Registering

Using the online course material

Navigating the site

Registering

Can I purchase online courses separately?

The courses cannot be purchased separately.

How do I sign up for the Business of Writing online courses?

Register to begin immediately 

How will I receive confirmation of my registration? 

You will receive email confirmation of your registration. 

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Using the online course material

What is the difference between a course, a lesson and a resource?

The online Business of Writing program is made up of 12 courses. Each course consists of a number of lessons and an assessment. Some of the courses also provide extra resources that have been developed to make writing easier. 

How long is each lesson and course?

There is no particular length per lesson or course. For details about courses, click here. Please note that the timing only provides an estimate. 

Can I close a lesson before I have finished it?

Yes. You don’t need to complete a whole lesson at one sitting. At work, we realise that people have many interruptions, so the program has been developed to allow you to spend as much or as little time as you have. You can close the window at any time. 

How do I resume an interrupted lesson?

All you need to do is login with your login details and click on the interrupted lesson. You will be taken back to the page you were on when you closed the window. If you are taken back to the last page of the lesson and wish to go back to the beginning of the lesson, click on the Start lesson over button. 

How do I resume an interrupted assessment?

You can’t resume assessments if you exit before the last question. You can still access assessments up to four times, but they always begin at the first question. If you work your way to the end of the assessment and click on the Start lesson over button and then exit, you are essentially resetting the assessment and your score will show 0%. If you complete part of the assessment and then exit the window, the system will calculate your result in percentage.

Why are my results not updating correctly?

We have found that some servers don’t always update a result or activity once you’ve completed it. Please don’t be concerned as our server almost always does. Our Learning Management System tracks all your results and activities, while your screen only shows your most recent result or activity. If you find that your assessment result is showing a fail when in fact you passed, let us know and we will send you confirmation of your result. You do not have to redo the lesson or the assessment (if you achieved over 80% in a previous attempt).

 

Can I view the answers to the assessment questions?

You are given the opportunity to view the assessment answers after you have achieved a pass score (a score of 80% or more). If you achieve less than 80%, you will be provided with an option to see a report summary showing the questions you got correct and incorrect.

How do I track my progress through the online courses?

The Business of Writing online courses use specific software to track your progress. Once you are registered for a course, you are able to see your progress as soon as you log in. 

Is access to registered courses limited?

For each course that you are registered, you can access each lesson and the assessment four times over the period of one year. 

 

How can I contact someone for help?

Please send us an email at support@businesswriting.biz. 

Are completion certificates or reports available to online learners?

Yes. Once you have completed a course and achieved a pass mark (over 80%), you will be given the option to print a certificate immediately.  

I can't log in, what could be the problem?

If you have forgotten your login details, please send us an email at support@businesswriting.biz. 

Why can't I read the text on the online pages clearly?

Nearly all browsers allow to you set options that force fonts to change in appearance (generally to make the text appear larger) than the original designer intended. In some cases, this makes very little difference to the way the page is viewed. In pages, lessons, or presentations where font size is critical, it can affect the appearance of the page (text may be cut off, scroll bars may appear where they are not wanted, etc).
 

How can I fix this?

Fortunately, this is quite easy to fix. The instructions may differ depending on the browser you use, so locate the heading that relates to your browser to see how this is fixed. 

Internet Explorer 6.x
Netscape 7.x
Firefox
Other Browsers

In Windows, there are also options that can be set that affect how the screen enlarges fonts and other screen elements that can also affect how browser pages appear. 

Windows Screen Settings

Internet Explorer 6.x

Select the Tools/Internet Options command, and click on the Accessibility button.
You will see the following dialog box.

Ensure that the Ignore font sizes specified on Web Pages option is not selected. 


Netscape 7.x

Select the Edit/Preferences command, and click on the Appearance category.
Then, select the Fonts option. You will see the following dialog box.

Ensure that the Allow documents to use other fonts option is selected.

FireFox

Select the Tools/Options command, and click on the General category. Then, select the Fonts & Colors button. You will see the following dialog box.

Ensure that the Always use my Fonts option is not selected.

Other Browsers

In other browsers not specifically mentioned (and we will include more browsers here shortly), look for a Preferences, or Options command that relates to the appearance of web documents. It may also be listed under Accessibility. Basically, you need to ensure that the browser is not set to override the fonts and sizes in the web page from appearing as the designer intended.

Windows Screen Settings

The process to fix the screen settings in Windows may vary a little for different versions of Windows, but it should essentially be found in about the same area. In this example, we talk about how this is achieved in Windows XP. 

Follow this procedure to check and change your settings. Select Start Menu/ Settings/Control Panel. From the Control Panel, select the Display program. (Alternatively, you can right click on your desktop and select Properties.) 

When the display properties dialog box appears, select the Settings tab. From here,
select the Advanced button. A dialog box something like the one below will appear.

Note the area where the DPI is changed. This should be set to Normal size (96 DPI),
rather than any other DPI, or any other setting that refers to Large Fonts.
You will need to restart you computer for any changes in settings to take effect.

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Navigating the site

What do I do if I am having technical problems with the web site?

Please send us an email at support@businesswriting.biz and clearly state the nature of the problems you are experiencing.  

How do I change my screen resolution?

This website is optimised for desktop screen resolution of 1024x768 and 800x600. 

Changing your resolution under Windows 

1.    Go to your desktop and right-click on some free space. A grey menu box will pop up.

2.    Left-click on Properties near the bottom of the menu. A large Display Properties box will pop up.

3.    Select the Settings tab in the Display Properties box.

4.    Use the little slide bar to adjust desired screen resolution (or it may be called screen area) and
     then click Okay. 

After you've done this, Windows will ask you to confirm that changing your resolution is indeed what you want to do. After you've clicked Okay again, your monitor will flick off for a few seconds and then pop back to life again with the new resolution. Windows will usually ask you to confirm the change one last time, and then it will leave you to it. 

Changing your resolution with a Macintosh 

For all Macintosh operating systems below OS X, resolution settings are found under the Apple Menu. Select Control Panels, and then Monitors and Sound. Or you can use the Control Strip at the bottom of the screen, and click on the Screen resolution icon.  

For Macintosh OS X, resolution settings are found by clicking the Apple Menu, and then selecting System Preferences and then Displays. Or you can click on the Apple in the Dock at the bottom, and select Displays.

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