I know we've had threads on correspondence schools (https://www.degreeinfo.com/index.php?threads/old-fashioned-correspondence-schools-where-are-they.41349/) but I wondered if there were any sources for CD-based courses or the old traditional computer-based training? We've moved onto the cloud and e-learning and all that, but I miss those old CD courses that could teach me a subject, advertising full motion video (FMV)! I've tried to do some googling but mostly come up short. I know DL is a brain trust. Does anyone know of any other sources for this type of learning? No specific topics in mind, but in my youth I had done some CD courses on Spanish, Piano, and Egypt - to give you an idea of the type of "general interest" training materials that used to exist.
Hello! I did (and still do) the course https://www.etcourse.com. The course material was delivered on CD-ROM; the course itself won several awards in the late 90s - but I bet the material has not been updated since then!! Best regards, Mac Juli
This isn't really "off topic"! The US Naval War College had a CD-ROM based distance learning option for many years. It was targeted as a replacement for paper-based correspondence courses for naval officers at sea who wouldn't have access to internet-based courses (and to save on the costs of shipping them text books). I checked to see if it was still running. They stopped new enrollments Sept. 30, 2017 and it was due to phase out completely May 31, 2019. https://usnwc.edu/News-and-Events/News/Naval-War-College-phasing-out-legacy-CD-ROM-course
I suppose it's still learning related but since it was more professional development than degree-based learning I figured I was safer in the OT forum. You reminded me of the NAVEDTRA manuals - it's how I learned algebra as an adult!
Just wondering, I'm all with the new technology nowadays - With the internet and such, why would you want to use CD learning? The only courses I would go for would be language learning and most of them are in CD format... otherwise, you can get learning material entirely online now...
A few reasons. Nostalgia maybe? I also think there's a lot of valuable information trapped in that format, and I learn better in a structured environment. Plus I hate subscription fees and it seems like the information available on those CD courses was more comprehensive for less price (e.g. $20 for a 3-CD Spanish or Piano course, while nowadays everyone wants recurring revenue.) I've also vaguely tossed around the idea of building a library of those types of courses for people in my part of the country who don't have broadband. Several of my kid's classmates live in houses without internet. The digital divide is real.