0800 101 901.

• If you require a completion statement for your learndirect course, then you can contact the learndirect free helpline on 0800 101 901 who will help arrange this for you. Lines open from 7am to 11pm, seven days a week.

British Awarding Bodies Contact Details

British Computer Society

BCS Qualifications

Web: www.ecdl.co.uk

Telephone: 01793 417 424 or 0845 300 4417

City & Guilds

Web: www.city-and-guilds.org.uk

General enquiries: 020 7294 2800 (8.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday)

Edexcel Customer Service

Web: www.edexcel.org.uk

EDI

Web: www.ediplc.com

Telephone: 08707 202 909 (8.30-5pm)

Email: customerservice@ediplc.com

Institute of Leadershipand Management (ILM)

Telephone: 01543 266867

Email: customer@i-l-m.com

NPTC (part of City & Guilds who deal with the Fork Lift Truck Operations course)

Web: http://www.nptc.org.uk/

Telephone: 024 7685 7300

OCR

Web: www.ocr.org.uk

Telephone: 02476 851 509 (8am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday)

Email: vocational.qualifications@ocr.org.uk

If you have completed your learning and haven’t received your certificate you should contact the original Centre that you took your qualification with, as the awarding body will have the Centre's address as their place of contact and so will have posted the certificate to the enrolling Centre.

How do I get my course certificate/statement if my centre has closed?

learndirect is committed to providing you with the best possible learning experience.

As a learndirect learner, you will have access to:

• A tutor - to help you complete your learning and achieve your goals (the Learner Promise gives you more information about tutor support).
• Your online Learning Pages - which will enable you to plan and manage your learning and contact your tutor.
• learndirect community- where you can share your experiences online, chat to other learners, ask questions and get support with your learning.
• Learner Support (0800 101 901) - the helpline provides help and advice on all aspects of learndirect, and is open from 7am to 11pm  seven days a week. 

As your feedback helps us to improve please contact us to tell us what you like, make a suggestion or comment, ask a question or make a complaint.

If you haven’t received your course materials contact the learndirect helpline on 0800 101 901, and they will help you resolve any issues you are experiencing.

The helpline is open from 7am to 11pm, seven days a week.

In most cases this information can be located in your online learning pages by following these instructions.

• Log into your account.
• Click onto “My courses”
• Click onto “Previous courses”
• Now click onto the course title
• Click onto “My outcomes”
• In the Personal Learning Goal section, you can see the awarding body the test is linked to.

See screen shot attached below.

If your Awarding Body isn’t detailed please contact your centre or call 0800 901 101 to find out this information.

Ufi has a policy in place to refund learners who have paid for a course at a Learning Centre which has closed before the learner has had a reasonable opportunity to complete their course(s), and / or suitable alternative learning arrangements have not been available.

Learners should read the policy before applying for a refund. A copy of the policy and a downloadable request form are attached

Refund Policy		Refund Request Form

The Adult Numeracy and Literacy certificates (Level 1 & 2) are equivalent in level to GCSEs, but not in breadth.

The certificates were devised as an alternative to GCSEs for adults, and it has always been the intention that the certificates should be accepted by Higher Education Institutions (HEI) as an equivalent qualification.

It is important to be aware that as these institutions are independent and there are still a number of them who do not accept the certificates. Ufi/learndirect have no control over this, therefore all learners who need a qualification for entry onto a specific course e.g PGCE, should confirm with their individual HEI institution whether they will accept the certificates before enrolling

Most learndirect courses will require additional software (often referred to as 'plugins' or 'players') in order for the course to run successfully.  By using the search function on the learndirect course catalogue you can see which player/s is/are required for your learndirect course.

In most cases you can download the players for free. We have provided the relevant links below. These links will take you to the relevant website where you can download the player that you require for your learndirect course. We have also included test links that will allow you to test whether your computer has the relevant player installed.

Authorware Player

Please follow the instructions to install Authorware v5.2 first followed by Authorware v7.

