E-Learning 101 by Liz Hardy

Title: E-learning 101: It's not as tough as it looks
Author: Liz Hardy
Genre: Nonfiction self-help
Publisher: Self-published (June 1, 2012)
Available: $9.99 at Amazon
Rating: 4 stars
Rater: Lauri

From the author:

E-learning 101 is a one-stop e-learning resource.
This e-learning e-book will cheer you on, while it shows you the ropes. It's just like having your own personal e-learning coach. 

This e-learning resource can do three things for you.
1. Save you time - by quickly explaining how everything works (it's much faster than guessing on your own).
2. Stop you worrying - by replacing your fears with action and progress.
3. Make you more confident - by giving you step-by-step strategies for dealing with the tricky parts. 

E-learning 101 can help you if you're:
* Anxious about e-learning
* Procrastinating about getting started
* Too busy to wade through enormous books about online learning
* Keen to make progress on your e-learning course right now.
In 6 short lessons, you'll find the solutions to your biggest e-learning questions.
And you'll discover that e-learning's really not as tough as it looks.

What I liked: This is my first foray into a self-help "how to learn" book. I imagine the target audience of this one includes Generation X and Baby Boomers, as e-learning wouldn't seem to be a frightening or unknown prospect to the Ys and 00s. In any case, the tone is conversational, and the tips are logical and well thought out. Lots of good tips here that will indeed help an e-learner ground themself before launching into that first online course.

What I didn’t like: The book is not for true beginners. It's too short, too clipped, and provides no definitions or referrals. I imagined my mother, a Boomer, taking an online course, and this book would not help her. My mom uses email and surfs the net, to a degree, granted, but a lot of the directions in this book (e.g., "learn what assignments are due" without explaining how to do that) are not going to help folks who truly have no idea how. And too, the book is too expensive for this genre IMO.

In sum: A good resource for someone taking their first online course -- providing the person is moderately or more web-savvy.