All members joining the club must complete our mandatory Computer Fundamentals program. However, if you already have some experience in using computers you may elect to have your competence assessed prior to joining this program and, depending on the result of the assessment, the requirement of completing these courses may be waived. You must have Computer Fundamentals skills before you can book any of the Optional Courses below.

The two XP Computer Fundamentals courses are taken sequentially: Personal Computing Fundamentals (abbreviated to PC Fun) followed by Windows XP Fundamentals (XP Fun). You must first complete PC Fun successfully before commencing XP Fun. For those using Windows Vista, there is an equivalent Vista Computer Fundamentals (Vista Fun). There is no formal examination at the conclusion of any Computer Pals course. Please click here to get more information about the contents of these courses.

Note that, completion of the PC Fun course is sufficient to commence the Internet & Email, Digital Camera and Computer Building courses if you are really keen to get started on these Optional Courses. However, this is only permitted on the basis that the member continues to attend XP Fun training.

PC Fun and XP Fun are taught on a one-on-one basis with a personal Trainer for each Student working at their own pace. These training sessions are 55 minutes each week until you complete the program. Arrangements for Vista Fun are slightly different but you still have access to a Trainer and students can work at their own pace. The faster you work the sooner you will be able to enter your choice of the many Optional courses available. One-on-one training is offered on Mondays and Tuesdays between 10.00am and 4.00pm and Fridays between 10:00am and 1.00pm. You will be asked to commit to attending regularly for 55 minutes each week during these times.

Note that, depending on demand for training, there may be a short waiting period before starting your one-on-one tuition. On such occasions the Club may offer these Computer Fundamentals courses in group teaching mode (i.e. in classes of 10-12) so that more new members can receive their initial training as soon as possible.

There are pre-requisites for some courses and therefore it might be worth looking at the Course Progression Chart to see if you have completed the courses that may be required. This is a guide only and if you are not sure you meet the pre-requisites you can seek out the Presenter of the course you are interested in and discuss it further.

Current list of Optional Courses:

There is a manual supplied for each course and teaching aids where necessary.

Each course commences at a basic level and progresses to a level of competence that may be classified as beginner, intermediate and advanced depending on the course content. In this way, members will be able to work their way up to a level limited only by their own competence.

Experienced Senior Trainer Presenters demonstrate each topic followed by "hands on" by the Students on the Club's computers and are guided by assistant Trainers. All you need to bring is enthusiasm, a notebook and a wish to learn. We provide the rest. You are invited to join other Members and Trainers for a tea break when attending the Club for your lessons.

Currently there are two systems used for booking Optional Courses. More popular courses that are run frequently are generally on a Pay-in-Advance basis where the Course Coordinator announces that a specific Optional Course will be run on certain dates/times. All members who have registered interest in attending this course are notified via email. Places on the course are allocated on a "first come" basis as the notified members pay for their place on the course at the Club Office. You can register interest for one of these courses by following the instructions on the Course Clipboards.

If the Optional Course is not "Pay-in-Advance" then then it up to the member to read the instructions on the Course Clipboard which generally asks them to add their name, telephone number and email address to the Course Waitlist. When the Course Coordinator thinks there are sufficient numbers on the waitlist to run a specific Optional Course s/he will contact those members on the Course Waitlist in the order that they are listed. Once you have secured your place on a specific course, payment occurs on the first day of the course at the Club Office.

The Course Clipboards hang on the wall in the corridor towards the kitchen end of the Club and are also taken to the Monthly Meetings. A summary of each course is stuck to the clipboard itself (under the sign up pages) and is also available on this website by clicking on Course Summaries.

Last Updated 13 June 2009

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