Course Information FAQs

Who are the instructors?

RadioShack Learning Center online courses instructors are award-winning authors, technology leaders, and professionals who really enjoy teaching and interacting with students about topics in their field.

How do I ask the instructor a question?

Your instructor will be happy to answer your questions regarding topics covered in thelessons. Please post your question to your course Message Board so that your instructor can respond. You must be enrolled in the course in order to use the course Message Board.

To access the Message Board:

1. Click Your courses in the right navigation pane.
2. If you are not logged in, you will be prompted to provide your e-mail address and password to log into the site.
3. Click the title of the course for the Message Board you want to access.
4. On the course overview page, click Message Board.
5. To post your question, click Post New Topic.
6. Enter a Subject heading, and then type your message in the Message box.
7. Once you have completed your message, click Preview to review your message before posting.

If your message looks correct, click Post. To cancel your message, click Cancel.

Instructors and other students review the Message Board often, so if your message requires a response, you should receive one shortly after posting your question.

What are the different parts of a course?

Each RadioShack Learning Center online course uses a combination of the following components to help you learn about a topic:

• Lessons: A collection of pages that discusses the course topic. Each course is two to eight lessons long, depending on the topic.
• Assignments: Optional exercises that help you apply the concepts discussed in the lessons.
• Quizzes: Optional short tests to help you check your understanding of the material that you just covered in the lesson.
• Message Board: The course discussion forum where you interact with fellow students and your instructor.

You will be able to access all components of a course once you enroll in it.

How do I learn more about a specific course?

The course overview page includes the key information about a specific course including a course description, a list of lessons, recommended course materials, the begin and end dates for all available course sessions, and an introduction to the instructor.

What is in the lessons?

All course lessons consist of multiple pages that cover different aspects of the course topic. Click Next and Previous at the bottom of each lesson page to navigate through the lesson. You can also click the page number you want to view, or click View as one page to view the entire lesson on a single page.

Some lessons include assignments and quizzes, which are designed to enhance your learning experience. Use the assignments to apply what you've learned and as a springboard for thoughts and questions you can post to the course Message Board. Quizzes help you check your understanding of the material that you just covered in the lesson. We interactively score your quiz so you can discover in real time which concepts you understood and which concepts you might want to review or ask questions about on the Message Board.

How do I access my lessons?

You may access lessons only for courses in which you are enrolled. To access lessons:

1. Click Your courses in the right navigation pane.
2. Click the title of the course for the lessons you want to access and review the list of lessons in the Lessons area.

I can't seem to access my lessons. What's wrong?

First, check to make sure the lesson you are attempting to access has posted to the site. The first lesson of each course is available on the course begin date, and the remaining lessons post twice a week until all lessons have been posted. If a lesson has not yet posted, the link to that lesson will not be active and you will not be able to review the lesson.

You can print your lessons and assignments at any time during the active session, but once the session ends, you will no longer have access to review or print the course information. The course overview page for all courses lists a begin and end date for the session in which you are enrolled. We are unable to release lesson materials once a course session has ended, so please be sure to complete your lessons before the course end date. If you are unable to complete the course before its end date, be sure to return regularly to the RadioShack Learning Center online courses Web site to look for new sessions of the course.

How do I obtain a certificate of completion?

To obtain a certificate of completion, you must view all lesson pages and complete all quizzes and assignments. When you're finished with the last lesson of the course:

1. Click Your courses in the right navigation pane.
2. Under "You have taken these past courses," click Certificate next to the course name to view and print a PDF of the certificate. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view the certificate.

You can still download certificates for completed courses even after the course end date.

Can't find an answer to your question in the FAQ? Contact us for e-mail support.