(Note: please do not install Authoware v7 first as this will prevent the installation of Authorware v5.2).

• Get the Authorware Player v5.2 (free download)
• Get the Authorware Player v7 (free download)

To test whether your computer already has the Authorware player installed, please click the link below. An Authorware player movie will play if the software is setup correctly on your computer.

Test your Authorware Player

Flash Player

Get the Flash Player (free download)

(Note: We recommend that you untick the option to download the Google toolbar).

To test whether your computer already has the Flash player installed, please click the test link below. A Flash player movie will play if the software is setup correctly on your computer.

Test your Flash Player

Java Player

Get the Java Player (free download)

To test whether your computer already has the Java player installed, please click the test link below. If the Java Player is setup correctly on your computer you will see some animation built in Java.

Test your Java Player

Shockwave Player

Get the Shockwave Player (free download)

(Note: We recommend that you untick the option to download the Google toolbar).

To test whether your computer already has the Shockwave player installed, please click the test link below. If the Shockwave player is setup correctly on your computer you will be able to load and play a Shockwave based game.

Test your Shockwave Player

Adobe Reader

Adobe Reader allows you to view and print Portable Document Format (PDF) files.

Get the Adobe Reader (free download)

(Note: We recommend that you untick the option to download the Google toolbar).

If you are confused by any of the technical terms used here-then check out our glossary to find out what they mean

'Test My PC' is a tool which will check if your computer can use the learndirect website and learndirect courses.

'Test My PC' will measure your computer's specifications against the following criteria to make sure it meets the minimum requirements, and, if necessary, tells you what you would need to do to make your computer meets those requirements.

• Your operating system (eg the version of Windows you have)
• Your internet browser (eg the version of Explorer you have)
• If you have any pop-up blocking software installed that can stop the learndirect website opening up new windows.
• Your screen resolution
• If JavaScript is enabled within your internet browser - Javascript is needed to run some courses
• The additional software installed on your computer which are required for some learndirect courses (e.g. Authorware Player).

'Test My PC' and check whether your computer should work with learndirect courses.

Please call us free on 0800 101 901 if you need more help. This line is open from 7am to 11pm - seven days a week.

If you are confused by any of the technical terms used here-then check out our glossary to find out what they mean

• Go to the 'log into your learning' page then click ‘I’ve forgotten my password’ and follow the instructions.
• Or contact the learndirect helpline on 0800 101 901. The helpline is open from 7am to 11pm, seven days a week.

If you need to amend or update any of your personal details e.g address, you can do this via the ‘My Personal Details’ area on your Learning Pages.

To do this you need to:

• Log into your Learning Pages
• Select the ‘My details’ button from the home page
• Click ‘Edit Details’ in the ‘My Personal Details’ section
• Make any changes you need, click ‘Save Details’ and your changes will be recorded on the system.

A firewall is a system designed to monitor and control access to a computer. Firewalls protect your computer against attacks over the internet such as 'worms' and help prevent unauthorised access to your computer.

A firewall may prevent some learndirect courses or content from being accessible, so if you have problems with accessing content then check that your firewall is not rejecting content form learndirect.

The easiest way to ensure that your firewall is not blocking your access to learndirect services is to use your firewall control panel to allow data from *.learndirect.co.uk

In order to make these changes to your firewall software we would advise that you refer to the user manual that came with the software, or alternatively visit the Firewall company website and access the relevant help pages.

If you are confused by any of the technical terms used here-then check out our glossary to find out what they mean

If your course freezes and you are unable to continue with your learning, the following may help solve any issues:

1. Check your computer meets the minimum specification for learndirect courses by using the 'Test My PC' tool, and check the course catalogue for the technical requirements, for example, specific software, for your specific course.

2. Clear your cache. Internet Explorer contains a cache/storage space which stores all visited web pages. This is known as the Temporary Internet Files folder. A cookie tracks and storleares similar web information.

By deleting cookies and temporary Internet files (cache) and clearing history you will create space to ensure the best performance for your learndirect course.

For details on how to do this read ‘How do I clear Temporary Internet files and Cookies from my computer?

3. Add learndirect to your trusted sites list. Here are instructions on how to do this.

Open the Internet, and from the menu bar select 'tools', then 'internet options', which should open a new window.

Click on the 'security' tab, which should show the overall internet security settings. These usually are at the default of medium-high security level, with protected mode on, do not change these settings.

Click on the 'trusted sites' icon (the green tick). Move the slider to set the security level to “Low”, and untick the box for protected mode on.

Click the 'Sites' button and add the following website addresses to the list of trusted sites, then click 'OK':

http://www.learndirect.co.uk

http://www.laser.learndirect.co.uk

http://courses.learndirect.co.uk

Click “OK” to close the internet options window, close the Internet, then open it again.

4. Make sure that you don't have a real-time virus scan running at the same time you are learning as this can slow  down your PC.

5. Check what your usage is for your Internet Service Provider as some will 'cap' your usage depending on the type of service you've signed up to or how much you (or other users in your household) use the Internet, especially things like YouTube, BBC I-Player or music downloads - you may need to upgrade your service.

If you are confused by any of the technical terms used here-then check out our glossary to find out what they mean

The ideal screen resolution for learndirect is 1024x768 pixels. To change your screen resolution you need to:
Left click on Start in the left hand corner of the screen

• Select Settings
• Select Control Panel
• Select the Display Icon
• Select the Settings Tab
• Adjust the Screen Area scale to read 1024x768
• Select Apply and OK

If you are confused by any of the technical terms used here-then check out our glossary to find out what they mean

If you need any help or have any questions about using your Learning Pages you can contact your tutor or your centre.

Also you can use the Learning Pages ‘Help’ section which provides further information on how to use each of the areas.

To access the ‘Help’ section you need to:

Log into your Learning Pages

• Click on the ‘Help’ button in the top right of the screen
• The ‘Help’ pages will then be displayed.

When you have logged into your Learning Pages you should click on the 'my courses' tab.

This section will show details of:

• The current courses that you are enrolled on
• Details of any previous courses you have done with learndirect
• Any external non-learndirect learning you are doing, which you will have added

For each course you can see:

• The name of the Course
• Any alerts that you need to action (eg. unticked outcomes have been confirmed)
• The number of Learning Outcomes that you have ticked as completed
• The number of Learning Outcomes that your tutor has confirmed as completed
• The date you enrolled on the course
• The agreed completion date (if a date was agreed)

How to continue your learning?

• Click ‘Continue my learning’ button.
• If you want to see the topics your course is broken down into or jump to a specific topic, click ‘View topics and assessments’.
• To carry on with your learning click the 'Continue'  button next to your listed course topics or click ‘Continue my learning.

Some of our courses ask you to download files in order for you to complete an exercise or assignment. Mostly, these are .pdf, .rtf, or Word files, but some of our IT courses contain files for carrying out exercises. These files are compressed to speed the download, and they appear as .exe files, which when opened will save the files required for the exercise to your computer.

Below is a step by step explanation of how to download files and how to access them once you have done this.

1. When you click to download your course materials a pop-up similar to the example shown will be displayed.

This security warning is normal, as .exe files can be used to spread computer viruses. All such files included in learndirect courses are thoroughly checked before we include them in our courses, so they are safe to run.

2. Click on Open.

A pop-up similar to that shown below will then be displayed:

3. If you wish to accept the default location for the files to be saved to, in this example C:\Consolidation, simply click on the Unzip button.

If you wish to save the files to an alternative location, type the folder location into the box. Or you can use Browse to view your computer’s storage locations. (Tip: Make a note of where you have chosen to save your materials)

Once you have selected your preferred download location, click Unzip.

4. The following dialog box will be displayed when the files have been successfully downloaded. The number of files may vary.

Click the OK button.

5. You now need to locate the downloaded files to begin working with them. For an easy way to open Windows Explorer, press the “windows” and “e” keys together

6. The following screen will now be displayed. Select the drive that you have saved your files to. You may need to use the scroll bar if one is provided. In this case we have opted to view the C: drive and you can see the Consolidation folder that the files have been saved into. 

7. To access your materials select and open the folder that contains your course files.

Microsoft Vista adds an additional layer of security to Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) called 'protected mode'. This can prevent some programs from running, in particular Authorware. Rather than turning off the protected mode completely, it is possible to set IE7 so that it turns off automatically for selected sites e.g. learndirect. 

To do this so that learndirect courses will run, follow the steps below. Do this before attempting to install Authorware.

1. Launch IE7, and from the menu bar select 'tools', then 'internet options', which should open a new window.

2. Click on the 'security' tab, which should show the overall internet security settings. These usually are at the default of medium-high security level, with protected mode on, do not change these settings.

3. Click on the 'trusted sites' icon (the green tick). Move the slider to set the security level to “Low”, and untick the box for protected mode on.

4. Click the 'Sites' button and add the following website addresses to the list of trusted sites, then click 'OK':

http://www.learndirect.co.uk

http://www.laser.learndirect.co.uk

http://courses.learndirect.co.uk

http://thirdforce.com

http://www.adobe.com

5. Click “OK” to close the internet options window, close IE7, then launch it again. Installing Authorware

6. It is important that Authorware Player v5.2 is installed before you install v7.  To do this, go to 'Do I need particular software to access my course'. From the links provided, go to 'Get the Authorware Player v5.2' and install it. Now go to 'Get the Authorware Player v7' and install that too.  Now go to the 'Test your Authorware Player' link to check it has installed correctly.

Our courses are tested on the most commonly used operating systems and browsers, and we recommend that learndirect courses are run on these. Currently, we support use on the Windows 2000, XP, and Vista operating systems, and the Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 7, and Firefox 3 browsers. As this list changes over time and some of our older courses may not work with newer operating systems or browsers.

It may be possible to run your course using operating systems and browsers we do not support, but our courses and systems will not have been tested against these and so we do not guarantee that courses will work properly on them.  As newer operating systems and browsers are released, we may add them to the supported list but this will not happen immediately as we need to thoroughly check that our courses and systems work properly with them.

If you are uncertain which operating system or browser you have installed on your computer then please use the ‘Test My PC’ diagnostic tool. ‘Test My PC’ will also help you check whether your computer meets the minimum specifications to successfully use the learndirect website and learndirect courses.

If you are confused by any of the technical terms used here-then check out our glossary to find out what they mean

Internet Explorer contains a cache/storage space which stores all visited web pages. This is known as the Temporary Internet Files folder. A cookie tracks and stores similar web information.

By deleting cookies and the cache you will create space to ensure the best performance for your learndirect course.

To clear the cache and cookies from your computer please follow the guidance below:

1. On the 'Internet Properties' window click the button called 'Delete Files'. The following message box will appear:

2. Put a tick in the box entitled 'Delete all offline content' and click 'OK'. Once this is completed you will be taken back to the 'Internet Properties' window.

3. On the 'Internet Properties' window click the button called 'Clear History'. You will be presented with the following window:

4. Click 'Yes'. You will then be taken back to the 'Internet Properties' window.

5. On the 'Internet Properties' window click the 'Settings' button and then the button called 'View Files'. This will open a window called 'Temporary Internet Files' and will look similar to the following screen:

6. On the 'Temporary Internet Files' window click 'Edit' and then 'Select All'. Click the 'Delete' button on your keyboard and this will delete all temporary files including cookies. Once the screen has been cleared close the window down and click the 'OK' buttons to both the 'Settings' and 'Internet Options' windows.

7. You now need to log off the Internet and shut down your computer before restarting and trying again. Do not select 'Restart', as this does not always clear the problem.

If you are confused by any of the technical terms used here-then check out our glossary to find out what they mean

All online learndirect courses are delivered via a pop-up window. To use learndirect please ensure that any pop-up blocking or ad-blocking software installed on your computer is allowing pop-up windows from the learndirect website.

However, depending on the particular brand of pop-up blocking or ad-blocking software you have installed on your computer this can dictate how pop-up windows from learndirect are allowed.

The most common method of allowing pop-up windows from learndirect is as follows:

1. When you try to launch your learndirect course with pop-up blocking or ad-blocking software installed on your computer you are likely to get a message similar to the one illustrated in the above screen shot.

2. In order to allow pop-up windows from learndirect click the message and then select the option of 'Always Allow Pop-ups from This Site’.

3. If the above guidance is not applicable to your particular brand of pop-up blocking or ad-blocking software, then it may be an option to use the control key (Ctrl) to temporary bypass the software.

In order to do this, hold down the control key on the bottom left hand corner of your keyboard and click onto the link to access your course. After a few moments the course pop-up window should appear and you can release the control key.

4. If the steps provided above do not help resolve the problem that you are experiencing with your particular brand of pop-up blocking or ad-blocking software, it maybe an option to refer to the website of that particular software for further assistance.

5. If you continue to experience difficulties it maybe an option to check the other FAQs in this section.

The learndirect website does use temporary cookies each time you access the site. To help ensure uninterrupted access to learndirect products and services, ensure that your computer system is setup to allow cookies from the learndirect website.

In order to allow cookies from learndirect, please follow the below guidance:

1. Click 'Start' and select 'Control Panel' (Win 98 and 2000 users may have to select 'Start', 'Settings' and then 'Control Panel').

2. On 'Control Panel' double click the icon called 'Internet Options'. This will open up a window called 'Internet Options'.

3. Select the Privacy tab and select the 'Sites' button. You will be presented with the following screen:

4. In the section entitled 'Address of Web site', type in the learndirect web address: http://www.learndirect.co.uk and click allow. The learndirect address will then appear in 'Managed Web sites' section. Click 'OK' and 'OK' again on the remaining windows to save your settings.

If you are confused by any of the technical terms used here-then check out our glossary to find out what they mean

JavaScript is a language that can add activity and function to a website, such as drop down menus, navigation button effects and interactive forms. It is advisable that JavaScript is made active within your Internet Explorer browser to ensure that the learndirect web pages work properly.

In order to do this, please follow the guidance below:

1. Firstly, close all Internet Explorer Windows. Click 'Start’ and select 'Control Panel’ (Windows 98 and 2000 users may have to select 'Start’, ‘Settings’ and then ‘Control Panel’.

2. On ‘Control Panel’, double click 'Internet Options' and select the 'Security' tab.

3. Click the “Custom Level” button.

4. Having opened “Custom Level”, scroll down to the section called “Scripting” and enable “Active scripting”.

5. Click “OK” and select “Yes” to confirm that you want to change these settings.

6. Click “OK” in order to close the remaining window.

7. Having enabled the JavaScript, you can now restart your Internet Explorer browser.

If you are confused by any of the technical terms used here-then check out our glossary to find out what they mean

The 'Nothing Can Stop You'  book has been written to support you with your journey of gaining new skills and qualifications.

It gives you tips, tools and ideas and exercises to help you get started and achieve your goals.

You can order your copy by filling in the online form.

Reading with your children is a great way to improve their maths and English skills - as well as yours. That's why we've produced this book called 'Where did the river go?'

It is not your normal storybook. To follow Plip and Dab on their adventure, you and your children have to solve puzzles designed to test your English and maths skills.

How to claim your free book

To get your free copy of 'Where did the river go?'* you need to register your details and print out a voucher from the Where did the river go? website.

If you don't have an email address or printer, don't worry. We can text the voucher to your mobile or you can register at your nearest learndirect centre.

*This offer is open to residents in England and Wales only over 18 years of age. A maximum of one voucher per household is permitted.